How to Adjust Your Training Based on Performance Feedback

Turning Data, Observation, and Intuition into Smarter, Faster, Stronger Swimming 

Great swimmers aren’t just those who train hard — they’re those who train smart. And the hallmark of smart training is the ability to listen, learn, and adapt based on feedback.

Performance feedback — whether from a coach’s observation, a time trial, a video analysis, or your own body’s signals — is your most valuable training tool. It reveals what’s working, what’s not, and where to focus next. But feedback alone isn’t enough. The real magic happens in how you respond to it.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to collect, interpret, and act on performance feedback to continuously refine your training — so every lap brings you closer to your goals.

🔍 Why Feedback-Driven Training Works

Swimming is a complex, closed-skill sport. You can’t easily see your own stroke, and fatigue masks inefficiencies. Without feedback, you risk:

• Reinforcing bad habits

• Wasting energy on ineffective sets

• Plateauing despite hard work

• Overtraining or under-recovering 

But when you use feedback to guide your plan, you:

✅ Target your true limiting factors

✅ Avoid guesswork

✅ Accelerate progress

✅ Stay motivated through measurable wins

“Feedback is the compass that turns effort into direction.”  

📊 Types of Performance Feedback — And How to Use Them

1. Quantitative Feedback (The Numbers) 

• Examples: Time splits, stroke count, heart rate, pace per 100m

• How to Use:

  • Stroke Count ↑ + Time ↑ = Technique breakdown → Focus on drills

  • Heart Rate ↑ at same pace = Overtraining or poor recovery → Add rest

  • Pace inconsistent across sets = Pacing issue → Practice even splits 

💡 Track trends, not single data points. One bad set isn’t a pattern.  

2. Qualitative Feedback (The Feel) 

• Examples: “My pull felt weak,” “I lost rhythm on the last 100,” “Shoulders tight”

• How to Use:

  • Journal after every session: “What felt strong? What felt off?”

  • Link sensations to causes: “Tight shoulders = skipped dryland?”

  • Use “feel” to adjust in real time: “I’m dragging — shorten the set.” 

🧠 Elite swimmers develop “kinesthetic awareness” — the ability to self-diagnose mid-swim.  

3. Visual Feedback (The Mirror) 

• Examples: Underwater video, coach’s observation, mirror on pool wall

• How to Use:

  • Compare to elite swimmers or past footage

  • Focus on 1–2 technical cues per review

  • Film monthly to track progress 

🎥 Tip: Film from side (for body line) and front (for hand entry).  

4. External Feedback (The Coach & Community) 

• Examples: Coach cues, teammate observations, race results

• How to Use:

  • Ask specific questions: “Was my catch high-elbow?”

  • Seek feedback from multiple sources

  • Separate opinion from fact: “You look tired” vs. “Your stroke count rose 3/25” 

🔄 The Feedback-to-Adjustment Cycle: A 4-Step Process

Step 1: Collect 

Gather data from your session:

• Time your main set

• Count strokes

• Note how you felt

• Record video if possible 

Step 2: Analyze 

Ask:

• What surprised me?

• Where did I succeed?

• Where did I struggle?

• What’s the root cause? (Not just the symptom) 

Example:

❌ Symptom: “I faded on the last 200 of 800.”

✅ Root Cause: “My stroke count rose from 16 to 20 — I lost efficiency under fatigue.”  

Step 3: Plan 

Adjust your next week’s training:

• If technique broke down → Add drill work before main sets

• If pacing was poor → Practice negative splits in shorter sets

• If recovery was slow → Add an extra rest day or reduce volume 

Step 4: Test 

Try your adjustment — then collect feedback again.

“Did the change move the needle?”  

🏊‍♀️ Real-Life Adjustment Scenarios    

“My 100m time is stuck at 1:15”	Poor turns or weak breakout	Add 8x25m turn + 3-stroke sprints 2x/week
“I’m exhausted after 1500m”	Inefficient kick or breathing	Swim with pull buoy 1x/week; practice bilateral breathing
“Shoulder pain during pull”	Weak rotator cuff or overuse	Reduce paddles; add band pull-aparts 3x/week
“I can’t hold race pace past 200m”	Low lactate threshold	Add threshold sets: 5x200m @ CSS pace

📅 How Often to Adjust Your Plan

• Daily: Tweak effort or rest based on energy/fatigue

• Weekly: Review data and adjust next week’s focus

• Monthly: Reassess goals, test time trials, update limiting factors

• Seasonally: Shift emphasis (base → intensity → taper) 

⚠️ Avoid over-adjusting: Give changes 2–3 weeks to show results.  

🧠 The Role of Intuition

Data is powerful — but don’t ignore your gut.

• If you feel unusually fatigued, rest — even if your plan says “hard day.”

• If a drill “clicks,” do more of it — even if it’s not in your plan.

• If something hurts, stop — no data is worth an injury. 

“Your body speaks in sensations. Learn its language.”  

💬 Pro Tips from Elite Coaches

“I don’t care how fast you swam. I care how you swam it.”— Coach Eddie Reese  

“One video is worth 1000 verbal cues.”— Coach Bob Bowman  

“If you’re not measuring, you’re guessing.”— Dave Salo  

Final Thoughts

Training without feedback is like sailing without a compass — you may move, but you won’t necessarily move forward. But when you learn to read the signals — your times, your body, your stroke, your coach’s words — you gain the power to steer your own progress.

So after your next set, pause. Reflect. Ask:

“What did I learn? And how will I apply it?”  

Because the fastest swimmers aren’t those who never fail —they’re those who never stop learning.

Observe. Analyze. Adapt. Advance. 

In the water, feedback isn’t criticism — it’s your next breakthrough. 💙🏊‍♂️