Off The Blocks Swimming Podcast · Off The Blocks Swimming Podcast

The Shannon Rollason Podcast Episode 92 - REWIND with Steven Tigg

·1 hr 29 min·5 clips

Tigg says there are still enough gains to push Duncan Scott toward the 54-second range in the 200 IM.

1. Off The Blocks Swimming Podcast centers on Stephen Tigg and Shannon Rollason discussing Duncan Scott’s career and training choices. 2. Stephen Tigg is the head performance coach at the University of Stirling, and Shannon Rollason is the host who has known him and Scott for years. 3. The episode asks what Duncan Scott’s event mix, training age, and long-term planning say about how a world-class swimmer is built. 4. Tigg starts with the Edinburgh Swimming International, which he calls the final external competition before trials. 5. He says the meet is useful for comparing athletes with previous years and with other programmes, not for over-reading times. 6. The talk includes the Spanish contingent and Sean Kelly, which made the meet a high-level race environment without leaving home. 7. Tigg and Rollason move into Scott’s results from Rio 2016, 2017 Worlds, the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Europeans, 2019, and Tokyo. 8. Scott’s record includes an Olympic fifth in the 100 free, multiple relay medals, and a Tokyo campaign with four medals total. 9. Tigg says Scott’s 400 IM work is now part of the plan, even though the event has moved in and out of focus over the years. 10. He explains that Scott trained medley as a tool for the 200 free and as a conditioning block for future event choices. 11. Tigg describes the decision to drop the 100 free before Tokyo as a response to the Olympic schedule and event overlap. 12. He says the choice gave the programme clarity because Scott could focus on the 200 IM and relays instead of splitting attention. 13. Tigg says Scott’s breaststroke work changed when the coach realised the limiting factor was speed and rate, not just technique. 14. He notes that Scott’s breaststroke leg at the Olympic final reached a very high tempo and produced one of the fastest splits. 15. Tigg says Scott was once mentally blocked by breaststroke, but that changed after focused speed work and competition repetition. 16. He points to Scott’s early development at age seven, his boarding school years at Strathallan, and training volumes around 30,000 to 35,000 yards a week. 17. The tone is conversational and technical, with Rollason pushing for details while Tigg answers in a reflective coaching style. 18. The format stays interview-based and dense with race history, training philosophy, and athlete-management detail. 19. Best for swimming coaches, performance staff, and fans of Duncan Scott. 20. Probably skip if you want light chat or no technical swimming detail.

As heard by us

A coach's-eye chat about seasons, selection, and peaking at the right meet.

Shannon Rollison talks with Stephen Tigg, head performance coach at Stirling, in a practical exchange about coaching, selection, and how to manage a season when major meets keep moving.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

A coach's-eye chat from Stirling, with Scotland duties, Commonwealths, Europeans, and the Worlds question in the mix.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Off The Blocks Swimming Podcast