You’ve probably heard it before, probably I a Facebook group of strangers that dont know you or have any expertise with swim advice “If you want to get better at swimming, just swim more.”

It’s not wrong… but it’s definitely not the full story.

The Volume Trap

Many triathletes get stuck in the mindset that more yards/meters = more improvement. Swimming is a highly technical sport and if you an adult onset learner, technique is critical to progress. If you’re practicing with poor form, you’re just reinforcing bad habits. More time in the pool won’t fix a flawed stroke, it can actually make it harder to change later.

Quality Over Quantity

The real gains in swimming come from improving how you swim not just how far. What you can do now?

• Video analysis helps you see what you can’t feel
• Drills isolate specific areas like breathing, balance, kick, rotation, recovery, hand entry, pull
• Prescribed training zones ensure you’re not swimming just to swim and check off the distance box
• Frequency matters but only when paired with intention

Intention Matters

When athletes come to me frustrated and stop swimming because they are not seeing progress, the first thing I look is what they’re actually doing in the water.

✅ Are you swimming with purpose?
✅ Do you know what how to fix your technique limiter?
✅ Are your workouts written with a goal in mind — or are they just filling a logbook?

For most triathletes I coach, the biggest breakthroughs come from:

• Fixing breathing rhythm and timing
• Hand entry, learning how to set up/catch the stroke (not just pulling harder)
• Building confidence in open water with mindset and skill, not just survival

Final Thought

If you’re swimming 2–3x/week with poor technique, swimming 5x/week won’t help much. But 2–3 purposeful, well-structured sessions will.

Better doesn’t come from more. It comes from better.