Torpedo Swimtalk Podcast with Swimming Australia's Open Water Head Coach - Fernando Possenti

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What if every pool program could also be an open water program? We sit down with Fernando Possenti, Swimming Australia’s new Open Water Head Coach, to talk about his blueprint for building race‑smart swimmers—starting with juniors, scaling to elites, and aiming at LA 2028 and Brisbane 2032. Fernando explains how to keep most training in the pool for control and consistency, then layer in the skills that decide races: sighting, buoy turns, feeding and clean positioning under pressure. He makes a compelling case for racing often at home, using formats like the Australian Cup to create real stakes, real feedback and real pathways to World Cups.

We dig into tactics you can use this weekend. Learn when to sit on toes versus ribs, how to read line and triangle packs, and the simple buoy‑check that keeps you connected to leaders. Hear how feeding plans shift with loop length, heat and salinity, and how to practice feeds in the pool so chaos at the pontoon doesn’t rattle your race. Fernando also shares weekly training outlines and why composure after contact saves the energy you need for the final surge.

The mental game is the next frontier. A 10K demands two hours of sharp focus and rapid decisions, a tall ask in a short‑attention world. Fernando outlines practical ways to build attention and decision quality: detailed debriefs, cognitive drills for peripheral vision, and a culture that rewards calm responses over emotional reactions. He also unpacks event innovation—from skins‑style 1Ks to richer live data and scenic point‑to‑point courses—that can make open water more watchable without losing its soul. At the heart of it all is a mantra worth taping to your bottle: dream big or small, the work is the same. Australia owns pool excellence; open water is the next frontier.

If this conversation fired you up, follow the show, share it with your squad, and leave a quick review so more swimmers and coaches can find it. Got a drafting or feeding tip that changed your racing? Tell us—we’ll feature the best on a future episode.

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