Imagine holding a 1:05 pace per hundred for nearly two hours—no walls, no turns, just pure precision. Every stroke efficient, every breath controlled. How do you sustain that kind of speed without breaking down? What should your catch feel like? And how do you stay smooth when the ocean, the pack, and your own heartbeat are all working against you?
In this episode, we dive into the story of Nick Sloman. He’s not the biggest guy on the start line, and he wasn’t a childhood prodigy. But over 12 years, he turned sheer efficiency into his competitive edge. After missing Tokyo, he rebuilt himself—not by training harder, but by learning how to swim smarter. His insights on feel for the water might just reshape the way you think about endurance, technique, and what it really takes to go the distance.
01:07 Head position
01:46 Posture And Body Position
02:20 Kick for balance
03:29 Breathing Pattern In Training And Racing
03:54 Catch and cross-body connection
05:20 Video analysis
06:02 Stroke rate
06:22 Open water swim technique
06:48 Stroke changes in open water
07:30 Sighting
08:03 Drafting
08:27 80km a week!
09:13 Hard swim workouts
11:52 Hardest race
13:30 Rest when you’re ___
Join a camp:
https://effortlessswimming.com/camps/
Try the new Nanoclear Anti-fog Goggles: https://bit.ly/nanocleargoggles
Transform your freestyle to be effortless and smooth with online video analysis:
https://effortlessswimming.com/courses-membership/
Follow Nick’s journey here: https://www.instagram.com/nick_sloman/?hl=en
Watch on YT:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lohe5CMAOQs&t=637s
