Elevate Performance Swim Academy

Matthew was the kind of athlete every coach hopes to work with.

Hard-working. Consistent. Detail-oriented.

Over the years, he never missed sessions, followed the plan to a T, and approached every part of the process with intention. Out of hundreds of athletes, he was truly one of one.

What separated Matthew wasn’t just talent — it was his mindset. He analyzed every detail, never made excuses, and was always focused on how to improve and move forward.

That level of discipline, accountability, and daily commitment is rare.

Proud of the athlete and person he’s become, and excited to see what’s ahead for him at Army. 🇺🇸

It’s more than X’s & O’s

Let’s Talk Intention

Most systems organize training around load and zones.

Force day.
Speed day.
Power day.

Clean. Simple. Easy to coach.
But it misses something important.

It tells us what is being produced
not how it’s being produced.

The force–velocity curve is real.
It matters.

High force → low velocity
High velocity → low force

But athletes don’t perform in zones.
They perform through output.

And output is driven by two things:
Intent
CNS demand

This is where the shift happens.
Instead of asking:
“How heavy is it?”

We start asking:
“What is the athlete trying to produce?”

On the high-velocity end:

It’s not just “light load.”
It’s max CNS output.

* Max intent
* Reactive qualities
* Low ground contact times
* High neural demand

This is not just speed.
This is expression.

As we move into speed-strength:
We’re not just lifting lighter.
We’re training:

* Explosive intent
* Coordination under speed
* Neural efficiency

The goal isn’t movement.
It’s fast, intentional output.

In the middle—this is the most important piece: Strength–speed = connection.

This is where:
* Force meets velocity
* Output becomes transferable
* Movement starts to look like sport

High pull.
Squat to press.
Dynamic step-ups.

This is dynamic strength.

This is where most programs fall short—
because they jump from strength → speed
without building the bridge.

On the force side:

Yes, it’s heavy.
Yes, velocity drops.

But that doesn’t mean intent disappears.
A squat isn’t just force.

It’s:
Force produced with speed intent
That changes everything about adaptation.

So instead of separate qualities, we coach a continuum:

* Peak CNS output
* Speed strength
* Strength–speed (connection)
* Force with intent

All linked.
All intentional.
All contributing to performance.

The traditional model says:
Load determines adaptation.

This model says:
Intent determines output.
CNS determines how well that output transfers.

For sport—especially in the water—

We’re not chasing weight room numbers.
We’re building athletes who can:

* Produce force quickly
* Coordinate under speed
* Express power when it matters

One continuum.
Blended outputs.
Real transfer.

That’s the system.

Our Sport doesn’t have a talent problem.
Our Sport has a development problem.

Swimmers are pushed into intensity, volume, and outcomes before they’ve built the skills to support it.

And when progress stalls?
We question the swimmer.

Better question:
Have we actually taught the skills that allow them to be successful?

Do they know what every effort and speed feels like ?

Can they swim all four strokes well, with comfy?

Do they understand the different from left to aide, or high to low, how to twist, how to jump, how to hinge and more?

The sport we all love often misses the basics in lieu for something “more fancy “.

Master foundational principles first
Focus on skills not drills
Leave no stone unturned

Skills first. Performance follows.

Year 3 with Bolles. We’re still cookin 🔥🤌🏻 Proud to play a small role in the development of the 14 and unders in one of the best programs in the US. 🤝🦈

Most teams wait too long.

We wait… and then expect 11–12 year olds to suddenly understand what “hard”, “fast”, or “build” actually feel like.

That’s a problem.

Because once they don’t have that foundation early…
development gets harder, slower, and way less consistent.

Too many coaches hold back thinking:
“They’re too young.”

Out of fear. Out of uncertainty.

But let’s be honest—

Do schools wait to teach the ABCs?
Do they delay 1-2-3?

No.

They build the foundation early.

Swimming should be no different.

These terms aren’t advanced concepts.
They are the language of performance.

And if athletes don’t learn the language…
they can’t truly understand the work.

Movement proficiency
Self-awareness
Proprioception
Speed awareness

All of it starts early.

Teach them what moderate feels like.
What hard vs fast actually means.
How to build, descend, and control a negative split.

Because awareness isn’t something you add later

It’s something you develop from day one.

Develop speed awareness. Early.

We’re giving kids more… and getting less in return.

More video
More feedback
More analysis
More “help”

But somehow—
Less awareness
Less thinking
Less independence

At some point, we stopped developing athletes…
and started over-managing them.

Technology isn’t the problem. How we use it is.

The best athletes I’ve ever coached were the ones who could:

• Feel the water & their bodies
• Solve movement problems
• Adjust on their own with guidance
• Take ownership

That doesn’t come from being told everything.

That comes from figuring things out.

As coaches and parents, we have to ask:
Are we developing thinkers…or just creating dependency?

Direct feedback is necessary, vital and an important part of what we do as coaches, this will never change.

Knowing what to say, when to say it and knowing how to guide them through the next steps, is the art of our craft.

Because long term, a higher IQ always wins.

Most programs rush to load before they build.

We take a different approach.

The Elevate Program - everything starts with foundations—because if an athlete can’t organize, absorb, and transfer force… they can’t express it in the water.

We don’t just train movements.
We connect them.

Skipping → jumping → reacting → decelerating → coordinating
All layered together to build athletes who are not just stronger… but more aware, adaptable, and efficient.

This is where most systems fall short:
• No long-term structure
• No connection between stages
• No real development of movement systems

Just isolated work that doesn’t transfer.

Our model is built differently.
Each layer builds on the last.
Each phase has a purpose.

Over time, that creates:
→ athletes who move better
→ athletes who stay healthy
→ athletes who keep improving

No plateauing.
No breakdowns.
Just steady, consistent development over years.

The data supports it.
The results show it.

Foundations first. Always.