The Progress: More Than Just a Number

There’s more to velocity than speed. Like in many aspects of life and sport, how you get there matters. Brody’s training journey didn’t rely on weekend heroics or the latest piece of gear. Instead, it focused on incremental improvements—learning to move better, analyze feedback, and tweak his mechanics under pressure.

And yet, despite this incredible leap forward in swim time, Brody wasn’t content. Which brings us to the two areas still keeping him from unlocking the next level in performance.

1. 🫁 The Breathing Problem: The Two-Step Mistake

Let’s start with breathing. Sounds simple, right? But Brody, like many swimmers transitioning to triathlon, developed a two-step breathing pattern—a pause-and-turn that causes him to swallow water and disrupt stroke rhythm, especially when wearing a wetsuit.

Why is this an issue? Because every inefficient breath burns energy, breaks momentum, and adds drag. Think of it like lifting your foot off the gas pedal every 100 meters on a road trip. Not only is it tiring, it’s mentally draining.

✅ The Fix: One Smooth Motion

To correct this, Brody is working on creating one fluid movement: turning to breathe while his body rotates, allowing his mouth to clear the surface earlier. Crucially, he must bring the head back down in sync with the catch arm to resume his stroke flow seamlessly.

“Breathing in swimming isn't about air—it's about rhythm. Get the rhythm, and the breathing follows.”

2. 💪 The Catch Conundrum: Left Arm Lag

The second challenge lives beneath the surface: Brody’s left-arm catch. While his right arm delivers a textbook catch with strong propulsion, his left arm extends too straight and pushes down on the water—less effective and more taxing.

This imbalance likely stems from—you guessed it—his breathing. That disrupted timing throws off his entry, hinders rotation, and leaves him lacking efficiency and balance.

✅ The Fix: Intelligent, Controlled Catch

Brody is now focused on keeping his left arm from crossing the midline, and engaging the proper range of motion with an ideal catch elbow angle between 100–120 degrees. Discipline over distortion. Precision over power.

What Brody Teaches Us About Growth

Brody’s story echoes a powerful lesson: Variables are controllable. Obstacles are solvable. Progress is exponential. In just one year, he transformed a weakness into a working skill, and now he’s sharpening it into a strength. That's not just training. That's compound interest in motion.

He achieved these results not by working in isolation, but by leveraging feedback from a former professional swimmer—proving once again that the path to better performance isn’t solo. We rise faster when we learn from others.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• 🏊♂️ Brody improved from 2:00 to 1:30 per 100m in 12 months—a 25% gain.
• 🫁 Poor breathing technique (two-step) caused water intake and disrupted rhythm.
• ✅ A smoother, earlier breath timed with rotation fixes the stroke and reduces drag.
• ✋ Left arm catch needs better form—currently too straight and inefficient.
• 🎯 Targeting a 100–120° catch angle with more control and awareness is key.

Final Thoughts

Brody Sell didn’t drastically change who he was. He just changed how he moved—one conscious adjustment at a time. His swim evolution is an inspiring metaphor for growth, whether you’re heading toward Kona or just trying to stay afloat in life's challenges.

Progress may be measured in meters and minutes, but mastery is forged in the moments between—the open water of challenge and the breath that brings us back to focus.

So next time you think the gap is too wide to close, remember Brody. Improvement isn’t magic. It’s motion.

Referenced Source: Swim analysis session with Brody Sell, reviewed by former professional swimmer & coaching expert. Progress tracked over 12-month training cycle.

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