Origin
Founded in 2007, the vision of Red Top has always been very clear - to become a hub for athletes to access quality knowledge on all swim-related activities to enable personal improvement and enhance their experiences positively within the sport.
The core of the Red Top ethos was to merge the technicalities of Peter Prijdekker, a former Olympian and World Masters sprint swimming Champion, with the open-water knowledge of Tim Denyer, an English Channel distance-swimming specialist. Their targets were to firstly develop the fundamentals of swimming into technically advanced strokes and secondly, to transfer those strokes from the pool into the open-water. By adding a specific and progressive conditioning program into the mix, there was a winning formula.
Unique, simple methods were central to accomplishing these targets: 2 coaches, 1 on pool-deck and 1 in the water led to 2 major advantages. Firstly, technical drills could be explained and then actually demonstrated in the water. Secondly, swimmers could be coached from both above and below the water-line – analysis, encouragement, correction.
Today
The original blueprint remains an integral part of the Red Top training methods today. Above and under-water filming has now taken it a step further – the ability to record, analyse, compare, improve. Athletes can immediately see their errors and act accordingly. Radio headsets are also used in some sessions, to provide individual technical comments from the coach direct to the swimmer in real-time as well as to encourage swimmers during a conditioning workout. This multi-sensory feedback – visual, audible and feel – has hugely increased the rate of athlete development.
Additionally, specificity and progression of training plans is key to an athlete’s development; we have therefore uniquely designed our programs so that constant athletic development is at the heart of the system. Athletes need to develop their technique and conditioning levels in harmony, depending on the individual’s strengths and weaknesses and also time of year (ie. time to competition).
Specific coaching adapted for each individual swimmer’s ability and for pool vs open-water
Progressive coaching so that each swimmer can always attain improvement in technique (by use of equipment, cameras and varied difficulty levels of drills) and also improvement in conditioning (by use of macro/meso/micro-cycles and training zones)
New, outstanding coaches have now been brought into the team, all of whom have accomplished major swimming accolades, as coaches and athletes. Additionally, International Partners have joined our extended family, from the worlds of pool swimming, open-water swimming and triathlon.
Currently, Red Top offers the following areas of expertise, with several more in development:
- Group Sessions (Technique and Conditioning)
- 1:1 Sessions
- Swim Training Camps
- Endurance Open-Water Coaching and Swim Management (inc. English Channel)
- Online Database of Drill Videos
- Personalised Training Plans
- Specialist Alternative Training Workouts, such as Power Club
- Sports Massage Therapy