In the Coach section of this month's Outdoor Swimmer magazine we find out how your training could be making you a worse swimmer, Olympic medalist Cassie Patten gives advice on nutrition for your next long swim or race, Dan Bullock of Swim for Tri devises a fiendish pool training session to improve your speed and endurance, and sports psychologist Helen Davis reveals the benefits of smiling in endurance swimming. Plus, UK and international event listings and race reports. 

Keep Your Toys In Their Box?

Pullbuoys, kickboards and paddles... swimmers use these tools in the belief that they will help them become better swimmers. But will they? When it comes to training toys, coaches Tracey Baumann and Emma Levy recommend caution.

Lucky Number 7

Keep your pool training on track with Dan Bullock of Swim for Tri - in this issue a fiendish session of seven repeats and playing with rest that will challenge without overwhelming you. 

You Ask, We Answer

Were you enthralled by the 10k open water marathon at the Tokyo Olympics, in particular the "carnage and beauty" of the feeding stations? Olympic bronze medalist Cassie Patten gives some tips on feeding and nutrition for your next race or long swim. 

The Power of Smiling

Find out how and why a simple smile can help you in your next endurance swim. Sports psychologist Helen Davis explains how the power of smiling can give you a psychological advantage in your next race. 

This is just a taster of what you can read in the new issue, which as usual is packed full of interviews and features, swimming and safety advice, training and technique, and swim travel from around the world.