Brad Shannon
Brad Shannon
QUICK STATS
Birthday: February 28, 1997
Height: 6’4”
Hometown: Leonardtown, MD
School: Ohio State University
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
2016 Olympic Trials Qualifier
2017 Academic All Big Ten
2017 & 2018 Ohio State Scholar Athlete
EXPERIENCE
“Never lose two moments in a row.” That’s Brad Shannon’s mantra.
As someone who has climbed from the bottom of the sport to the top, Brad understands the highs and lows that come with every level of competitive swimming. Preaching resilience and perseverance, Brad is the ultimate hype man with a talent for garnering renewed excitement for the sport.
“Not every day as a swimmer is perfect, but you have to bounce back from those ‘down’ days, and return with a fresh mindset. I once had a coach tell me that I would get where I wanted to go in the sport if I just stuck with it–95% of swimming is not giving up.”
Brad hopes to impart this wisdom on his participants while also schooling them on some interesting approaches to stroke mechanics and technique.
“I like to focus on body-awareness and connectivity, making sure each swimmer understands how each part of the body moves together to make an efficient, cohesive stroke.”
Brad is certainly no stranger to the coaching sphere, as he is currently on staff at his old club team where he works with multiple age groups and skill levels. Hoping to progress to collegiate coaching in the fall, Brad is also entering the job search after graduating from Ohio State University with a degree in Security and Intelligence. Combining his talents to better himself as a teacher, mentor, and communicator, Brad has transferred his determination from the pool to the pool deck, where he hopes to continue making a difference.
“The best coaches I had were the ones that had the same respect for me and the sport of swimming as I had. It’s my turn to teach other people how to drop that tenth of a second just by changing a small thing, and it’s really fun being on the other side of the sport. I spent 15 years competing myself, and now I get to help other people improve in their competitions.”
Having dealt with injury and adversity in his own career, Brad is an empathetic teacher who is open to new and creative methods for helping swimmers achieve their goals. With Brad, there’s no such thing as a limitation, just a circumstance that unveils a new path to greatness.
“As a senior in high school, I injured my shoulder in the midst of my training to make the 2016 Olympic Trials cut. I spent 12 weeks kicking on my back in a streamline, but I got better at different aspects of my races. Before that, I wasn’t a big underwater guy, but I came out of that injury and achieved my goals despite veering off path.”
This stubborn perseverance is what makes Brad an ideal specimen for how to perform both physically and mentally within the sport. With an adaptive, interactive coaching style, Brad helps his swimmers reach new heights regardless of circumstance, arming them with techniques they can carry far beyond the clinic. Refusing to shy away from “advanced critiques” that his participants may feel uncomfortable with at first, Brad invests in each and every swimmer while encouraging them to take risks in their training.
Do you want a clinician who helps you unveil your true potential? Sign up for one of Brad’s clinics today!
