Coach's Corner: Why connection comes before everything else

This is the first ever Coach's Corner, a brand new monthly series from In at the Deep End. Between main episodes, Salim will take a deep dive into one coaching topic at a time, answering the questions you send in and sharing tips, techniques and advice picked up across 20 years of swim coaching. And you can help choose the topics, just email in or leave a voice message about what you struggle with, what you want to improve, or what's holding you back, and Salim could cover it in a future episode.To kick things off, this episode is all about connection, the thing most swim coaches skip straight past. Fear of open water doesn't care how fit or experienced you are. It's hit Olympic swimmers, seasoned triathletes mid-race, and pool swimmers who feel completely at home in a lane but freeze the moment they're in a lake or the sea. Salim breaks down why building a genuine connection with the water, before you even think about technique, is the real foundation of confident, efficient swimming.In this Coach's Corner, Salim covers:His five-step process for building water confidenceWhy coaching often has nothing to do with swimming at allWhat Vicki Anstey had to overcome before she could even begin training for her record-breaking Pacific rowWhy "the push and glide" is the fastest part of any length, and how top Olympians already use itThe moment Joe Wicks, one of the fittest men in the country, panicked fifty metres into an open water swim, and how connection work turned that aroundThe three pieces of kit Salim recommends once you're ready to start working on propulsionWhy Salim describes swimming as a performance art rather than a sport, built on doing less to get moreCoaching tip of the episode: Before you touch technique, get connected. Stand on the poolside or the water's edge and treat the water as your friend, not an obstacle. Calm heart rate and comfort in the water aren't a nice-to-have, they're the foundation everything else is built on.Coming up in future episodes:The perfect plod: finding your natural swimming rhythmSwimming like Katie LedeckiBreathing and building an adaptable repertoireThe kick: two-beat, four-beat, six-beat, and fixing "sinky legs"The need for speed, and staying fast as you get olderBe a part of Coach's Corner. Here's how to get in touch:Email us: inatthedeependpod@gmail.comUse the get in touch form HERE — https://inatthedeepend.transistor.fm/be-a-part-of-the-showSend us a voice message HERE — https://www.speakpipe.com/InAtTheDeepEndProduced by The Good Studio — thegoodstudio.co.uk