Where are you gripping?
I was driving in traffic the other day and caught myself humming. It’s a practice my coach taught me — a simple way to find myself when I feel scattered or braced. Humming helps ensure I’m continuously exhaling in the water, something I continue to struggle with.
While I was surprised to catch myself humming in the car, that wasn’t what was interesting — it was how tightly I was gripping the steering wheel.
I didn’t need to be. Nothing required that much force. But there I was—working harder than the moment called for.
In swimming — and in life — effort isn’t always the issue. Often it’s orientation. Where is my attention? What am I gripping that I don’t need to be?
In my classes and clinics, we always begin with breath. Not because it’s basic, but because it’s revealing. How you breathe shapes what you can feel. And what you can feel determines whether you respond with force… or with curiosity.
When the breath stays high and shallow, it’s hard to notice where tension is living. When it deepens, information starts to arrive. You begin to sense what’s actually happening — in your body, in the water — and respond with a little more trust.
Traditional swim programs are built around yardage and output—and there’s value in that structure. But awareness needs space too. When you’re swimming on your own, it’s easy to repeat familiar patterns without ever really meeting yourself in the process.
What I see, again and again, is that swimmers don’t need more willpower. They need a space where curiosity is welcomed and trust can be rebuilt.
I see it when a swimmer pushes off the wall and lets go of the tension in their neck—finally allowing their head to float. When they pause instead of push, re-orient instead of force, and let discomfort offer information rather than assuming something has gone wrong. Capacity grows—not from muscling through, but from staying present long enough to listen.
If that kind of approach resonates, there are a couple of ways to explore it with me:
If you’re in Southern Oregon, I have a clinic on February 7th at Rogue X where we’ll explore swimming from the inside out, starting with our breath, discovering where we’re gripping and what we can let go.
The Swim Continuum is a new group coaching space for swimmers who want to stay connected — to fundamentals, to reflection, and to others walking a similar path — without grinding harder or going it alone. We kick off soon.
And I’m curious about a Swimbound experience closer to home—on a houseboat, surrounded by plenty of water, where the setting itself invites rest, rhythm, and reflection. Still taking shape, but if that sparks something, let me know.
Sometimes the work begins simply by noticing where we’re gripping — and seeing what happens when we soften.
With care,
