Technique: Small Tweaks, Big Gains

Technique: Small Tweaks, Big Gains

There’s a moment I see again and again in training.

An athlete starts a hard effort with the best of intentions. The pace ramps up, breathing quickens, and suddenly everything feels urgent. Arms move faster. Legs push harder. And quietly, almost without noticing, technique slips away.

What’s interesting isn’t that this happens – it’s that most athletes think this is what effort should feel like.

But often, the fastest and most effective performance comes from the opposite place.

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When Effort Replaces Thought

Recently, during a swim squad session, we were doing best-effort 100s. One swimmer summed up her experience perfectly afterwards.

On the first 100 metres, panic set in. Arms moved fast, but thought disappeared. Technique was lost.

Time: 1:27

Stroke count: 27

State: Exhausted

On the second 100 metres, nothing dramatic changed – except her focus. She thought about her stroke, slowed things down mentally, and swam with purpose.

Time: 1:24

Stroke count: 22

State: Tired, but in control

Same athlete. Same fitness. Same pool.

Different outcome.

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What Was Really Going On

This wasn’t about trying harder. It was about how effort was applied.

When panic crept in, attention shifted away from movement quality and towards urgency. The body didn’t forget how to swim — the mind simply stopped directing it.

Technique is a skill. And like any skill, it’s vulnerable under stress unless it’s deliberately protected.

This is why athletes often feel frustrated when they “work harder” but don’t go faster. More effort without structure usually means:

• Higher energy cost
• Lower efficiency
• Faster fatigue

And ironically, slower times.

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A Common Pitfall

One of the most common mistakes athletes make is believing technique is something you work on before or after the hard work — not during it.

You’ll hear things like:

• “I’ll focus on form once I’m fitter.”
• “That was just a hard rep — technique doesn’t matter there.”
• “I was trying to go fast.”
• “I’ll think about technique in my technique sessions.”

But technique isn’t a warm-up drill. It’s how you apply force when it matters.

The athletes who improve fastest aren’t the ones who can suffer most — they’re the ones who can maintain quality while suffering.

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What Success Actually Looks Like

Good technique doesn’t mean swimming easily or feeling relaxed all the time.

It looks like:

• Fewer strokes at the same pace
• Feeling tired but controlled
• Knowing what to focus on when things get hard
• Exiting a session fatigued, not fried

It’s quiet progress. Often unnoticed in the moment — but unmistakable over time.

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From a Coaching Perspective

As a coach, I don’t get excited when athletes simply push harder.

I get excited when I see:

• An athlete pause mentally instead of panicking
• Someone choosing control over chaos
• Small, deliberate adjustments under fatigue

That’s where real improvement lives.

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Practical Takeaways

If you want to start applying this immediately:

• Pick one technical focus per session — not five
• When intensity rises, narrow your attention rather than letting it scatter
• Accept that slowing down mentally often leads to going faster physically
• Judge sessions by quality under fatigue, not just numbers

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The Long View

Technique isn’t about perfection. It’s about focus.

Small tweaks, repeated consistently, create big gains over months and years. Not just faster times — but more sustainable, confident performances.

And often, the athletes who improve most aren’t the ones trying hardest.

They’re the ones thinking most clearly when it counts.