The Top 20 Rules for Faster Triathlon Swimming

Joel Filliol revisits the purpose of the Real Coaching Podcast and the Substack long-form series with accompanying episodes focused on simplifying endurance training into "world class basics." In this episode he expands on his 2012 article "Top 20 Swim Rules for Faster Triathlon Swimming," arguing that conditioning and frequency drive improvement more than traditional drills, and that athletes should build swim-specific fitness to hold technique, complete longer main sets, and handle higher stroke rates for open-water conditions. He discusses when to include quality, why not to overfocus on stroke counts or kick sets, and how to use bands, paddles, and other tools effectively without relying on them as a crutch, plus the role of dryland work, repetition, and a mindset of patience and enjoyment. SHOW NOTES 00:00 Why Real Coaching 02:19 Top 20 Swim Rules 04:32 Conditioning Beats Drills 06:44 Drills and Motor Learning 09:21 Swim Frequency Wins 10:53 Long Main Sets 12:30 Mindset and Flow 14:54 Swim Fitness for Bike Run 16:36 Race Pace Skills 17:38 Make Every Swim Count 19:39 Stop Counting Strokes 22:41 Kick and Body Position 23:59 Band and Paddles Tools 29:42 Head Position Fixes 30:45 Short Reps and Stroke Rate 33:49 Keep Sessions Simple 34:54 Masters Groups and Tools 39:17 Dryland Strength Boost 40:16 Love Swimming Repetition 43:07 Wrap Up and Support Follow Joel on youtube , X , Instagram , facebook , LinkedIn , and substack where there is written version of this podcast. Substack article: The Top 20 Rules for Faster Triathlon Swimming Substack article: Risk and Reward Substack article: Zone 1 is where the magic happens Substack article: Progression: A powerful training heuristic Substack article: Don't be a January Champion

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The Top 20 Rules for Faster Triathlon Swimming is an episode from Real Coaching by Joel Filliol.

This episode is 44:37 long.

This episode was published on Mar 10, 2026.

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