Why I Joined The Race Club: A Science-Based Approach to Elite Swim Training
I moved across the country for one reason: to learn. Specifically, I wanted to learn from the best. The Race Club offers something rare in competitive swimming. Rather than relying on guesswork, it replaces tradition with data, physics, and proven technique. Most coaching programs rely on the same methods passed down for decades. We, however, do not. Instead, we look for objective truths and turn them into real, actionable improvements for every swimmer.
A Fresh Perspective on Swim Training
On my first day on deck — which was also my first day in California — everything felt new. Some ideas clicked immediately. Others, though, challenged everything I thought I knew about swimming. That tension is where the best learning happens. In fact, the most valuable lessons are almost always the ones that push back against the accepted way of doing things.
Why We Keep the Hand Out of the Water Longer
Here is a great example. Most coaches teach swimmers to punch the hand into the water and lean into it right away. At The Race Club, however, we do the opposite. We teach swimmers to reach forward and keep the hand out of the water as long as possible.
At first, this made no sense to me. Wouldn’t that just slow everything down?
Not when you understand the physics. In fact, three key factors explain exactly why this works:
- Long-axis rotational speed — how fast the body rotates along its length
- Angular velocity of the hands — the speed and arc of the hand’s movement
- Frontal drag — the resistance a swimmer creates moving through the water
Most coaches overlook these factors entirely. Once you understand them, however, the technique makes complete sense. As a result, it is now a central part of how I coach — and how I swim.
Staying Humble Leads to Better Swimming
Training here has also been a lesson in humility. Specifically, it has brought the Dunning-Kruger effect into sharp focus. This well-known cognitive bias describes how people often overestimate how much they know about a subject. I have felt this firsthand. In fact, the more I learn about elite swimming technique, the more I realise how much still remains to discover.
Nevertheless, that is exactly what makes this work exciting. Every day on deck brings something new. Sometimes it is a major technical change to a swimmer’s stroke. Other times, it is a small adjustment tailored to one individual’s needs. Either way, the learning never stops.
The Race Club’s Mission: Challenge Everything
The Race Club is built on one core belief: never settle for “good enough.” As a result, we question outdated assumptions every single day. We also reject mediocrity at every level. Furthermore, we continuously look for better ways to help swimmers reach their full potential.
In conclusion, if you take one idea from this post, let it be this: challenge what you think you know. After all, the next breakthrough in your swimming might be hiding in a question you haven’t asked yet.