I started my career in swimming, as a skinny 18 year old voluntary coach, 15 years ago with the City of Hull Swimming Club. I stayed for 6 years working my way up to Head Coach in 1996. This was a wonderful and exciting time for me, and I really started to gain my passion for coaching. Around this time, I started developing my philosophy of technique first, fitness second, and spent many hours studying the best swimmers in the world, teaching myself the best way to develop stroke technique.

In 1996, we merged City of Hull and Hull Olympic Swimming Clubs, forming Kingston upon Hull Swimming Club, where I coached my first National Champion. I was still a voluntary coach at this stage and knew that the only way for me to develop further in swimming, was to become a professional coach.

In 1997, my friend and mentor, Ian Greyson, offered me a coaching job at the City of Leeds Swimming Club, where I was employed as Head Age Group Coach. The club had so many fantastic coaches and swimmers, and it was a massive learning period for me. The last British Olympic Champion, Adrian Moorhouse, was coached by the Head Coach at Leeds, Terry Denison, and I was lucky enough to work alongside Terry and Ian for 4 years.

The combination of Ian’s unique knowledge of stroke technique, and Terry’s total commitment and immense experience in all levels of swimming, really taught me what was necessary to coach at the highest possible level, and how to run a successful swimming club.

Armed with this experience, I took the Head Coaches job at City of Sheffield in October 2001. Over the past 4 years, with the fantastic support of Steve and all of the great coaches we have in Sheffield, we have fought our way back into the top 10 clubs in GB, and are now regularly placing swimmers onto GB teams.

My philosophy has developed as a coach, but I still believe in technique first, and I always try to coach “the whole person, rather than just the swimmer.” The life that we lead is totally obsessive and very hard at times, but the highs are so fantastic, that it easily makes up for this. I feel very lucky to work with these great swimmers everyday…they deserve all the success that they are getting.

Because we all sacrifice so much for this sport, I believe whatever we do, should be done at 100% with no compromise, and that we should strive to do a better job than the best are doing.

My favourite quote, kind of sums it all up for me:-

“It’s the magic of risking everything, for the dream that nobody sees…but you!”

Joined Stevenage Swimming Club at the age of 9, where I spent 8 years as a competitive swimmer. When I called time on my swimming career, I went straight into teaching and coaching and after 10 years of teaching in learn to swim programs and voluntary coaching, I joined the City of Sheffield Swim Squad in late 2005 and took over the Junior Olympic 1 Squad.

In 2006, I was pleased to have a swimmer at the National Age Group Championships and in 2007 I coached my first National Age Group Champion. I believe that discipline and sound technique are the building blocks from which all great swimmers begin and that without the fun the magic can’t happen. My aim is to give every swimmer a sound foundation, from which they can become the best swimmer they can possibly be. I expect nothing less than 100% commitment and strive to ensure that everyday we are better than yesterday.

"Winners are simply prepared to do what losers won’t!"