Elevate Performance Swim Academy

I’ve been searching for a platform like this for quite some time.

A place to build a community away from Instagram (my least favorite place on earth 😅).

The goal here is simple: create a place where parents, swimmers, and coaches can learn, ask questions, share ideas, and have meaningful conversations about athlete development.

Over the coming months, I’ll be posting a lot of content covering topics such as:

🏊 Stroke Development
🧠 Psychology & Mindset
⚡ Physiology & Performance
📅 Season Planning for All Ages
💪 Dryland That Actually Develops Athletes
👨‍👩‍👧 Parent Education
🎯 Long-Term Athlete Development
📚 Coaching Education

You’ll also find dryland programs, resources, courses, templates, and other tools designed to help swimmers, coaches, and parents navigate the athlete development journey.

Whether you’re coaching a team, supporting your child, or chasing your own goals in the pool, I hope this community provides value and sparks great conversations.

Looking forward to learning alongside all of you.

— Avery

I use the watch less and less at meets these days ..

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.