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#407 Building Better Aquatic Athletes with Sean Kao

This week Sean Kao, founder of Aquatic Sports Performance, shares his journey from a young swimmer to an experienced strength coach. Specializing in training swimmers and water polo athletes, Sean opened up about his philosophy of strength training and how it fits into the world of aquatics. Plus, his own mission of trying to break 20 seconds in the 50 Free SCY.

Starting Small and Thinking Big

Sean Sean began his journey in aquatic sports at the young age of five and carried that passion through his entire life, swimming competitively in college at Arizona State. While coaching at his old swim club in California, Sean started training a few athletes in his parents' garage. That side hustle grew into Aquatic Sports Performance, which now focuses primarily on individualized training for swimmers and water polo players.

Rethinking Strength and Conditioning

Traditionally, swimmers are often taught that building strength means lifting heavy weights and undergoing intense conditioning. Sean believes otherwise. He notes that swimming already combines conditioning and technique, making additional conditioning on land less critical. Instead, his approach emphasizes strength and mobility - helping swimmers and water polo athletes get what they're not getting in the pool.

In Sean's gym, a focus on mobility helps athletes move better and prevent injuries. Young swimmers often miss out on fundamental physical activities outside the pool, leading to issues with balance and body control later on. Sean is filling this gap by encouraging athleticism through basic movements like crawling, squatting, and hanging from bars.

For young athletes, Sean tailors exercises to their readiness. The introduction of weights comes only when the athlete shows they can control their own body weight - focusing on technique over raw numbers. His process is gradual and respects the development of each individual, minimizing the risk of injury and making sure that strength is built on a solid foundation.

The Issue of Specialization

In today's youth sports culture, early specialization is a hot topic. Sean sees early specialization in swimming as potentially harmful, advocating instead for a broad athletic foundation in the early years - including activities like gymnastics, martial arts, or dance. These sports provide a great foundation for strength, agility, and body awareness. "Comparison is the thief of joy," Sean tells his athletes, emphasizing the importance of focusing on personal growth rather than competing with others too early.

"Strength and Mobility," Not "Strength and Conditioning"

Sean is pushing the industry to rethink its terminology. Instead of "strength and conditioning," he uses the term "strength and mobility training." Conditioning is already embedded in the time athletes spend in the pool, so Sean aims to focus on what’s missing: improving mobility and creating functional strength that translates to the unique demands of aquatic sports.

He carefully assesses each athlete for mobility needs, recognizing that different strokes require different mobility levels. For example, breaststrokers and water polo players both need hip mobility, but for different reasons - so Sean designs specific programs that target those distinctions.

Pursue Your Potential

The overarching theme of Sean's work is embodied in his company slogan, "Pursue Potential." He recognizes that not all athletes peak at the same age or reach the Olympics, but believes that everyone deserves the opportunity to see how far they can go. Sean himself embodies this philosophy; despite being 30, he’s still training and pushing himself to get better, even trying to achieve personal best times in the pool.

Sean’s approach brings a refreshing change to the world of aquatic sports training - moving away from outdated, generalized methods to a more nuanced, individualized, and thoughtful approach that values strength, mobility, and each athlete's unique journey.

Connect with Sean Sean

To learn more about Sean Sean and Aquatic Sports Performance, check them out on Instagram @aquaticsportsperformance or visit their website. If you’re in the Irvine area consider getting in touch!

Enjoy!

Catch the Full Episode:

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Time Stamps:

00:00 Hello Sean 02:52 Michael Phelps in the Gym 04:17 Individualising Gym Training 06:25 General Athleticism for Kids 10:55 When to start weightlifting? 14:22 Swimmers don’t need Strength & Conditioning 15:55 Hypo- and Hypermobility 17:38 Late maturation 21:40 Sean’s Training + Sprint Revolution 27:57 Speed Technique 32:35 Buying a gym 33:36 Difference in Swimming Vs Waterpolo gym 36:14 Sport-specific movements 39:22 Pull Ups 41:43 Vertical Vs Horizontal Pulling Variations 43:22 Eccentric VS Concentric 45:07 Leg strengthening 48:20 Where is strength training heading? 50:39 Thanks Sean

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