The swimming world has been flooded lately with conversations about the Enhanced Games.
Some people are calling it the future of sports.
Others are calling it completely reckless.
And somewhere in the middle, swimmers are all collectively pretending they suddenly understand advanced pharmacology because they watched three podcasts and one dramatic YouTube thumbnail.
Before we go any further, let’s make something very clear:
We do not condone the Enhanced Games or the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport.
That is not what this article is about.
What is interesting, however, is what these conversations continue to reveal about swimming itself.
Because despite all the hype around:
…the water still keeps teaching the same lesson it always has:
And honestly?
That’s kind of fascinating.
This is the first thing many people misunderstand.
Swimming is not:
You cannot simply overpower water forever.
In fact, the harder you fight the water incorrectly…
The slower you often become.
That sounds backwards to non-swimmers.
But experienced swimmers immediately understand it.
Because water punishes inefficiency instantly.
You can fake technique on land sometimes.
You cannot fake it in water.
If:
the water immediately slows you down.
No excuses.
No hiding.
That’s why swimming remains one of the most technical sports on earth.
One of the biggest misconceptions in swimming is:
“Stronger equals faster.”
Not necessarily.
More strength can absolutely help.
But only if:
Otherwise?
You’re just creating bigger mistakes at higher speed.
Sprint freestyle especially reveals this reality.
A lot of people watch elite sprinters and think: “They’re just muscling through the water.”
No.
Elite sprint freestyle is incredibly technical.
At maximum speed:
Tiny inefficiencies become massive problems.
That’s why elite sprinters obsess over:
Nothing is accidental.
At Swim With Milo, we constantly talk about: distance per stroke.
Because swimming faster is not just about moving faster.
It’s about: moving farther with every stroke.
That’s the difference between:
A swimmer can:
…and still go nowhere efficiently.
That’s like:
Movement alone means nothing.
The best swimmers:
That principle doesn’t disappear because somebody becomes stronger.
This is probably the most important takeaway.
Technique and power are not enemies.
Technique multiplies power.
If your mechanics are elite: More strength becomes more useful.
If your mechanics are poor: More strength often creates more drag, instability, and wasted movement.
That’s why coaching matters so much in swimming.
Older swimmers remember the super suit era.
World records exploded.
People panicked.
Everybody suddenly thought swimming had changed forever.
But here’s what many forget:
The swimmers still needed world-class mechanics.
The suits amplified efficiency.
They did not magically create it.
If your:
you still weren’t becoming world class.
Swimming has always rewarded efficiency first.
Triathletes especially need to hear this.
Many assume: “If I get fitter, I’ll swim faster.”
But swimming is different from biking and running because the environment itself is unstable.
The water requires:
before power becomes useful.
That’s why so many incredibly fit athletes still struggle to swim smoothly.
Technique ages beautifully.
That’s one of the best parts about swimming.
Even if:
you can still improve dramatically through:
Swimming rewards intelligence and skill—not just raw athleticism.
That’s a huge advantage for masters swimmers willing to learn.
Young swimmers often believe: “I just need to work harder.”
Not exactly.
Hard work matters.
But if your mechanics are inefficient, eventually:
That’s why technical development matters so much during the developmental years.
Build:
first.
Then layer power on top.
Ironically, all the controversy surrounding the Enhanced Games ended up reinforcing something swimming coaches have known forever:
The water still rewards great technique.
Not hype.
Not noise.
Not chaos.
Technique.
The swimmers who move through the water best usually win.
And honestly?
That’s probably a good thing for the sport.
At the end of the day, swimming remains brutally honest.
The water exposes:
immediately.
And despite all the conversations around enhancement, one truth continues to stand out:
Great technique still beats enhancement.
Because in swimming, the athletes who truly separate themselves are not just powerful.
They are:
And that will probably never change.
Let’s get to work.
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