Yeah, I feel like I’m swimming slower and sort of easier. And then when I’m getting to the wall and touching and I’m seeing stuff in the 120s, low 120s, I don’t know where that’s come from. Welcome to the Effortless Swimming Podcast, the show that helps swimmers and triathletes love the water, become a better swimmer, and live a better life. Here’s your host, Brenton Ford.

Welcome to the Effortless Swimming Podcast. My guest today is Ben Kent and I wanted to get Ben on the podcast because you’ve recently had some really big improvements in your swimming and I like to get people who have gone through some of our staff and made improvements just to show that it’s possible and that with the right focus and know-how, you can really make some changes to your times by improving your techniques. So welcome to the podcast, Ben. Yeah, thanks. Thanks for having us. So tell me a bit about your background. Like what’s you’re doing triathlon? How long you’ve been doing that for and what’s your swimming background as well? Yeah, so basically I’ve been doing triathlons for about two and a half years. I broke my legs probably five years ago in a dirt bike accident and it was sort of like when I was going through the rehab, everyone was like, oh, you won’t be able to run or do anything like that. So it was just one of those

things that sort of put me put me more into it and did it. So but as far as as far as swimming, like just swimming as a kid, nothing sort of yeah, nothing to anything. And then I went, well, once I broke my legs and had to get in the pool, that was the only thing I could do there for a while. So just started swimming and all took off from there. And so did you start doing triathlon because you broke your legs and you were just like stuff that I’m going to show you? Or is it more just it’s just something that eventuated from wanting to get fit and get back into being active? Yeah, a bit of both. When everyone was sort of saying I wouldn’t be able to do anything like that. Yeah, stuff you are, I’m going to do it. And then when I got all the plates out of my leg, I signed up for a off-road triathlon just for something to focus on like while I was rehabbing and not getting too out of shape. So yeah, I ended up doing that.

Yeah, that’s awesome. I like that sort of attitude, you know, just to show people that can be done. And when you sent me a message on Instagram, like you said that your pace was around 145, 150 had been there like per 100, it had been there for a while. And then you started going through the catch challenge and through some of those drills and exercises. And you sent me a screenshot of your Garmin watch and I think it was maybe 136, the first one. And then the final one you sent me was 124, like 100, your fastest 100. So what’s changed in that time? What did you adjust with your stroke to see those improvements? Yeah, well, yeah, I obviously signed up for the five day catch challenge. I hadn’t really been in the pool for two or three months over winter and thought now is a good time as any to sort of give it a try and try to change the stroke. So signed up for that. And yeah, probably the biggest I opened was the wrist entry. I was trying to outreach and try to reach as far as I could outside

the water and then pull all the way back. And the very first sort of drill, putting the hands in under the kickboard, I was like, oh, this sort of makes a lot more sense. So yeah. And then yeah, I went from previous PB was a 137 that was back in 2019 when I was swimming all the time training for 70.3. And just the other day ended up doing a 120. So Oh, really? Wow. It’s all happened pretty quick. So that’s awesome. And with the entry, so when you were overreaching above the water and probably landing with your elbow first, I imagine, was that something that you just thought you should do or you heard from a coach or someone like where did where did that come from? Had you had any instruction before this? No, there was no no instruction. And basically, when I first got back in the pool for rehab, it was just swim just hop in the pool and swims as far as far and as fast as I could. So

basically did that for two and a half years. And then it’s only been the last like two or couple of weeks really that I’m sort of concentrating on technique. And what’s, what does it feel like for you now? So that 120 compared to say the 136 two years ago, how does how does it feel when you mean what’s the difference? Yeah, I feel like I’m swimming slower and sort of easier. And then yeah, when I’m getting to the to the wall and touching and I’m seeing stuff in the 120s, low 120s, and I don’t know where that’s come from. And previously would have been the Garmin skipping out of 25 meter length and I could get those vines, but now I’m doing it doing the whole thing.

That’s awesome. I do find that often people feel like they’re going slower because they’re more relaxed, they’re more composed. But when you’re in that frame of mind and when you are in that way, you tend to just move so much better and you tend to hold the water so much better than when it’s really panicked and rushed and that sort of thing. And it sounds like if you were overreaching above the water, that’s possibly what was happening like you’re just spinning the wheels a lot before. Do you, does it feel like your catch has changed at all? And have you done any drills to work on that? Or is it just all a matter of changing the entry that’s really made a difference for you? Nah, I’ve done the rest of the drills on the five days and when my arms were going in the water, they were sort of facing up and not down and bending the elbow first and all that kind of stuff. And obviously with the drills that you get us to do, doing it the bad way and the good

way and sort of now the mental cues of where they should be and what they feel like if I’m doing them wrong. So you feel like you’re a bit more aware of when it’s right and when it’s wrong? And do you feel that way because of those contrast drills in the catch challenge? Or just because you know what you need to be doing now? Yeah, more of the contrast drills. I sort of previously probably knew what to do or what I should be doing and didn’t know what that felt like. And now I sort of know what shouldn’t be feeling like through the water. Yeah, that’s good. And for those listening, one of the contrast drills that we have people do is just like a front kick drill where you’re faced down with both arms in front and you have your, one is just have your hands up

like high so the fingers are up sort of near the surface and you’re putting the brakes on and then one where you’re in the right position which is about underarm depth and it’s, yeah, they’re just about that awareness around knowing whether you’re in the right position or not because very few people are going to have a coach looking at them every session. Yeah, most, most of them is a training on their own and on the same. So you just don’t get that feedback. And the only feedback you can really have is that awareness or that proprioception of what you’re doing in the pool and you’d need to know whether or not that’s the right thing. And what does it feel like when you go to the pool now? So are you more motivated to go to the pool when you’re seeing these improvements? Yeah, definitely. Sort of while I’m at work, I work 12-hour shifts and I’m just like, yeah, I can’t wait to get to the pool after work. And on me days off, it’s, yeah,

previously it was sort of, yeah, I’ve got a swim now, I’ll get there, but now it’s like, yeah, straight up straight straight to the pool and just want to, yeah, want to keep seeing these improvements. Yeah, that’s, yeah, that’s great to hear.

Like in anything, I think, whenever you see that improvement and you know, you know what’s, what’s possible, you start to get that bit of belief, that bit of hope that, yeah, I can really make a difference here. And that’s what’s motivating and that’s what’s inspiring. And what’s, what have you got coming up? Is Basso going ahead? And yeah, is there anything on the calendar for you, race-wise? Yeah, we’ve got a Bumbry OD coming up in, in a couple of weeks. That got cancelled back in February, so they moved it to October. So got that. Basso, yeah, it is going ahead at this stage. I haven’t signed up yet, trying to get it past the wife. So, and then we’re, oh, my father, father-in-law and sister, we’re going to team up and, and do the rotto swim. So,

which is also being good, getting them down the pool and being able to sort of explain to them what they’re doing wrong as well. So. Oh, that’s really cool. Have you done that before? Have you done it? No, I haven’t done it before. So, yeah, it’ll be good. Yeah, I did it a couple of years back and yeah, awesome swimming, especially it’s a real, it’s a real community thing in WA, isn’t it? Like, it’s just everyone knows about it, heaps of people have done it as a solo duo or like trio, even like, you know, team of four, and yeah, just a really cool event. And I don’t think we’re going to be able to get over there this year. I’ve got some, some friends and some swimmers that want to go over there and do it, but I don’t know if that’s going to happen, but certainly for the WA contingent, it’s going to be, yeah, another good event because I did, I did run it earlier this year, didn’t they? Yeah, yeah, yeah, I did it. So, yeah, just trying to, trying to get

an entry to that. I think it’s sold out in, in 10 minutes this year. So hopefully, hopefully we get an entry to it. Yeah, and that opens soon, doesn’t it? It’s like October or November or something. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, fantastic. Well, Ben, thanks very much for, for being on the podcast and looking forward to seeing what happens with your times over the next few months and just seeing that improvement because it’s still early days, which is exciting and there’s so much more improvement available and it doesn’t, doesn’t mean it’s always just going to continue to drop like that because that’s a pretty significant improvement. And you might, might go on that roller coaster of maybe the times regress a little bit, but then you’ll continue to improve and so on. But yeah, that’s, that’s unreal. And I appreciate you sharing your improvement on the, on the podcast. Yeah, no, thanks for, thanks for having us. And yeah, hopefully

someone can get some of this and sign up and get their times coming down. So yeah, awesome. Thanks. And yeah, all the best for the Bumbly Try. Yeah, thanks, mate. Cheers.

Thank you so much for joining us at Bumbly Try. Thank you so much for joining us at Bumbly Try.