Swimming: What Makes a Great Swim Session?

“That might be my favourite ever session.”

That was the message I received after one of our Swim Squad sessions this week.

Ninety minutes. Just under 4km.

It was a challenging session, but the message made me reflect…

What actually makes a great swim session?

As a coach, I spend a lot of time thinking about the session. Distances, paces, rest intervals, the balance between technique and fitness.

But just because I think it’s a great session, doesn’t mean swimmers do!

Some people love the sessions where they’re pushed further than they thought possible. Others remember the day technique clicked. For some, it’s swimming in a really positive lane. Sometimes it’s holding a pace that they didn’t think they were capable of. Sometimes it’s as simple as leaving the pool feeling better than when they walked in.

And I like this. If every session was a test, or a smash-fest, we’d all soon stop looking forward to them.

Training should challenge us, but it should also teach us. It should build fitness, improve technique, create confidence and, every now and then, remind us why we love swimming in the first place (that is what keeps us coming back, after all).

Perhaps that’s what makes a session memorable. Not that everyone swims a personal best. Not that everyone finishes completely exhausted. But that everyone takes something away from it.

Maybe it’s a little more confidence.

Maybe it’s a better understanding of your stroke.

Maybe it’s the satisfaction of completing a set you weren’t sure you could.

Or maybe it’s just spending ninety minutes with a group of people who encourage each other to be a little better than they were yesterday.

Whatever it is, that’s the real measure of a good session. Not the distance or average pace on your watch – but how you feel when you climb out of the pool.

So, I’d love to know…

What has been your favourite swim session… and what made it memorable?

I suspect the answers will all be different. And I think that’s exactly the point.

See you at the pool.

Bryan