Become a Stronger, More Confident, All-Round Swimmer
Welcome to Renaissance Swimmer, a coaching and development project to help you achieve your swimming goals.
Created by Simon Griffiths (founder & publisher of Outdoor Swimmer magazine), Renaissance Swimmer is based on the approach he used to swim faster at 60 than ever before.
Our aim at Renaissance Swimmer is to help you:
🌊 Swim further, faster and in more places – in both the pool and open water.
🌊 Boost your fitness and wellbeing, and have more fun while doing it.
🌊 Deepen your connection – physically and emotionally – with everything swimming offers, both in the pool and outdoors.
🌊 Bring a Renaissance-era spirit of humanism, experimentation and balance to your relationship with swimming for deeper progress and lasting enjoyment.
Join the Renaissance Swimmer Club
Our global online community and resource kit for adventurous swimmers
The Renaissance Swimmer Club provides ongoing support and access to our online programme to develop all aspects of your swimming.
We will help you:
- Build quiet competence in the water
- Swim faster, further and in more places
- Save months or even years of frustration by providing clarity on what to work on
- Add focus and mindfulness to all your swims so that every swim is enjoyable and moves you forward
- Provide accountability to keep your training consistent
What you get when you join
- 📘Permanent access to the Renaissance Swimmer online handbook (see below for key chapters)
- 🏊Monthly training and practice themes and weekly drills and focus points to apply immediately to your swimming
- 💬Membership of our active members-only WhatsApp group (with direct access to Simon) and online forums to explore swim topics in more details
- 💻Live online events to reinforce your learning and ask any questions
Membership is just £14.95 per month with no minimum commitment period.
Want to make faster progress?
If you are preparing for a specific event or challenge, or prefer tailored, individual guidance, you can work with Simon directly (subject to availability).
Personalised One-to-One Support
Fast-track your progress with direct, 1-on-1 coaching from Simon
If you feel stuck with your swimming – perhaps unsure what to focus on, how to make real progress or ensure you’re ready for your next challenge – I can help.
In a focused 45-minute Zoom session, we’ll identify the one or two things that will make the biggest difference to your swimming right now.
I can help you:
- Cut through the confusion and determine your priorities
- Show you what to work on (and what to postpone or ignore)
- Develop a training plan for your next event and act as an accountability partner
- Decide on your next swimming challenge
One-to-one support is completely flexible, from a single session to answer your immediate swimming questions to working with me on a longer-term basis.
A session costs £60 and lasts 45 minutes – but can save you hours of research or unproductive training.
Who is Renaissance Swimmer for?
Anyone who swims, in pools or open water, who enjoys thinking about their swimming and wants to swim more mindfully and expand their swimming skills.
What does it cover?
Everything from improving your swimming technique to pool racing, long-distance swimming and winter swimming – and ideas for applying what you learn in swimming to your life.
What if I discover it’s not for me
We’re confident you will enjoy the Renaissance Swimmer Club but if you decide it’s not for you within 7 days of joining, we will give you a full refund. In addition, there is no minimum commitment period.
Discover more of what swimming can offer you
Enjoy a healthier, fitter and more adventurous life by becoming a Renaissance Swimmer – someone who has a deep understanding of swimming and can turn their hand to a wide range of swimming activities.
Renaissance Swimmer Topics
Here are some of the topics you will find in Renaissance Swimmer. We cover these themes in the Renaissance Swimmer Club through monthly Zoom calls and our WhatsApp group, or you can tackle them independently with the Renaissance Swimmer online handbook.
Improve your technique and learn pool racing skills
Sections 3 and 4
Hone your open water racing skills
Section 10
Become more competent and confident in open water
Section 5
How to practise and train
Section13
Master the cold for fun and the health and wellbeing benefits
Sections 6 and 7
Swimming for health
Section 14
And that’s not all!
As well as the above, find out how to become a marathon swimmer, learn how to control your pacing, build your swimming technical and general knowledge, and create your own Renaissance Swimmer Lifestyle.
Dive in
Testimonials
“Thank you for creating Renaissance Swimmer. Your guidance on all aspects of swimming, combined with your encouragement of swimmers’ responsibility for their own learning and thinking, is truly outstanding.”
Esmond
“It’s great and I thank you for the thought behind it. How wonderful that a beginner pool swimmer like me can still score highly on some areas because you have holistically looked at how swimming is important to life.”
Sandra
“I was attracted by the range of topics covered and I am always keen to learn new things about a sport that I have done all of my life.”
Andrew
Need to know more?
- What is a Renaissance Swimmer, and why should you aspire to be one?
- Where did Renaissance Swimmer come from
- What does swimming mean to me?
- How to start your Renaissance Swimmer journey
- Get Reflections, the free newsletter from Renaissance Swimmer
Renaissance Swimmer was created by Simon Griffiths, founder and publisher of Outdoor Swimmer magazine, and author of Swim Wild & Free, A Practical Guide to Swimming Outdoors 365 Days a Year. Simon is an accomplished masters and outdoor swimmer and was part of the team that created the STA Open Water Coaching qualification.
Any questions?
Please email me at
simon@outdoorswimmer.com