Identify before you correct
Every Swim Smooth session starts with a video analysis and a type identification. Coaching a Swinger as though they were a Smooth is the single most common way to make a swimmer slower.
← All Swim Types
[ Swim Types for coaches ]Coach the swimmer
Coach the swimmer
in front of you.
Swim Types is the diagnostic backbone of the Swim Smooth coaching system. It turns "your technique needs work" into a clear identification, a prioritised fix order and a set of measurable outcomes — for every swimmer in the lane.
Four principles
Follow the fix order
Each type has a sequence: body position, then rhythm, then catch, then conditioning. The order is not negotiable — faults sit on top of each other and unwind from the bottom up.
Coach the individual in a squad
A lane of eight will usually contain four different types. Swim Types gives you a shared vocabulary and per-swimmer focus points inside one set, so nobody gets generic feedback.
Measure, don't guess
CSS pace, stroke rate and stroke count give objective evidence that the change is working. Tempo Trainers and CSS testing are the backbone of every Swim Smooth programme.
Poolside identification chart
What you see in the first 50m, what it usually means, and where to start.
Legs sinking, short choppy stroke
Arnie
Body position and exhale work before anything else.
Stops at the wall, breathless in 25m
Bambino
Continuous exhalation and relaxed, time-based swimming.
Slower with a pull buoy
Kicktastic
Catch development and deliberate legs-off swimming.
Pause out front, stroke rate under 50 spm
Overglider
Tempo Trainer work to lift rate and remove the dead spot.
Flat, punchy, high turnover
Swinger
Sharpen the catch and build strength endurance — don't lengthen it.
Long, balanced, no dead spot
Smooth
Add gear changes, open-water skills and CSS conditioning.
Every type, one click away
The Arnie
31.1% of swimmers
Big engine, fighting the water
The Bambino
18% of swimmers
New to swimming, finding your feet
The Kicktastic
3.8% of swimmers
Kicking hard, arms along for the ride
The Overglider
40.6% of swimmers
Too much glide, not enough rhythm
The Swinger
5.1% of swimmers
Punchy, rhythmical, built for open water
The Smooth
1.4% of swimmers
Efficient, balanced, the classic model
[ Coaching tools ]
The Guru is your coaching room
Video analysis libraries, type-specific correction pathways, Stroke Insights identification and ready-built training plans — the toolkit certified coaches use with every squad and 1:1 swimmer.
Explore the Guru[ Certification ]
Train as a Swim Smooth coach
Learn the full Swim Types diagnostic system, video analysis protocol and CSS training methodology, then join the certified coach network listed in our directory.
Coach certification