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We were lucky enough to be invited to speak at Norfolk ASA regional development day in November about our journeys & experiences leading up to the London 2012 Olympic Games, and the trials, tribulations, and also fantastic highs we faced along the way. We spoke to around 25 swimmers, and some parents & coaches, hoping to motivate the young swimmers to shoot for the stars and not be afraid to do something different with the aim of reaching their goals. Best of luck to everyone there, we hope to see you all again in the future.

independent-coaching

This was another new venture for us. When we were contacted to run a CPD course for teachers and coaches, helping them “update their subject knowledge and make lessons more relevant, varied and effective”. We analysed each stroke through a variety of drills and demonstrations which the teachers and coaches were encouraged to try in the water. These practical sessions were then followed up with some video analysis in the classroom, showing above and underwater videos of Amy and Joe demonstrating all four strokes, starts and turns, highlighting what makes each discipline as efficient as possible. We really enjoyed working with a different audience who all gave us thanks and brilliant feedback. We are already looking forward to future CPD course and a working relationship with Independent Coach Education!

The next course is Wednesday 18th January.

Follow this link for more info.

hitchin-sc

November saw us pay our first of 5 visits to Hitchin Swimming Club. After video analysis with individuals, and chatting over the skills required for fast efficient Freestyle, we moved down to the pool to put some of the drills & skills into practice. As always, we look to break the stroke right down back to basics before building it back up again. It was great to be able to give the swimmers individual feedback and give them something to take away and use in day to day training. All 8 swimmers had a great session and were so attentive, and we look forward to seeing them again and progressing.

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This was one of the very best highlights we have had so far! What a fantastic experience for us to venture out to the exciting continent of Africa! This venture all started with a keen swimming parent asking about our interest to work with the schools swimming team. After finding out more information we jumped at the chance.

Set on the foothills and in plain sight of Kilimanjaro we were welcomed into the school by the extremely friendly and enthusiastic staff. Each morning at 5.30am (before the Sun had risen) we had made our way to the pool to begin land training with the senior team and then into the pool for a training session before school started at 7.35am. The morning swim was designed for more rigorous sets, tapping into different energy systems and testing stroke mechanics and technique. The afternoon practice was for stroke demonstrations from Amy & Joe and was more technique focused, with each day examining on one particular stroke. The junior swimmers we met once a day and had a mix of the two types of workouts in their daily session, and both groups added dryland training in order to strengthen muscles associated with swimming and increase flexibility.

This alone we enjoyed immensely, seeing these swimmers learn new skills and techniques and surprise themselves with how much they could physically and mentally improve. We were hugely impressed by how much they raised their game, training 8 times in 4 days plus land work! Well done!

Over the four days we were in the school we stood up in front of every student in the school in a mixture of assemblies and classroom visits. Sharing our journeys, values, highs and lows. This was really well received by all age groups and we were very impressed by the level of excitement, attention, interaction and manners from the students.

We loved every minute of our visit and would like to say a special thanks to Mary Fitzpatrick, Annalee & Bob Horton and Ryan Sullivan for all their efforts to make this happen!

Hope to see you all next year!

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sheffield swim celebration

It was an honour and a pleasure to be invited to attend Sheffield’s Celebration of Sport Evening to celebrate the city’s past, present & future sporting successes! More than a 1000 guests were in attendance including World and Olympic champions. The inaugural Olympic Legacy Park event was hosted by BBC Look North’s Harry Gration and took place on the very track where our Olympic golden girl Jessica Ennis-Hill trained in the Indoor Athletics Arena at the English Institute of Sport. Speakers such as World Champion boxer Anthony Joshua & Olympic & World Champion Jessica Ennis-Hill, among many others, made it a spectacular event to be a part of!

louth-swimming club

In September, we travelled over to Louth. It was Joe’s first visit to this club, and by working with 2 different groups, we got to see lots of Louth Dolphins swimmers. It was great to see how many of the swimmers at Louth took to Butterfly so naturally, and picked up the drills we taught them so well. Some are quite tough, but every swimmer gave them a go. Everyone did a fantastic job and we hope they enjoyed the visit as much as we did.

louth-swimming club

worcestershire-sept-16

Our 4th visit to Worcester County was held at Malvern College, what a fantastic facility and exciting day! This time we worked on Breaststroke and Freestyle with the swimmers in the pool, and again tried some land training techniques that we used to use as athletes ourselves. We also tested out the swimmers artistic skills by getting them to draw what their journey to success would look like, including barriers they may come across along the way. We had a great time working with everyone again, and a big thank you to Trixie for inviting us to be part of this development day.

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This was Swim Swift Elites first international swim camp!

This was truly an international camp as we had swimmers from Croatia, Slovenia & the UK attending. We teamed up with InCroatia and Olympic Silver medallist Michael Jamieson to run and unbelievable week’s camp at the beautiful location of Rijeka. InCroatia were a fantastic company to work with, they were extremely well organised and had fantastic rapport with all the swimmers. Bringing Michael on board was a brilliant decision, his long and highly successful career made him such an inspirational figure for the swimmers. Our combined swimming expertise was a massive positive influence on the swimmers, which was reflected in their attitudes to training, technical improvements they made throughout the week and their eagerness to attend another of our swim camps!

Check out our video here!

Roll on 2017 & our return visit for out Easter Swim Camp!

Click HERE for next years info

rio-2016

Amy had the incredible opportunity to travel to Rio de Janeiro with the Para-triathlon team for the Paralympic games in September. Her role was general team support and working alongside the Physiotherapist as the soft tissue therapist. There was an initial holding camp using the fantastic facilities in Belo Horizonte, where the athletes completed their final preparations leading into the Games. With this being the first time that triathlon has been part of the Paralympic Games, there was a huge buzz of excitement on the team when travelling into Rio. With the race site being along Copacabana beach, there couldn’t have been a more picturesque & bustling setting for the athletes to make their debut. The team came away with 4 very much deserved medals, and also some unfortunately close 4ths & 5ths. It was a hugely successful debut Paralympic performance for the team, they all did a fantastic job and should be very proud. The visit was topped off with a last minute visit to Sugar Loaf Mountain and possibly to most stunning views of Copacabana beach. It was a fantastic experience which brought back some fond memories of competing myself in London 4 years earlier.

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We always have a great time running our two day technical camps. The staff and facilities are amazing which is why we continue to use this brilliant venue at Abingdon School. We received some lovely feedback from parents and swimmers alike. All four strokes were covered over the four pool sessions as well as our thoughts and journeys through swimming. Sharing our skills and experiences with the swimmers and seeing it make a difference with their techniques and enthusiasm for the sport keeps our passion for these camps running high!