How I Became a Better Swimmer at an Older Age

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Video by Talbot Cox
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[@keithking7677]

As a lifelong swimmer and someone who can swim front of pack, this video is spot on! I developed the relationship with the water as a young child and competitive swimmer for nearly 20 years. But trying to explain the relationship with the water to adult newcomers is very difficult. LS explains what I never could.

[@trbeyond]

Agreed. I’m a former distance swimmer and I actually didn’t realize how much I take for granted until watching this video.

[@erikschmidt5263]

Same here. Had been a competitive swimmer for my whole youth, stoped frustrated at 18 when I got told it will never be enough for international competitons and started again 10 years later for triathlon. 4 months in and I'm already beating Lionels times while taking it easy. Finally I'm starting to realise how precious it is to feel at home in the water :)

[@suzanneramirez4735]

Agreed! I'm a lifelong swimmer as well, even briefly coached, and yet I could never quite articulate this explanation and feeling to my athletes or friends. So well said!

[@iiii2903]

stop BSing...with swimmers secret "feel for the water".....in high school, my kids were swimming 2 hours per day....olympians swim 6 hours a day for years...."feel for the water" my ass...😂

[@toby9999]

The water always gave me the shits. We had swimming lessons for PE at school. Ten years of it and I hated every second of it. Even the thought of the water would turn me into a nervous wreck. I was already 13 years old before I could put my face into the water. Terrifying.

[@ADuckOnQuack97]

always love how humble lionel is

[@nathanmclain9027]

The last few weeks i've been evaluating why i've not been able to break my 1:45/100m 1500m pace. My next swim I'm going to introduce myself to the water and we're going to be friends. I can feel it.

[@benhanzen2732]

:-) Once you two are acquainted, could you introduce me to your new friend?

[@swimgood3873]

I'm a similar pace let me know if you break it 🤣 I'm still trying to get my pre lockdown times back. Out of interest what's your 100m PB ?

[@nathanmclain9027]

@@swimgood3873 1:36 is my 100m PB

[@anonymeanonyme4047]

How was it

[@swimgood3873]

@@nathanmclain9027 I'm surprised it's not faster based on the 1500m pace. Deffo do some 100s off 2min and hard 50s off 1min to get some speed work in

[@mathieunorry]

I gave this man a hard time when he was doing crazy things like going vegan and doing a full ironman in training, weeks out from Kona. I criticised him for his stubborn refusal to get a coach. But I will commend him for admitting he needed help to get to the next level, for being a student of his craft and never giving up on seeking improvement. There is nobody better at talking about his sporting craft than Lionel. He is so passionate, honest and so articulate, a joy to listen to. Respect.

[@cgharris22]

Learnt to swim at 28. 10 years on, had the best swim of my life after listening to this. Thank you, Lionel!

[@ryancheng7932]

I am glad that finally a pro is willing to talk about how hard swimming is.

[@eugeneclark5316]

Lionel's explanation of swimming is the best I ever heard. I learned to swim 40 and did everything he shared, swam thousands of yards, with huge stroke counts, terrible efficiency, lots of energy expended, and glacial times ... I did not improve until many years later when I slowed down and began feeling the water. I will never post what is considered fast or even average times, but I now swim efficiently and the experience is very enjoyable.

[@RickMartinYouTube]

good comment

[@michaelclark8278]

I could never really swim properly, only about 2 lengths of a pool - 50m. I then got signed up for a charity sprint triathlon at work and basically over 3 months went from 50m to being able to swim 1000m. It was without a coach, I would just watch a video about a certain technique and then try it in the pool next time, 3-4 times a week. It's never too late guys, you can do whatever you set your mind to!

[@tpanagides]

Thank you Lionel. Simply wow. I just wrote this in my journal. By far the best clipped I watched on swimming since I started 12 years ago. Keywords - slip versus grip. Develop a relationship with the water. Soft-touch. Discover the right amount of pressure where it feels as if you’re gripping the water. There’s a sweet spot. Find it. Applying more pressure or less effort, causes your front crawl stroke to slip through the water and become less efficient.

[@Justin-uf9lc]

Half of this is incredible encouraging to hear Lionel struggle and articulate what all of us bad/nervous/frustrated swimmers go through but the other half is extremely discouraging that it took him 11 years to figure it out 😭

[@JohnDoe-sw9zq]

You have described my relationship with the water to a T. Watched so many videos and tried so many things and never ever feel smooth. I see others swim effortlessly and just don't know how to get there. Kudos to sticking with it and providing hope to us mere mortals.

[@Horsefaire]

Me too

[@lloydtoffolon259]

To hear your transition and journey genuinely inspires me in the pool. Hearing you were a 2:40/100m gives me hope. 18 months ago I couldn't swim 100 without spending all my gas tickets. I'm swimming 1:45 for 1.8km and working towards first ironman. Keep inspiring legend. Honesty is the best policy. Much love

[@Horsefaire]

The best video! Swam for fun as a kid. Took my own kids to beach. Now retired and wanted to pick it up as a lap swimmer. This video is the most important video to start with!

[@nathanmclain9027]

I’ve watched this 2x now and feel like I’m still learning. These kind of knowledge sharing videos are gold

[@jamesfindlay8690]

These are really profound insights about relations/entanglement/responsiveness between self and material generated through corporeal experience. These observations are as fascinating for swimmers/triathletes as they are for human geographers! I'm not even a triathlete, but I keep coming back to Lionel's videos because his reflections are amazing

[@davidporter2828]

Thanks Lionel. I started to swim in late 2019 (at 57!!!) and even with pool closures I can finally see a glimpse of improvement because I have "stopped fighting" the water and now ignore what others are thinking about me or what they are doing. Cheers mate.

[@TheTrailRabbit]

This is probably one of the best videos about swimming on YT.

[@scotmoser8716]

It’s really about embracing or accepting the swim. I agree you have to find your perception of the water. Many triathletes come to the swim with preconceived notions about water and the sport.

[@jamescorcoran6179]

The relationship good swimmers have with the water is: balance in water. I remember a conversation with Adam van Koeverden (Canadian Olympic gold medalist - kayak) and we talked about how great paddlers have great balance in the boat. When you are balanced in the water, you are not spending energy and technique getting your self back to balance.

[@jsti23]

I wish every “new” swimmer could see this, the insight is incredible! I was fortunate enough to be dumped in the water at 3yo, swam club for another 20, and I never knew how much I took water feel for granted. The “catch” is everything, can’t understate the importance of catch drills. In our typical club practice, I’d say 40-50% of the time was spent on “slow” drill work, not full on swimming. Lionel is so right, master the form first and then the speed will come.

[@PhiyackYuh]

He’s been stubborn and egotistic for years thats why he cant improve his swimming. He questions his coaches when he has no basic understanding of swimming. Its all about feel for the water. There’s a reason why he won’t catch the top athletes. Plain and simple.

[@micahslaton7490]

Love this! D1 All-American here, you’re right on track when talking about “feel” and “soft hands”… immediately knew you were on the right path when I saw you hitting sculls in the vid. Very thankful that I got that feel from an early age… but oh man all of that low impact training over the years did not prepare me for running. Cheers to learning new skills!

[@bro7269]

Holy crap, what an awesome video! Thank you!! I did my first sprint late last year. I went on to continue swimming hoping to get better. After months of swimming I could barely break 2:15/100. I kept trying to reach/rotate/streamline and reduce drag thinking I would automatically go faster. One day I looked back at my sprint race and noticed it was the fastest (1:45) I had swam. I finally saw it was my stroke rate. The adrenaline must have made me swim at twice the rate I was currently training at. I wasted all that time trying to swim smooth but I was also ruining my shoulders trying to pull harder to increase speed. What’s funny is after 9 months of “training” my 1:45 now is a hard effort in the pool and that same 1:45 in my race 9 months ago seemed easy!

[@ChrisProuse]

It's similar to rowing - I was a competitive rowing coach and can tell you the fastest part of the stroke is actually on the recovery when the blades are out of the water and you're pulling your feet towards you on your way to the next stroke - the boat effectively shoots forward under your butt. Newcomers think it's all about ripping as hard as they can on the oar during the drive portion of the stroke and then racing to the next as quickly as possible... but maximizing that recovery part of the stroke in the most efficient way possible is what covers more distance between strokes. It takes years to master in order to intuitively know how to adjust on the fly at all speeds.

[@ronhamilton2879]

These tips are amazing … as a adult with swim trauma I’m grateful

[@jackrapp7532]

Swimming is frustrating! Work hard get faster..not necessarily. Great video, i'm sure all adult onset swimmers can relate.

[@deweirdta]

I recently started swimming and I'm glad to hear that Lionel's 100m best time was 2:00/100m back in the early days. Mine is 2:04/100m. This whole video gives me hope of improving, even at an older age.

[@nikitaw1982]

Standing vertical and reaching to the ceiling one arm at a time with a heavy back pack is strengthening my traps and shoulders and be long in the water. First time agony next time easy now increasing weight. Just did a 42 second 50m. First swim of the year. Plus I've been doing a lot of heavy back pack walking. Stresses core hips shoulders legs and when walking. Lots of effortless swimming videos should help ur technique as well. Did u crack 2 minute 100m?

[@SSuperCuriouss]

Such a good video. Yes, it's more like running on ice (adjust and feel when you're gripping). Love feeling every part of the water flow around me, like harmony, a symphony, no fighting.

[@ryanrys8625]

What's cool about Lionel Sanders is that he's articulate with his words and down to earth story telling. I like this guy!

[@belindakaiser7840]

I've really enjoyed your videos of late Lionel & Talbot. You can see that Lionel is clearly in a better mental headspace in his career & it shines through in your videos. It's great to see him smile & joke & not be so frustrated as he has been in past years. Keep it up.

[@danielorta5401]

Been in the struggle learning to swim as an adult for 2 years. Best video and super motivational for anyone trying to swim better. Got to get that water relationship going on because right now water and I have a massive love/hate relationship going on. It’s been mostly hate for the past couple of months too!

[@samlissaman3734]

I could listen to stuff like this for hours, you guys ever thought of doing a podcast?

[@ramonbostic]

This was the best description that I have heard. I realized that all of these how-to videos were only making it harder for me. You were spot on about how swimming is intrinsic when you learn as a child. I just learned properly at 54 and have realized that you really only know when you know. People can give tips, but you kind of need to figure it out on your own.

[@jasonmoore13]

This video just 100% changed my perspective about creating a “relationship” with the water to get faster - the self-awareness during the explications gets me fired up!

[@user-cz7oe2ez4y]

You're absolutely spot on, as a kid the brain is so flexible it can learn anything and master it to a high degree. If you learn it later, by default it is not crucial for you to survive and that's why my friends kids that do swimming as kids will always be superior, same as learning a language really. Thats the complexity we are dealing with.

[@melvano4014]

This is so spot on! I lived it. All the best LS!!

[@dylanbriscoe1383]

great stuff Lionel. stoked to watch your races this year

[@williamw.9223]

Great perspective and a new goal! Thanks for sharing this important insight about building a relationship with the water!

[@fabianthaesler1317]

Very well described! Thanks for sharing!

[@user-bq1uj5ij6o]

Loved the video. This video was for me and so spot on. Thank you Lionel for your insight.

[@christinakrachtoudi5098]

I can relate to this so much. Thank you for the incredibly wise words, can't wait to see where this journey takes you!

[@fransvandenheuvel1867]

Great content Lionel. Really gonna take this heart when I practice my swim stroke.

[@loganseaburg8041]

I’m excited to see what you do this season💪💪

[@johnnyleemail77]

Fantastic video. I'm starting to get there a bit with my swimming.. and when you get to the point where you begin to 'glide' but you are still being gentle with the water and you instinctively know when to just ease off a touch and 'connect' with the water it an incredible feeling

[@sdoofette]

Inspiring! Thank you Lionel for bringing the rest of us Hope.

[@alwaysburnedaholein]

Inspiring Lionel! Already looking forward to getting back to the pool! Thank you 🏊‍♂️

[@chunyuenlau56]

I am so happy for you that you have gained some clarity as to how to swim well, and treating swimming as an end, instead of a means to an end.

[@MrOagile]

I can feel your passion for water in this interview. Thank you.

[@navadri]

You put into words a swimming feeling really difficult to express. Love the way you’re approaching your trainings and the way you’re expressing your thoughs in your videos. Thanks Lionel.

[@chrishanrahan5075]

Incredibly insightful. Should be mandatory listening for every triathlete at any level. Nice work Lionel

[@adam_tri_hard]

Thanks Lionel for a great vidblog. I am an older athlete training for my first triathlon and your words are inspiring and continue to give me hope that I will better my swim with practice, practice, practice and developing a relationship with the water. Great advice.

[@mongoosethe]

Fantastic description and thoughts. Thank you.

[@jamesromero3282]

You delivered that message wonderfully 👏. Great video 📹

[@rheaglyvillatilap5460]

Thank you so so much Lionel for this. God bless you!

[@irondistance4313]

Thanks Lionel, I like this perspective, very Zen if you will, over the last year it has been easy to watch your swim progress and I hope to take this and can’t wait to try some of these techniques.

[@johnziemba4769]

Absolutely the very best swim video I’ve ever seen! Totally makes sense, can’t wait to get into the pool and start my relationship with the water. Thanks Lionel!!!

[@petarnovak1728]

Well said and explained Lionel! I started to swim at my 4 years of age and I remember all those thoughts were in my head when I was swimming and getting better! Keeps strong man! Strech more and treat water like your lover.

[@67er_matze97]

content of this vid is absolutely brilliant in my opinion! I'm 55 today and still this motivates me so much that it really means a lot to me. Thanks LS and all the best for '22 season !!

[@MarceloG..]

As someone that is watching videos and trying new techniques that never gets me faster... this is just GOLDEN!!! Thank you for taking the time to explain it!

[@willisnjim]

So helpful and insightful. Totally makes sense. Totally in this bracket of swimmer!

[@elliyazbeck7800]

Lionel, Love your Honesty and Passion. You lead by example and show Respect to others. God bless you.

[@shoutingvoice8681]

Ny far the most helpful video I've watched about swimming. Ty Lionel

[@mlegrand]

Justin Slade! Can't wait to make my way down there to catch up with him and maybe do a little swimming.

[@vernondocampo4617]

Always an inspiration. Stay hungry and humble at the same time. What I love about you is being hungry and lately the ability to be coached. I think this will be the year!!!! All the best and God Bless!!!

[@amysemingson]

This is so inspirational! Love this wisdom.

[@zachopperman1248]

Thank you Lionel! This is absolutely invaluable insight.

[@carbonmafiaracewheels]

Hands down one of the best videos you’ve done, many people are too afraid to slow down to go faster.

[@trevrockgw]

This was a wonderful interview. I’ve only been back swimming for a month, but I learned how to swim at such a young age I can hardly remember my first time in the pool. Can’t wait for my next session to see if I can dial in on the sweet spot with the water.

[@ninawarburton6761]

Wow!!! This is the best video about swimming I have seen - gonna take this to heart. Thanks!!! 🙏🙏🙏

[@mrinagl]

Great clip. Interesting perspective and well communicated. Food for thought

[@MrLimitlessME]

thanks very much Lionel! This is gold!

[@jilliancarlson5605]

Absolutely love this video (who am I kidding, I love all of the Lionel videos!) but this is awesome and such a great reflection with powerful words and ways to rethink swimming as an adult learner. Incredible work Lionel and incredible work to the entire team that supports you! I can’t thank you enough!

[@olliseidel6921]

Lionel, thank you for that....such a good speech. Just at the right moment. Greets from Berlin/Germany

[@vasatrainer]

Well done Lionel! Great information here!

[@dominikabura4570]

I've been swimming for almost my entire life so it was hard for me to explain what the connections with water means, because that was natural for me. You explained it perfectly and it's good to know this feelings from a different point of view :)

[@patricksassolioficial1701]

Excellent Lionel! This note is very good for all athletes. I am an Olympic coach and it really is a central issue in the development of any athlete who competes in the water. Thank you so much!

[@emf6621]

Nice and insightful video. Best of luck for the next year!

[@Liane-jp3yr]

Thank you so much for this great video! You are such an inspiration.

[@jenmiller2208]

Yoda Lionel. Swimming, I love. Me too, sir. Me too. Proud of your humility and willingness to learn. Once again, you’re the best.

[@aldude9511]

As a recent adult-onset swimmer this is a really interesting perspective. Thanks, Lionel!

[@BlakeJacques]

Just started swimming 4 months ago for my first Ironman Texas!! Your an inspiration LS !!

[@capture4t]

Thank you, always love your videos and the motivation that gives to an amateur triathlete like me :)

[@BarticusAD]

This video is gold. Thank you Lionel🙏🏻

[@GiovanniWayneCoach]

Great content and pieces of advice! I don't have a good relationship with water and I am training for my first Ironman, so this video gives a great perspective to look at. Thanks a lot, you are inspirational!

[@sandyhazeltine862]

Amazing content!!!! Thanks so much for sharing!

[@andreg1860]

My best swims have been after a crappy day at work and going to train at night all stressed and one day I felt the water calming me and clearing my mind and was just gliding.. smile on and fell in love with swimming but I have to work on always feeling that way when I train.. thank you for reminding us!

[@richardevans1118]

Explains it really well. Such an analytical thinker and manages to communicate something pretty difficult to convey. 👍

[@nataliazen]

As a slow swimmer with a really bad relationship with water, I'm so happy you made this video. Makes a lot of sense and I feel understood. All that you're saying truly rings a bell. So thanks so much for this video. This motivates me to pick up swimming again after 5 months of no swimming 🙈😬

[@ricardogoncalves9204]

Great Video!! Thank you Lionel

[@djokovic1747]

Awesome vid! Very well explained!🏊🏽‍♂️

[@octaviotoro4388]

Lionel - I think what you’re saying helps lot of us, I totally agree and looking forward for recommendations on how to built better relationship with the water. Thanks my friend

[@leighthomas8576]

Thanks, Lionel! You are awesome!

[@nkadu]

I was basically resigned to running duathlons after dedicating time to swimming and not seeing my times drop at all. Thanks for giving us frustrated adult swimmers a better perspective and some hope!

[@ollilampila2370]

This is awesome content! Very motivating.

[@NMGagne]

Once again he has proved why he's the man! Thank you

[@nissanbloom9280]

Absolutely amazing video, best swimming video out there. Had my best times in the pool today without even trying! Thank you linoel for all your unbelievable content 🙏 I wonder how you could apply these principles back to running and biking. I definitely believe they can be applied to running, just watching some of the best runners they make it look effortless, soft feet maybe? I definitely see the best in the sport seem to be smooth, and flowing rather then powerful or brute strength, keep at it!

[@petar-boshnakov]

Lionel, brother you changed my approach to swimming in one sentence and I am totally inspired by this interview. I totally digressed to being a kind in the pool - now just paddling on and on for hours just trying to get a feeling on what's this thing in my hands that i am trying to move around in. My only que now is the side wall of the pool that i use to guide myself - when my hands starts moving and exiting - it should be the same point (i.e. i moved and not slipped!). It is totally unbelievable - THANK YOU! I tried like you using the force that we have but then what you said totally clicked for me - reminding me that all the kids that are swimming on 1.20-1.30 easy have literally no more force than me yet they "fly". I can only add to what you are saying is that kids not only have no expectations when they interact with the water but for them being weaker it feels much more denser and they grow with this. So that's a huge advantage and something that i will try to go through (without force just feel) to get some of that taste as an adult. Big thanks and I will definitely let you know after some months in your discord channel.

[@wimvdputte]

So cool video. I forwarded it to a friend who's always fighting against the water 😁

[@piotrazaronek5714]

I wrote under one video a year ago, I'm glad that you found the right person who correctly directed you on the right track

[@tebbsy]

Terrific insight Lionel. There are so many videos of ‘essential techniques’ but none of that comes close to a great coach who understands there’s more to swimming than technique. I’m self-taught and began swimming for my first triathlon in 2016, muscled through, unable to break 28 mins for 1500m and completely gassed out. It’s taken me a couple of very frustrating years to retrain my mind and body, but I’ve gained over 2 minutes with nowhere near the effort from before. Swimming is so much more enjoyable now

[@atlosass]

The relationship I had with the water for most of my life was abject fear. I learned how to swim 10 years (I'm 52) & have completed some iron distance events since. But I continue to struggle with my swimming. I struggle & have no feel for the water. I'm just a mediocre age-grouper on my best days, but it's really great--and inspiring--to hear Lionel's reflections on swimming. Thanks!