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

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