Part 1 - Ireland 100 Breast - gained some time on my PB (+1.02) but still made it to the A final, unfortunately added another 0.09 to my time and finished 8th. 50 Fly not at all happy - added 1.28 and needless to say did not make it to any final. 50 Breast swam a tiny PB -0.03 and made it to the B final, there I managed to improve again by a tiny amount 0.10. 100 Fly complete disaster. This completely shook my confidence. Nothing went right. Goggles filled with water and just nothing felt right about the race. Wanted to quit right then and there but after a bit of deep breathing I managed to work through it a little and got myself ready for the 200 IM which I generally feel I am not very good at. 200 IM - surprisingly I managed to swim a PB dropped 0.48 and made it into the A final. That unfortunately did not go as well as the prelim but I will take it. 400 Free went ok, though added a little time. 200 Breast - in prelims dropped 0.77 seconds and made it to the A final, again in the final added time again but was reasonably happy with the end result. Last day 400 IM - Had a massive panic attack about 30 minutes before I had to go to the call room. Managed to calm myself down and relax enough to go do the race. Swam a much better race than I thought I would, gained a little time but considering where I was 45 minutes earlier I was pleased, also made it to the A final which was a great boost. I decided not to swim the final as I was exhausted from the week, but ended on a high nevertheless and I knew I had to do it all again the following week in Switzerland, but a lot less racing. All in all a good experience, realised I don’t really know how to race with prelims and finals as this is not really common in Switzerland except in the bigger meets. Things like how hard to race in the prelims and then still have enough in the tank (even with a rest) for finals. Also realised I have still some work to do with nerves/anxiety - first time in a long time that I had to work through such emotions.

Part 2 - Switzerland 200 Breaststroke - unfortunately this did not go anywhere close to what I had hoped, nor even as good as a week before in Ireland. Bad night sleep in hotel, very hot which probably had some affect on results but not happy about my performance. 100 Breaststroke - here too, not a great performance, added time but somehow managed to be reserve for the final. Unfortunately did not get the opportunity to swim again. 200 Fly - not at all happy with my performance here, gained almost 6 seconds to my last time. All I can say is exhaustion took over in the back hundred as the first half went ok, but perhaps went out a little too fast on the first half. Was really disappointed with my performance here. Also swam in relays, got DQ’d on 4x200 free, but managed a slight PB in the 4X100 medley in Breast, and on last day in 4X100 free relay also got a tiny PB on my 100 free by 0.57 seconds so while my individual races did not go well, I did perform quite well in my team events. Again general exhaustion coming into the end of season I think played a significant role, and also nerves caught me by surprise this year.

I'll be straight with you: this is an experiment, but it's easy to measure and I believe in it. So we do it together .. swimmers, parents, and me as your guide. No nagging. You're the boss. Here's why my heart burns for this one. The scroll quietly pulls a little life out of you every day. It gives us something .. distraction, boredom relief, a feeling of belonging .. otherwise we wouldn't do it. Nothing wrong with you. But it does not give you real connection, it does not give you love, and the problems don't go away. Being present does. Swimmers, you can win at this because you have a WHY: you love swimming, you want to level up, you're go-getters who respond to a challenge. And this is a challenge. Parents, you being here is the edge .. at this age advice lands better from the side than from mum or dad, so I carry the message for you. Together. Do all 3 in the comments 👇 1️⃣ Baseline screenshot. Your weekly screen time. - 📱 iPhone: Settings → Screen Time → See All Activity → switch to Week → screenshot. - 🤖 Android: Settings → Digital Wellbeing → tap the bar chart → Week → screenshot. 2️⃣ WHY you want less screen time. Swimmers your reason, parents yours. Be 100% honest. 3️⃣ WHAT it actually gives you. Distraction? Boredom? Feeling connected or informed? No wrong answer .. if you're not sure, journal on it for 7 minutes. I only coach the people who take step 1, so post your baseline. In a couple of days we move to the next step, gamify it, and adjust as we learn. Two easy wins today: no phones at dinner (parents lead), and phone away 30 min before bed. This is really about not wasting the potential you've clearly got!! Let the games begin .. first screenshot this Sunday, me included. 💪

The No-Nag Method -> Get your swimmer off the phone without the war. Yes, you know exactly what I'm talking about... Whether you just watched my video or you're finding this in the group for the first time, you're in exactly the right place. Read this once and you'll know exactly what we're doing, why it works, and the one thing to do today. 🔥 What this is A short challenge (kicks off the last week of June, right here in the group) where we get your competitive teen swimmer (12+) off the phone without nagging, without confiscating, without being the bad guy. I run it with you. You, me, and your swimmer. You just follow the steps and show up. 📲 Why we don't just take the phone away After about 13, strict phone rules don't just stop working, they backfire... a teenager is wired to push back against being controlled, so every rule becomes the next thing they rebel against. It was never that you weren't trying hard enough. So we do the opposite: stop policing the kid, start changing the conditions. The 3 moves (the whole method): 1️⃣ Clear the Lane Change the environment, not the kid. Three screen-free zones (phone charges outside the bedroom, screen-free dinner, screen-free hour before bed). Most of the nightly battle just disappears. 2️⃣ Sign the Line Your swimmer says, in their own words, why this helps their swimming, picks what they'll do instead, and signs a simple agreement they actually own. When it's their idea, it sticks. This is the engine. 3️⃣ Keep the Splits Track it like a race: screen time, sleep, morning energy. They log it, watch the numbers move, and it becomes a game they want to win. What to expect Short daily steps in this group, each quick and clear. Better sleep, sharper mornings at the pool, fewer fights.... and a swimmer who's CHOOSING it. I'll be right here the whole way. Your first step 👉 Today (3 min): ONE conversation with your swimmer. Relaxed moment, phones away (yours too), then ask: "What's a goal you have in swimming that you've never really told me about?"

Additionally, why is breathing every 3 strokes not for you?