EP 376: How To Be Assertive And Kick A$$ In Open Water with Damien Wildes

The podcast that helps you improve your swimming, love the water and live a better life.

CLICK BELOW TO SUBSCRIBE

What if the secret to crushing your next open water swim isn’t just logging more miles, but learning to embrace the chaos, drafting like a pro, taking the occasional hit, and then surging ahead with confidence. Today on the Effortless Swimming Podcast, I’m joined by Damien from Flow State Swimming it’s premier open water coaching squad.

Damien didn’t learn to swim in a pool. He learned to survive and thrive in choppy conditions. Mastering tactics from course recon to aggressive positioning so that you never have to feel like a victim out there. In this episode, we’ll dive into the mental shift from passive paddler to assertive racer.

While your catch and glide sweet spot might unlock explosive speed, exactly how to build the suffer tolerance that makes hard efforts feel effortless. Hands-on coaching hacks for feeling the water and finding flow. And whether you are gearing up for your first triathlon or hunting a personal best in an open water race, stick around.

By the time we’re done, you’ll know how to swim hard, swim smart, and swim free. Know what’s required. Let’s jump in.

02:07 Introduction to Flow State Swimming
04:08 The Tactical Side of Open Water Swimming
06:22 Coaching Strategies: Propulsion vs. Glide
12:46 Finding the Sweet Spot
17:19 The Importance of Feel Over Pace
23:39 The Hell Set: Pushing Limits in Training
34:04 Success Stories: Progress in Swimming
41:38 Conclusion and Contact Information

Get your HydroClear goggles here and get 15% off from your first purchase. Code: PODCAST
https://shop.effortlessswimming.com/

Want to really transform your swimming? Join us on a swim camp in 2025 in the Maldives, Galapagos Islands, Whitsundays or Thailand: https://effortlessswimming.com/camps/

Change your technique and swim a smoother, easier freestyle with the Effortless Swimming membership:
https://effortlessswimming.com/training-and-membership-plans/?el=blog

Get in touch with Damien
https://www.flowstateswimming.ie/

 

CeilidhRobertson

Amazing swimming and fitness podcast

Love, love, love listening to Brenton and his guests. Always learning something new to add to my swim sets with drills or training sets. Also very motivational guests with great tips to add to your fitness routine. I love the stories of the longer distant swims and what’s involved. I’m always smiling after listening to these podcasts!! Thank you so much !!!!

LATEST POSTS

TAKE 5 SECONDS OFF YOUR 100 METRES IN ONLY 5 DAYS... Guaranteed!

Join the 5 Day Catch Challenge
for Only $10

START YOUR 14-DAY FREE TRIAL TODAY

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur
sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor

By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Already have an account? Sign in.

Brenton and Mitch were great to work with at the clinic, Good to get video analysis to work on straight away, practice some new drills and go home knowing what you need to work on.

Alex McFadyen

Sydney