Swimming’s Book of the Five Rings — Finding the Way in Water, Sport, and Life

When I set out to write this book, I didn’t want to make another “how-to” on swimming. I wanted to write something deeper something about what it means to chase mastery through the sport. In some ways it's my love letter to the sport. A compilation of the things I have gained over the years and the impact it has had on my life, and my pursuit of "The way."

Swimming’s Book of the Five Rings grew out of that idea. It’s not a collection of drills or a manual for faster times. It’s part reflection, part philosophy written from the heart of someone who’s spent a lifetime on deck and in the water, learning what it takes to grow not just as an athlete, but as a person.

The inspiration came from Miyamoto Musashi’s classic, The Book of Five Rings. Musashi studied the sword; I study the stroke. He sought truth in combat; I’ve found it in flow. His wisdom on discipline, craft, and purpose translates beautifully into the world of swimming and, really, into any pursuit of excellence.

Each “ring” in this book centers on one of the strokes and one of the elements but also a way of thinking:

🏊‍♂️ Freestyle – The Ground Book: foundation, balance, learning to begin again and again.

🌊 Backstroke – The Water Book: flow, adaptability, and trust.

🔥 Breaststroke – The Fire Book: patience, timing, turning resistance into speed.

💨 Butterfly – The Wind Book: power, rhythm, and grace in motion.

🧠 The Mind – The Void Book: the unseen realm where mastery begins.

Through these five “rings,” I weave together lessons from decades of coaching, competing, failing, and learning. What I’ve found is that the path to mastery in swimming mirrors the path to mastery in life.

What This Book Is Really About

At its core, this book is for anyone chasing excellence, in the pool or beyond it. It’s for those who feel the tug between ambition and purpose, who want to understand the art behind the grind.

A few of the ideas that guide it:

• Redefining Mastery: True mastery isn’t about medals or times; it’s about expressing yourself fully through your craft.

• The Warrior-Poet Ideal: Strength and reflection aren’t opposites; they’re partners.

• Suffering as Sacred: The early mornings, the setbacks, the endless laps, they’re not punishment, they’re transformation.

• A New Language for Coaches and Teams: Excellence isn’t about chasing numbers; it’s about cultivating awareness, service, and shared purpose.

• The Way of Service: The ultimate goal isn’t conquest, but contribution. Greatness begins where ego ends.

Why It Matters — Even If You Don’t Swim

You don’t have to know what a 200 IM is to connect with this book. Swimming’s Book of the Five Rings is for teachers, artists, entrepreneurs, parents anyone who’s trying to do something well.

The pool, to me, has always been a metaphor for life:

• The laps are our repetitions.

• The races are our trials.

• The water is our teacher.

Through it all, we learn to move with rhythm in chaos, to trust the process, and to find flow not just for ourselves, but in service to something bigger.

Walking the Way

The book doesn’t end with a conclusion it ends with an invitation: to see mastery as service, and to find meaning through discipline.

I share my own story too, how one coach, one team, and one sport changed the trajectory of my life. It’s honest, sometimes raw, but it’s what this book is really about: gratitude, growth, and giving back.

Swimming’s Book of the Five Rings is my love letter to the craft. My thank-you to the mentors who shaped me. And my challenge to anyone reading: to approach your own work, whatever it is with intention, humility, and heart.

Because in the end, this isn’t just a book about swimming. It’s a book about the Way, the art of living, learning, and serving through whatever path is yours.

Take a breath. The water’s waiting. Dive in and find your own Way.

Right now, the book is in the process of being published and I couldn’t be more excited to share it soon. My hope is that Swimming’s Book of the Five Rings finds its way into the hands of swimmers, coaches, and anyone drawn to the pursuit of mastery, purpose, and growth. The lessons that began in the pool have taken on a life of their own, and I can’t wait to bring them to the wider swimming world and beyond.

Help Launch The Swimming Book of the Five Rings

This blog will always stay free, no subscriptions, no paywalls. But to make my dream of publishing The Swimming Book of the Five Rings a reality, I need your support.

Donations go directly toward editing, design, production, and promotion of the book. Every contribution, big or small, brings this project closer to the starting blocks.

If you’ve enjoyed the content here and want to see the book in print, please consider donating. Together, we can make it happen. Click the donate button below.

Donate