The Gift of Swimming Propulsion with Dr. Maglischo's insight
Heavy Or Not - The O.G. Swim Guide
Release Date: 11/21/2025
Heavy Or Not - The O.G. Swim Guide
Coach Yash Daryanani shares his Goldwater Sports coaching system, from philosophy to day‑to‑day session management. Learn the core principles that helped him build national teams and clinics. What you’ll learn in this episode, #78 of Heavy Or Not, The OG Swim Guide: Coaching philosophy: discipline, patience, and individual attention as the foundation for swimmer development. Essential safety & pool‑management practices (pre‑session checks, shadowing, emergency preparedness). Setting clear parent‑coach boundaries and communication rules. Teaching fundamentals for...
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Barry Healey cares about the coaching profession and aims to improve sports In this candid conversation, episode #77 of Heavy Or Not, The OG Swim Guide, coaches Barry Healey and Mark Rauterkus discuss the real‑world challenges of running a swim program. Wellness matters to those on the pool decks. Burnout to compliance…. They sharing practical tricks that actually work. Learn how small changes can protect coaches, calm parents, and boost program growth. What you’ll discover: The hidden costs of coach burnout and why many lack a support system. Proven strategies for managing young...
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Nicole's heavy lift. A vision for data collection for swimming instruction. Nicole Fairfield explains why the aquatic education field lacks solid research data and how her Joyful Waters curriculum craved that data. She aims to fill the research gap and is planting seeds for scientific validation for all types of aquatic developmental benchmarks. She also outlines the vision for a secure, comprehensive database to track developmental and adaptive outcomes. In this episode, #76, of Heavy Or Not, The OG Swim Guide, you’ll hear from the ambitious instructor in Georgia and learn: Why current...
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The 30-Day System That’s Transforming Young Athletes – Here’s How “Everyone says hard work is the key… but what if that’s not enough? In this episode, we unpack a 30-day system that’s turning water polo players into unstoppable athletes — and it might just change how you train forever.” In this episode of Heavy Or Not, we dive deep into Coach Ron Usher’s 30-day growth system built for young water polo players but powerful for any athlete striving to improve. From mindset to skill development to daily habits, this episode unpacks the core principles behind real...
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Unlock the secrets behind mastering the 400 IM with elite coach from India, Partha Pratim Majumdar. Learn the strategic, aerobic, and mental tools that power world‑record swims like Phelps and Marchand. In this video you’ll discover: Why the 400 IM is a strategic race, not just brute strength nor conditioning, and how the “lactate penalty” impacts performance. How to build a massive aerobic engine by focusing on long‑axis strokes (freestyle & backstroke). The “200‑meter rule” and why mastering each 200 -meter stroke guarantees a smoother 400 IM. Training methods...
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“From Drowning Stats to Million‑Dollar Swim Schools: How Coaches Turn Pools into Profit (and Safety)‑First Empires” Swim Coaches Can Earn Six Figures by Adding Structured Lesson Sessions The Australian Success Secret: Integrated Lesson Programs Drive Performance and Profit In this episode, Steve Friederang breaks down why every swim coach should run a lesson program—and how it can become a serious revenue stream while boosting safety and recruitment. He shares real‑world numbers, proven strategies, and the pitfalls to watch out for. Why lesson programs are essential for...
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Safety Dilemma and League Issues. Have mercy on the Foxes as they are sly! In episode #72 of Heavy or Not we break down the bizarre “vote‑of‑no‑confidence” resignation tactic of a Fox Chapel Area high‑school coach and its athletic department. Sure, there is a deeper safety and fairness crisis driving it. Plus, I’m certain some wire pullers are lurking like sly foxes do. We also explore the district’s league‑restructuring proposal and why athletic reform matters now more than ever. What you’ll learn: How a coach’s “negotiated surrender” forces parents to vote on his...
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How Insurance Gaps and Governance Failures Threaten Swim Coaches' Careers Uninsured. Unheard. Undervalued. Real challenges facing swim coaches are pondered. Why they’re left out of the decision‑making table, the insurance maze, and what’s needed to keep the sport of swimming (and others) thriving. Coach Barry Healey, BC, Canada, and Mark Rauterkus, International Swim Coaches Association in the USA, break down the roadblocks and propose concrete steps. Why coaches aren’t at the table with health and policy makers. The tangled insurance landscape (LEI, Lloyd’s, Marker, SwimBC,...
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Take a peek at Coach Jonty’s holistic approach to athlete development and the geopolitical factors shaping swimming. This clip highlights a few insights from Jonty Skinner’s recent WAFSU seminar. In this video you’ll learn: How Coach Jonty connects with kids and leverages holistic development. The genetic and regional patterns that produce world‑class runners and swimmers. South Africa’s historical impact on elite athletics and its modern swimming scene. Emerging swimming talent from Tunisia and broader African nations. Where to watch the full two‑hour seminar on...
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The Swim Team Song You Didn’t Know You Needed An AI Made This Swim Team Song You won’t believe what happens when AI writes a holiday anthem for swim teams heading into Christmas break! Christmas Break Planning Happens NOW. Swimmers, this one’s for YOU. Episode #68 of Heavy Or Not, The OG Swim Guide drops a brand new AI-generated song to launch your holiday training with serious vibes! This AI-generated track is about to become your new favorite swim team anthem for winter break. Okay, we let AI take over the studio. Do you have room on your holiday training playlist, for travels, for...
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The Science of Speed: Unpacking Resistance and Propulsion in Elite Swimming
Doctor Ernie Maglischo is an ISCA & ASCA Hall of Fame Coach and still updating his most recent ebooks. Understand the biomechanics of swimming and explore how elite athletes generate propulsive force and minimize water resistance in the pool.
Drawing on expert analysis, we examine the fundamental characteristics of water flow, classifying water as a semi-solid whose density is over 800 times greater than air. Learn how competitive swimmers battle resistive drag—including form drag (profile drag) and lateral form drag—by maintaining laminar flow and optimal horizontal alignment.
This analysis confronts common misconceptions in stroke mechanics:
• Is Hip Rotation Propulsive? We challenge the popular notion that hip rotation is a source of propulsion in long-axis strokes (like the front crawl), arguing instead that it primarily serves to reduce water resistance and increase the effectiveness of arm and leg propulsion.
• The Best Arm Stroke: Compare the controversial deep-catch, straight-back pull (which some researchers suggest is superior for generating propulsive thrust) with the widely preferred curvilinear stroking and shoulder adduction used by the majority of elite swimmers in all four competitive strokes. We explore why the shoulder-adducting style may be universally used in longer events, while the deep catch may be superior for sprints (50m/yd).
Discover the true sources of speed:
• Vortex Theory: Understand how swimmers create vortices and a pressure differential to propel themselves forward. Propulsive thrust is generated because the pressure on the palm side of the hand is higher relative to the dorsal side, where pressure decreases due to vortex formation.
• The Catch: Learn why elite swimmers intentionally decelerate their hand speed to near zero during the crucial catch phase, positioning the arm backward before applying propulsive force.
• Wave Propulsion: Investigate unique propulsive concepts like wave propulsion (or “body wave”) and the importance of undulation in short-axis strokes (butterfly and breaststroke). See how breaststrokers like Mike Barrowman utilize streamlined positioning during the arm recovery to benefit from this wave phase, accelerating continuously for a short time.
The analysis in the ebook uses visualizations, including actual photographs of elite swimmers like Grant Hackett, Martin Lopez-Zubero, Mary T. Meagher, and video simulations/CFD renderings of water flow around limbs.
Get the ebook from the link at SwimISCA.com.