It was always a delight to see the swimming G.O.A.T. smile with his medals, but was the road to his achievements easy? Well, certainly not! The feat that Michael Phelps achieved was only because he cultivated an indomitable spirit. Not just was he determined to push his boundaries, but he was also guided by a coach like Bob Bowman.

The man who stood beside Phelps through each step of his swimming career, Bowman was not just a coach but also a father figure. Teaching Phelps the importance of a six-beat kick, Bowman laid the foundation for his eventual Olympic glory.

Michael Phelps talked about his coach’s valuable teaching

Sitting for a discussion with the Great Place to Work team, the swimming maestro had a lot to share. Talking about his extraordinary career and the influence of his coach, Phelps went candid. He said, “when I was 11, my coach actually was teaching me the importance of a six-beat kick.” Explaining it a bit, he said that six-beat kicking is a technique wherein one is required to practice three kicks per single arm stroke.

Bob’s instructions came direct. Adding further, Phelps revealed that his coach would always say, “the second you drop your legs, you’re out.” As Phelps started with his practice 1st, he could swim only up to 800m. Slowly but surely, he soon paced up his speed. The next day he paced his speed up to 2000m.

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Finally, by the end of the week, he made it to 7000m straight. Talking about it, Phelps added that the skill played a vital role “throughout my whole entire career.” Speaking more about the importance of it, the Olympic gold medalist added, “so when your legs drop in the sport of swimming, your body position completely changes.”

Michael Phelps and Bob Bowman: A partnership that saw victories together 

Phelps was just 11 years old when he met with coach Bob Bowman. Little did they know that their encounter would go down in history as one of the most successful coach-student duos. Behind Phelps’ success story, the credit of Bowman can never be negated.

Having seen Phelps’ elder sisters perform in the pool, Bowman was confident that Phelps, too, was destined to create history. He recognized his true potential and soon guided him to perfect his skills. From Phelps’ first victory to his retirement, Bob was there with him throughout.

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