It’s been a while since we’ve heard from Sheila Taormina. I recently sat down with Sheila to talk about what’s been keeping her busy and how she’s stepping back into the swim world with new tools for swimmers and triathletes.
Sheila, it’s been a little while since swimmers and triathletes have heard from you. What’s been keeping you busy lately?
I’ve been spending a lot of time in elder care, and I never realized how much I would love it. I enjoy sitting with someone, listening, giving comfort, and helping with whatever they need. But when I got involved with that, I couldn’t keep up with swim clinics and traveling, so that fell by the wayside.
After a while, though, I started missing coaching. I’ve always had a passion for the details—the mechanics of the stroke, the teaching process, and helping swimmers and triathletes refine their skills. So I began thinking about how I could return to coaching while staying committed to elder care, which I see as a lifelong calling
It sounds like there’s some connection between caretaking and coaching.
There is. Caretaking involves listening and helping someone through challenges. Coaching is similar. You’re guiding someone toward a goal, encouraging them when something isn’t easy at first.
When a swimmer tries a new skill and it doesn’t click immediately, I love being able to say, “It’s OK. You’re going to get this, whether on the first try, 5th try, or 20th. I’m not giving up on you, because I know you’ll get it.”
So why step back into the swim world now?
I reconnected with an old college teammate who specializes in technology — websites and online platforms. He encouraged me to explore coaching online.
At first I questioned how coaching from “afar” would compare to coaching in person. The more I thought about it, the more excited I got, because in-person clinics are limited by time. You might get just a few hours with athletes and hope they retain everything. Online coaching removes that constraint. Athletes can dig as deep into technique as they want, and on their schedule. They can also take breaks, revisit information with a fresh mind, and build the pieces of the stroke in a way that works best for them.
In Swim Speed Secrets, you wrote that “elite stroking is within every athlete’s grasp,” which is such an encouraging idea. For someone new to your coaching philosophy, or who hasn’t read the book, how would you summarize your approach?
Elite stroking is absolutely within everyone’s grasp. The key is in the coaching.
Too often it’s the swimmer or triathlete who is written off as not having talent or not having a “feel” for the water, or starting too late. But I disagree with those as reasons why someone may not be stroking effectively. I believe it’s the coach’s responsibility to guide their athletes through every facet of the stroke, even the more complex ones. Even something as mystical as “feel for the water” can be taught when a coach knows how to dial in an athlete’s hand speed change.
I’ve gathered thousands of photographs of Olympic swimmers and studied the details for hours on end. Through this I saw just how “teachable” elite mechanics and timing are.
Also, I’m very particular about semantics – the words we choose to describe swimming technique. If we don’t choose precise words, then swimmers can’t internalize precise actions.
Words are only half the picture though. I set out to determine how stroking motions can be conveyed in a more measurable way. This led to the development of a measuring tool called the STGRID, a patented product that allows us to place reference points in the water.
The key to the STGRID is that we’ve measured Olympic swimmers’ strokes and gathered critical data points. We can show aspiring swimmers exactly where they can adjust their stroking to match elite measurements.
So it’s words, measurement, and then guiding the athlete through adopting those changes—with drills, feedback, and encouragement. I love every part of it!
Thanks, Sheila. Talk again soon.
