Torpedo Swimtalk Podcast - Hitting the Fast Lane In Hong Kong with Coach Dominic Tsui

What does it take to build a masters swim community that actually lasts? Coach and athlete Dominic Tsui joins us to share how Fast Lane Masters in Hong Kong grew from a couple of swimmers in a rented lane into a culture-rich squad chasing podiums across Asia. From his first video analysis sessions to guiding relays that snag gold and break records, Dominic shows how consistency, simple technical priorities, and a clear meet calendar can transform adult swimmers at every level.

We dig into the essentials that matter most: why breathing is the foundation for speed and body position, how to time exhale and inhale to unlock rhythm, and the drills and sets that produce real gains without burning athletes out. Dominic unpacks his go-to 6-1-6 scull drill for freestyle and his broken 400s structure at 200 pace to build aerobic strength and race-readiness. He also shares how the indoor Wan Chai pool unlocked early morning and noon training, making it possible for busy professionals to swim year-round without sun exposure. Along the way, we revisit highlights from World Championships in Singapore, relay thrills in Nagoya and Guangzhou, and the lessons that come from balancing a full coaching load with personal goals after injury.

We also zoom out to the broader scene: why Hong Kong’s masters community is surging, how open water groups at Repulse Bay and Stanley pull 20 to 30 swimmers every weekend, and why six local meets a year keep squads motivated with team points and friendly rivalries. Dominic explains the two-track model that works for adults—development for technique and training for competition—and hints at plans to add structured dryland by partnering with a nearby gym. It’s a candid look at what motivates adults to show up, what great coaching feels like, and how a clear goal on the calendar can turn effort into habit.

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Hong Kong Swim Meets Link

Chapters

• 0:06 Welcome And Guest Introduction
• 1:58 Dominic’s World Champs Reflections
• 2:38 From Hong Kong To Abroad And Back
• 5:34 Wan Chai Pool And Indoor Access
• 7:00 Founding Fast Lane Masters
• 11:39 Early Meets And Breakthrough Relays
• 14:23 Who Joins And Why They Stay
• 17:24 Coaching Highlights And Records
• 19:12 Balancing Coaching With Personal Training
• 21:46 Setting Goals For Sustainable Progress
• 23:28 Hong Kong Meet Calendar And Team Aims
• 24:46 Technical Priorities: Breathing First
• 28:16 Dryland Strength And Program Plans
• 30:43 Masters Motivation Versus Age Groupers
• 31:42 Open Water Scene Around Hong Kong
• 34:16 Asia’s Growing Masters Landscape
• 36:26 Deep Dive Five: Quickfire Favorites
• 38:43 Closing And Ways To Support

Transcript

Danielle Spurling: 0:06

Hello, swimmers, and welcome to Torpedo Swim talk, the podcast celebrating swimmers at every stage, from masters legends to Olympic champions. I'm your host, Danielle Spurling, and each week we dive into inspiring conversations from around the world about performance, resilience and the pure love of swimming. Today's guest is someone who's quietly shaping one of the most energetic master swimming communities in Asia. Based in Hong Kong, Dominic Zhu is the coach and founder behind Fast Lane Masters, a squad that's become known for smart training, strong culture, and the ability to keep swimmers motivated in one of the world's busiest cities. Dominic's a jewel threat, a committed coach guiding adult swimmers of all levels, and a masters athlete himself, who recently raced at the World Championships in Singapore. In this chat, we get into how he built Fastlane from the ground up, what he's learned coaching adults versus age groupers, and how he balances his own training with leading a thriving program. And also, what's the master scene like across Asia? Dominic helps us understand that too. He's thoughtful, honest, and absolutely passionate about swimming. Let's hear from Dominic now. Hi Dominic, welcome to the podcast.

Dominic Zsui: 1:32

Hey, hello Danielle. Thank you very much for having me and uh really good to see you.

Danielle Spurling: 1:39

Yeah, same, same. It was really nice. We uh we we actually met in person at the World Champs in Singapore just recently. Um really nice to see you there. How did your swimming go?

Dominic Zsui: 1:52

Um yeah, it was really good to to catch up and uh meet you at the meet at uh in Singapore. My swimming went okay considering how how I've approached the the championship myself as a swimmer, but uh I'm more of a coach, so I haven't really been able to train for it. And but I I did quite well compared to um how I swam a couple months back. I put in two months worth of work, and you expect two months worth of improvement, which I did, and uh way off my my PP, but but very happy with with the result. Um yeah, very happy for myself and obviously the the various teams that I I I was coaching at the time, they they've done very well as well.

Danielle Spurling: 2:38

So you're based in Hong Kong. Have you lived there your whole life or um have you lived other places?

Dominic Zsui: 2:45

No, I I I I grew up in Hong Kong. Um, in fact, in in the Wanchai area. So when people ask me where I'm from, I'm from Wang Chai. I'm from Hong Kong. Uh I went to boarding school um when I was 18 to do A levels in the UK, and then I stayed on, studied more, studied more. Eventually I I did my postgrad in electronic engineering and stayed and worked. Um I was and then and then I moved to Tokyo with the company I was working for. Um I was away for a total of 26 years before returning to Hong Kong in 2006. So at that at that time I spent more of my life away from Hong Kong than I was in Hong Kong. But since then, I've really become a very local, uh, as local as you can be, I guess.

Danielle Spurling: 3:34

What what what drew you back to Hong Kong?

Dominic Zsui: 3:38

Work. And uh very often is the case with uh people growing older. You have parents um who need you who you want to spend more time with, and that's one of the big reasons. Uh and and with a growing family, it was I was in Tokyo at the time. It wasn't, you know, you don't get the same kind of culture as you do uh back home. So I moved back and spent more time with my parents. And that's basically uh the best reason to do it.

Danielle Spurling: 4:09

Yeah, I think I think when we when we met in our Singapore, I mentioned I I lived in Hong Kong um early 2000s before you you went there, but I wasn't swimming masters at the time, but close to Wang Chai, up in um on Titan Reservoir, sort of up behind up behind the Cricket Cricket Club. Yeah.

Dominic Zsui: 4:27

Oh nice, good scenery.

Danielle Spurling: 4:29

Parkview.

Dominic Zsui: 4:30

Yeah, of course, Yaming San Jong.

Danielle Spurling: 4:32

Yes, yeah.

Dominic Zsui: 4:33

Yeah, you have a special bus.

Danielle Spurling: 4:35

Really? Yes, a special bus. That's right. Which is very helpful when you've got young children, which I had at the time. So um, but I haven't actually been back there, so I must make it back to Hong Kong one of these days.

Dominic Zsui: 4:46

You must. And and master swimming has really grown in the in the last uh 15 to 18 years, as I can see it.

Danielle Spurling: 4:53

Yes.

Dominic Zsui: 4:54

Um so it'd be great to have you back and and maybe swim some masters.

Danielle Spurling: 4:58

Yes, yeah, that that'd be something we uh we we need to investigate. I did I did race at that one child pool when it was an outdoor pool back in must have been 1985.

Dominic Zsui: 5:10

1985.

Danielle Spurling: 5:11

Yeah, yeah, a long time ago when I was still doing age group swimming, we came over for a tour of China.

Dominic Zsui: 5:17

Oh yeah. Yeah, and it was uh nice outdoor pool.

Danielle Spurling: 5:20

It was uh yeah, it was really nice. Very hot, very, very hot, I remember.

Dominic Zsui: 5:24

Very hot, yeah. You're you're you get very tan as well because you you're swimming under you know bright daylight.

Danielle Spurling: 5:31

Yes.

Dominic Zsui: 5:32

Um yeah, so now we don't have it. We've had a new pool for about nine to ten years now, which is indoor, um, right next to the old pool, which is outdoor, because they had to make way for uh the train under underground network. Um so to do a new pool which is indoor. And um, so it's all weather. Um it works out really well because that's about the time when I started coaching. And uh I could then book a session for noon time and people could still come because there was no sun, there was no um you you won't get 10 lines so easily. And if you come out from work to swim for an hour and you go back all tanned up and going back to work, as uh also I mean you don't always want to stay in the sun. Uh sometimes it's good. Sometimes it's good.

Danielle Spurling: 6:23

Yeah, well, I I know that myself. Coming from Australia, we um yeah, we have such a high incidence of skin cancer. I've put all my swimming into the very, very early mornings before the sun comes out.

Dominic Zsui: 6:35

Australians tend to do that, yes. 5:30 start or something. What time do you start?

Danielle Spurling: 6:40

Yeah, 5 45.

Dominic Zsui: 6:42

Oh yeah, yes.

Danielle Spurling: 6:44

It's an early morning.

Dominic Zsui: 6:45

So in the indoor pool, we swim at 7. So um just before people get to work.

Danielle Spurling: 6:52

Yeah, yeah, it's good. Oh well, one side's down and sort of near the business district, isn't it? So handy for people heading off to work afterwards.

Dominic Zsui: 6:59

Yes.

Danielle Spurling: 7:00

And so you've built a really strong swimming, master swimming community yourself called Fast Lane in Hong Kong. Can you tell us why you started it and what you know what sort of inspired you?

Dominic Zsui: 7:12

My my squad has has done really well. Um, what started it was when I came back to Hong Kong, I started swimming at a at a club and discovered master swimming. And at the same time, my sort of mentor coach who became my mentor, uh John Dempsey, um from Australia, from Brisbane, Radcliffe. He worked under Ken Wood, uh, who's a very famous coach who's no longer with us. But he he sort of trained me for you know a few years. I was a swimmer, not really starting a club, but he saw how keen I was in uh looking at people swim. He said, Oh, why don't you become a coach? Um so I took up some exams, some some learning course, and became qualified in 2012. So that's wow. That's a wow 14 years ago.

Danielle Spurling: 8:04

Yeah.

Dominic Zsui: 8:04

Yeah. And then in 2014 I started out on my on my own, um leaving the club and uh and started coaching. But what got me into it was really trying to improve and using visual effects to help improve. Um, used to do underwater video analysis, that's how I thought there was a niche of need to do that to improve their swimming. So I started filming people and doing their analysis. And people would then come, do the analysis, and go off. And there was nowhere else to practice. So I thought, oh, I've got you know five or six people who have done that. And now maybe maybe it's time I start you know setting up sessions so to practice what we what we learned from the video analysis. And then uh that's how it got started. And in the early days, I had no access to public pool, and it was very costly to hire a lane, but was able to. Um and then sometimes there would be one or two swimmers, they have no system, it's just word of mouth, you know, I'm coming tonight, and and and then you you you you go there and wait for people to turn up. So when you hire a coach, you hire a lane, nobody turns up, you are it's costing you quite a bit of money. But that's how we how we started. And then the team started building, and then we went to uh our our first, my my first um world championship as a coach was 2017 in Budapest. We have seven swimmers going then, um, all trying to discover master swimming. Of course, I had been a couple of times before, so I was the experienced person at going to world champs. But since then, um the Wan Chai pool has opened, and uh the most competitive time for the pool is after school for the Elite swimmers. There was not so many uh master swimmers at the time that we could still get access early in the morning, 7 to 8, and maybe noontime because the kids are still at school. So it's kind of created this opportunity to swim, master swimming.

Danielle Spurling: 10:16

How many have you got in the squad?

Dominic Zsui: 10:18

I say about uh up to about 50 uh swimmers uh who've signed up to the program, but at any one time, at any one session, uh maybe uh you know 10, 14 swimmers turn up. We've got two 50-meter lane, so I think for adults it's still very comfortable to have um you know six or seven in a lane. Um yeah, I mean I was growing at the same time with John. John's team is getting really, really strong. Um in Hong Kong, the swimming community is especially master swimming, you either are at a members' club. Uh I can name names, right? The Ladies Recreation Club, the Hong Kong Football Club, and they cost up to you know 150,000 US for membership. Um so those who did not want to spend that kind of money, not knowing how long they're going to stay in Hong Kong, um, you know, might we need another solution. And this is where I came in and started collecting good swimmers or or having a presence on the internet helps. And then people search and online they come, and that's how it got evolved. Um I mentioned about 2017, and then the year after in 2018, there was uh these things happened, you know, just just by chance. There was a first Asian Masters swimming competition in Nagoya. So we brought a team of it became 18 or so swimmers to that one. And that's that's when we first um had a chance to really do well um in the in the relay team, especially in the relays, we started winning gold medals at that meet, although it's Asia, but it was just really thrilling to uh we were four by 50 meters girls. We were we were second by a body length or so, and then when our Fasco dove in and caught up, that was that was kind of sensational feeling. I I can hear myself shouting, yeah, that was that was very, very, very good. The anger that's fantastic. Yeah, it was angered by uh a uh female swimmer, quite strong, Melissa, who went on to win a silver medal at the World Champs in Fukuoka in uh 2023.

Danielle Spurling: 12:39

Fantastic.

Dominic Zsui: 12:40

Yeah, she's a very good swimmer.

Danielle Spurling: 12:42

Yep. And do you do you find because I mean Hong Kong there's a lot of expats that live there, do you find that you have people coming in for a few years and then moving out, or is it more of a sort of a base that's living there permanently?

Dominic Zsui: 12:56

Um both. There are both. Um there are those who who've been here for a while. Um I have a swimmer who's who joined me in the last this year. He's been here for 18 years. But they've never discovered master swimming. They didn't know there was this thing going on. It's it's kind of uh by chance you hear it from somebody else, from somebody else. Oh, I can do this. I used to be a swimmer. I went to school here and there. I used to swim for the school. Can can I come and join you? And and now they they they become a permanent part of the team. And I also have visitors who move into Hong Kong and then search online uh and then discover fast lane, and then they they would come and start swimming with me. Um so those are the uh so so a good mix.

Danielle Spurling: 13:44

Do you find that the group that you have more performance focused, or is it more of a social thing, or do you have a mix of the two groups in the squad?

Dominic Zsui: 13:54

Definitely, definitely a mix. So we at Fastlane we have two sort of distinct levels. One is what we call development swimmers, and the other one is training swimmers. The development swimmers are those who can swim freestyle or you know go up and down the pool but need some help with uh technique and uh some sort of more formal training. The other group are more competitive swimming and really down to training uh to race in meets, to race in you know, this world championship thing, is it or travel regionally and to have fun. They they yeah, so so we have two different groups basically for us. Um but there is another team that I coach at the uh Hong Kong Football Club. There there's a there's a huge difference uh of ability and interest. So it's a much wider group. Uh it's people who are just recreational swimming, um, in lane one up to lane four, a triple Olympian swimming in the lane, got world champion swimming in the lane. Uh, you know, yes, it's a really good mix. And sometimes they do open water and sometimes they do a pool. And in fact, with that team, but they put up a really strong relay team for boys, 4x53, um in Fukuoka. Uh three Olympians plus a world champion in the in the relay. I mean that the goal wasn't, you know, we're not winning, but there was this target of of a Hong Kong record to break. And um and uh that was a big swim for me in my in my coaching. And they did it. And everybody had to. This is a 160-year-old, so all four four four swimmers over 40, and they had to come in average uh 25-5 for each. And uh just very proud that they they they did it. Yeah, it was good fun. It's one of the one of the most memorable swims.

Danielle Spurling: 16:03

Relays are relays are very exciting, and I think when you um you've got four motivated athletes like that and they can all come together and make it work, because as you know, masters have lots of injuries and illnesses along the way, so it's it's hard to get them all there to the starting line.

Dominic Zsui: 16:18

Never again. It's not gonna happen again. So that was a once-in-a-lifetime.

Danielle Spurling: 16:24

I we had that little we had a relay for a Singapore, a good chance to, and then one of our one of our relay members actually broke her wrist at the end of the 50 freestyle, her individual race. Um, she her goggles filled up with water, and it actually she hit the wall like that. Green stick fracture, and um, yeah, we were out of the relay, and she was in a cast. So these things happen, and it's it's yeah, it's sad.

Dominic Zsui: 16:52

Yeah, it's it's by by yes. Yeah, and all at that same meet, that was one of one of the most successful meets, and guan Guangzhou was very good. We went to Guangzhou. Yes. We had 19 swimmers, 80 entries, individual entries, and uh we came back with 10 new Hong Kong records.

Danielle Spurling: 17:12

Yes.

Dominic Zsui: 17:12

That was a very successful meet too.

Danielle Spurling: 17:14

Did you go to Doha?

Dominic Zsui: 17:16

We didn't go to Doha. Uh well, I didn't, but uh, one of the fasting swimmers went. Um, she's uh she swims in the 50, 50 to 54 age group. And she won gold? Right. Mika, Mika Yamaguchi.

Danielle Spurling: 17:31

Yes, I've seen the name.

Dominic Zsui: 17:32

Yeah, yeah. She won gold in the uh um 50 or 100? Gold and silver in both.

Danielle Spurling: 17:38

Well done. 50, yeah.

Dominic Zsui: 17:39

She's uh she's a real sprinter.

Danielle Spurling: 17:41

Yeah, fabulous.

Dominic Zsui: 17:42

She works very closely with uh one of the um person that you've interviewed before, uh Rio. Oh Rio Suke. Yes, DeMaia.

Danielle Spurling: 17:52

Yes.

Dominic Zsui: 17:53

Both Japanese and they they they they work quite closely together.

Danielle Spurling: 17:58

Yes, yeah. He's um he's a character. I I loved speaking to him. Yeah. And you you mentioned obviously you you swam in Singapore as well as having your swimmers there. How did you and you said you you also mentioned you you've only you only sort of had two months preparation. When did you fit your own training in amongst the sessions that you coach?

Dominic Zsui: 18:21

I'm still thinking. I need to find time.

Danielle Spurling: 18:25

You need to.

Dominic Zsui: 18:26

Um, yeah. Well, that's one of the reasons why I haven't really been swimming that much. Yes. My my day is really quite filled up. Um usually I coach early, first thing in the morning, Monday to Saturday, and then I coach noontime, 12 to 1. After that, I go to a school and coach from 3, which is about 25 kilometers away.

Danielle Spurling: 18:49

I see.

Dominic Zsui: 18:49

So I rush, rush to 3 o'clock.

Danielle Spurling: 18:52

Yep.

Dominic Zsui: 18:52

Come back at 5, coach until 6 30. And then to go swimming. And also in the last few years, I've I've had shoulder issues, so uh it gives myself uh some excuses not to do anything.

Danielle Spurling: 19:04

Yes.

Dominic Zsui: 19:05

But I'm feeling better much better now. So I am now thinking you have a you need to have a goal.

Danielle Spurling: 19:13

Yes.

Dominic Zsui: 19:13

So what drives the the team, let's say, even fast lane or or whoever team, is that you have to have a meet or a race to drive the swimmers. Yeah. If your goal is to do the 2027 Budapest, which I hope to do, I hope to be swimming, training healthily, and then to reach my personal goals. They are not the same as what it was 10 years ago.

Danielle Spurling: 19:41

Yes.

Dominic Zsui: 19:42

In 2014, when I was in Montreal, I was um I was 52 years old. I swam my lifetime PB. That's amazing. Amazing. You know, in 100 free. So we're not aiming for that level, but somewhere decent, manageable would be would still be a very valid goal. And and I've been thinking to myself to to to aim for that, to give myself time, to lose some fat, personally. Although it helps you flow, but it doesn't really my yeah, my legs sink. Yeah. So uh so uh yeah, I think I think that should be uh something that drives not just myself, but for many people, including yourself, yes, and all those master swimmers who are looking to compete. Um having a goal is is very important, knowing what you're swimming for.

Danielle Spurling: 20:35

Yes, yeah, I agree. I mean, I if I didn't have a goal, something like the world's or uh nationals or something, I I really would pull back on my training. I'd probably still go, but I don't think I'd do it with the same intensity.

Dominic Zsui: 20:49

Look at the pools behind you and behind my me. I don't know why we stop. Yeah, we should be in the pool all the time.

Danielle Spurling: 20:57

Yes, yes. Actually, I'm I'm cheating. This pool behind me is not in Victoria where I live. It's not in Melbourne, it's up in Queensland. But it is a it's a beautiful pool. It's um Koana, which is on the um Sunshine Coast.

Dominic Zsui: 21:11

Oh, up up north.

Danielle Spurling: 21:13

Yeah, up north, yes.

Dominic Zsui: 21:15

Yes. So I went to the Miami Pool.

Danielle Spurling: 21:18

Uh the Miami Pool, yes. It's not far from there, yeah.

Dominic Zsui: 21:22

Yeah, but that's um Gold Coast, right?

Danielle Spurling: 21:24

The Australian Gold Coast, yeah, yeah. Yeah, Sunshine Coast is up above. Yeah, it's beautiful. Did you do some training there or did you race?

Dominic Zsui: 21:31

I went to a uh um Astor conference uh down there, Gold Coast, yes. And then I I I had a chance to meet some of the top coaches. Talking about goals, um more immediate for fast lane swimming. Um we have six uh masters meet a year in Hong Kong. You're most welcome to come and race in any one of these. I think we run quite a number of uh meets compared to other parts of the world where they probably hold just one or two. But we've got six meets, and you score as a team um the high points, okay, and you accumulate those points for the year to give you the championship. Okay, it's a nice format. And this year, um after 10 years of starting fasting, we are one of the top three teams. We've been consistently coming in third, third, third. The other two teams are way ahead of us. They've got so many more members, so it's really difficult. But one more meet to go. 7th of December. If we score big, we will be on the podium for the first time.

Danielle Spurling: 22:43

Fantastic.

Dominic Zsui: 22:44

So I'm I'm really excited to uh you know focus our training to swim in that meet.

Danielle Spurling: 22:50

And are they all long course meets or short course meets? How do they, or they're a mixture of the two?

Dominic Zsui: 22:55

Mixture of the two. They have four long course meets and two short courses. We just had a short course meet at the end of last month. Um that tend to be very well attended as well. People do 25s and just have a bit of fun. Um but uh we got serious December.

Danielle Spurling: 23:12

Yes, that sounds good. What we'll what we'll actually do, we'll put the we'll put the links. Maybe if you've got some links to those competitions, we can put those in our show notes for anyone that's listening that their they or their team might be interested in coming over. I know my club might be interested in coming over, so we'll we'll definitely um follow up on that for everyone that's listening too. Yeah.

Dominic Zsui: 23:33

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. That'll be good. It would be really good to have you.

Danielle Spurling: 23:38

I was going to ask you sort of what's your what are your technical priorities with the the master swimmers that you swim with? Do you sort of take a an overview as to each of them individually, or do you do you do sort of more of a a squat approach to the turns and the dives and and the technical side of things?

Dominic Zsui: 23:58

Um I think it's a bit of both. We don't have uh 30 swimmers at one time. We have, let's say, 12. And you could spend time on individual uh as well as being in a squat environment. But one of the top things that uh top tip and priority technique-wise, it's not so much the uh physiology of it or the biomechanical of it, it's it's it's just breathing. You know, when you can't breathe when you hold your breath, that tends to be the biggest thing that people um forget to focus on. You know, breathing. You you have breathing patterns for a 50 meter sprint, you have a breathing pattern for 100, 200, and so on. Um, one of my very good friends who's who's a uh competitive coach for the juniors, every time we meet, he's just you can't breathe. You you you go nowhere, you you've got to breathe. So that if you start on that as your basis, then you know if you're doing freestyle, whether they're breathing into exhaling into water, and when you come out, your timing, sometimes when your hand is up here in front, your hands in the way. Your hands at the back, it's too late. You know, focus on that timing with your with your freestyle. That is one of the biggest things to spot, if you like. And then uh obviously throughout the program we would be doing different sort of drills for all four all four strokes, turns and starts. Turns and starts have have evolved. So we've had to keep keep up with time. You know, my day when you do breaststrokes, you can't have your head submerged. Um I don't think you saw me in that era.

Danielle Spurling: 25:46

I did. I did swim in that era.

Dominic Zsui: 25:49

Yes. Um so it it it evolved. So the backstroke turn is different, and people want to learn to cross crossover turn. I mean, depends on who you are. It's fun to do if you can do it. Even the best in the world that gets de-killed.

Danielle Spurling: 26:03

Yes.

Dominic Zsui: 26:04

And I saw when when some of the McIntosh actually won or set a first record in the 400 IM, she was just doing a plain vanilla touch and go. That works. So um, yeah, there are lot lots of new things to to to learn and to transfer to the swimmers. But you know, you can't go wrong with breathing.

Danielle Spurling: 26:26

Absolutely. And I think I I still coach a few sessions a month, and I that's what I see as the biggest the biggest fault with swimmers and myself as well, is the breathing timing. And I think once you can fix that, then the rest of it follows through. It all comes back to body position and breathing in my eyes. Yeah. So I'm with you on that. Do you find that your do you encourage your swimmers to do a lot of strength, dry land strength training, or do you help them with that or send them off somewhere? What's your philosophy with that?

Dominic Zsui: 26:57

I send them off. I don't have any uh of that sort of background, to be honest. Um the general you know, stretching uh we we manage, uh, we can do. But uh we've got one hour in the pool. So you come, you get ready, and you jump in. Um there is there are a few people in my squad actually who specialize in dry land and what we call strength and strengthened body conditioning or fitness conditioning. Um a lot of uh a few of the people who are keen will go there to to do their workout. And there's always the gym available that they can do. Uh no, we we don't do any focus work on dry land. But we plan to, but the entry barrier for doing that we're trying to work out is to get a gym next to the pool. That would be ideal. And then we're actually thinking to fit that in on a Friday morning into our program. Uh when there's no swimming. We don't swim on a Friday fasting. And we we we've got some good coaches lined up and we're working on bringing that up, bringing that into the program.

Danielle Spurling: 28:09

Yes, yeah, well, it's always working on something, isn't it? I think strength training is gaining a lot more traction and people are realizing that it's important to do as you get older as well, but specifically for you swimming.

Dominic Zsui: 28:23

Especially with uh with uh images of Cameron McAvoy um working out in the gym.

unknown: 28:30

Yeah.

Dominic Zsui: 28:32

Yeah.

Danielle Spurling: 28:32

Well, we're probably not gonna go to that level, but yeah, he's very inspiring, isn't he?

Dominic Zsui: 28:37

Yes, and uh yeah, and it's got a great following. He is the world champion and the world's best.

Danielle Spurling: 28:43

So did you see him a few weeks ago um 25 Freestyle here in Melbourne? He did a um a short course 25 Freestyle and did a 9.36.

Dominic Zsui: 28:54

9.36. It's amazing. So actually, I started following him, following him in the early 2010s, 2010s, when he was swimming in the Pan-Pacific with uh James Madison at the time, um, I think. He was so good. He he has he isn't built a spake, but beautiful swimmer to see.

Danielle Spurling: 29:17

And now, of course, James has gone to the enhanced games.

Dominic Zsui: 29:21

Yes, he has, isn't he?

Danielle Spurling: 29:23

Yes, what are your thoughts on that?

Dominic Zsui: 29:26

Uh I have no comment.

Danielle Spurling: 29:29

Neither do I. Enough said.

Dominic Zsui: 29:36

We're all adults. Um so uh you do what you need to do and you justify it to yourself. That's a great saying, and then it's been said a few times this morning. A good swimmer, a fast swimmer is a happy swimmer, right? As you know, and that that's why coaching masters is so different to coaching kids. Kids come to work out because Sometimes it's their parents taking them. Adults, they join your group because they want to swim. If they don't swim hard, it's their loss, right? Whereas kids, if they don't swim hard, oh yes, I'm saving myself. So so so it's it's really the word's probably inspiring to coach adults and in a way that you know because they want to come and the energy is all in the same place together. It's great. Love it. Wouldn't do anything else.

Danielle Spurling: 30:36

I agree, I agree. And I was going to ask you too, what's the open water swimming scene like around Hong Kong? Is there many races?

Dominic Zsui: 30:44

There are many races. Um, they are very active as well. There's a weekly session. Um they purely just swim open water. You probably know the places Repose Bay, um, Stani, all those beaches on the south side. There's a group that goes out on a Saturday morning, and then there's another group that goes out on a Sunday morning. Okay. Apart from these regular swimming groups, um, the community there is really quite big. You know, you get 20 to 30 swimmers each time. They swim anything up to 10k from 3K onwards. The more serious guys, they they go a long way. And in recent years, they they've also started swimming around the Hong Kong Island.

Danielle Spurling: 31:27

Okay.

Dominic Zsui: 31:28

There's a group um, you know, for charity reasons. For um, you know, Simon Holiday has a group called Splash. Um Alex Fong has a group called something to raise money for for bringing water to other regions as a charity. So those things are happening, and they are now trying to swim from Hong Kong to Macau around Lan Tao Island. There's all sorts of swimming going on, and then there is a group now that organizes uh open water races in Discovery Bay, going out to Pengzhou, um and the Victoria Recreation Club. So that's that scene is very active. Very active, yeah. But you get swimmers who focus on pool, people who like the open water, and so on. So um that's a good mix.

Danielle Spurling: 32:20

I mean, master swimming seems to be exploding in Asia now. I mean, obviously, you've got a really vibrant you know community in Hong Kong and Singapore is up and coming, and they're starting in Singapore. Yeah, it seems to be sort of expanding. And I think probably having the world champs there will encourage a lot more people now that they've had it on their doorstep.

Dominic Zsui: 32:40

Yeah, a few teams are starting in Singapore, uh, as I understand. Um but Hong Kong, I think I think also for my for myself, I gotta really thank uh John uh Dempsey, who I mentioned earlier. He he arrived in Hong Kong 2007 working with the L80s Recreation Club, the LRC, and he's really brought master swimming uh onto the map of uh swimming because he he started building this team over the next six or seven years, and that's what made me realize that there is a a need for non-members. You know, as in non-membership at membership clubs, and where do you go? This is where I I I got started.

Danielle Spurling: 33:26

So I I always finish off each talk with the deep dive five. It's five quick fire questions, and you just tell me the first thing that comes to your mind. Okay, so your favorite pool in the whole world that you've swum at?

Dominic Zsui: 33:40

I'll go with one shy pool.

Danielle Spurling: 33:42

Yes. Okay. Excellent. And what about your favorite open water swimming spot that you've ever swum at?

Dominic Zsui: 33:50

Uh let's go with repose. Uh repose bay.

Danielle Spurling: 33:53

Repulse bay, okay. What's the water temperature like all year round in like repulse and Stanley? Is it can you swim there without a wetsuit?

Dominic Zsui: 34:03

During COVID in the winter, it got down to 12 degrees or so.

Danielle Spurling: 34:10

I thought it would get cold. Yeah.

Dominic Zsui: 34:12

And I I don't wear a wetsuit. So I've swum in in some days even colder, air temperature. Um when it gets warm, it's in its 30s. Uh these are centigrade. So um, yeah, it gets really cold. But but you know, when all the pools are shut and you have to do some swimming, that's what you do.

Danielle Spurling: 34:33

That's exactly what we had to do too, yes. Except ours in um Port Phillip Bay, which is just near Melbourne, um, got down to eight.

Speaker 3: 34:41

Wow.

Danielle Spurling: 34:42

During during COVID, that was yeah, that was freezing. I don't I don't want to ever have to do that again. But yeah, as you say, when you have to swim, you have to find somewhere to swim. What's your favorite uh freestyle drill that you give your master swimmers?

Dominic Zsui: 34:58

616 with sculling, hand in front, hand on the side, kicking on the side, six cake, um, one arm short, six cake, one arm short. So it works on that breathing timing very well, works on that feel for water at the same time, and kicking. I think it's it's wrapped up into one. I like that.

Danielle Spurling: 35:17

And how about um your favorite um go-to training set that you like to give your squad to get them really firing for a bit of explosive speed work?

Dominic Zsui: 35:29

Explosive speed work. Well, I have a favorite set, but it's not explosive um speed work.

Danielle Spurling: 35:35

Oh, well, give us give it give us that one. Give us your favorite set. Give us your favourite set.

Dominic Zsui: 35:39

I like broken 400s. You go at 200, 100, and 250s. And you break it up in any other way, reverse, uh, as long as they're broken 200 groups. Broken 400, sorry. Um, and then you do four or five of those, it makes about 2k. It's very good for aerobics training, and and uh that's my go-to.

Danielle Spurling: 36:02

What what intensity do you like your swimmers to do that at?

Dominic Zsui: 36:06

Swimming at your 200-meter swimming uh pace.

Danielle Spurling: 36:09

200 pace.

Dominic Zsui: 36:10

Yeah, if you can. Um rest in in between. So 200, you stop maybe 10-15 seconds, 100, and then you can pick up your speed for your 50s. Yeah, sometimes you can go the other way, do the 50s first, depends on if you want the heart rate to go up faster.

Danielle Spurling: 36:29

And how about the swimmer that you most admire?

Dominic Zsui: 36:32

The one that um really inspired a young person when I was little was Mark Spitz.

Danielle Spurling: 36:38

Ah, yes.

Dominic Zsui: 36:39

So uh, you know, he he was covered on the t on the television in those days. They they were the commentators were really making this out to be a phenomenon. And you as a young kid, you saw, whoa, so amazing. I think he's he's made a difference to me.

Danielle Spurling: 36:56

Yeah, what was it was was it Tokyo where he won his seven seven medals? Was it Tokyo or was it Munich. Um the one Munich, Munich, yes, it was Munich.

Dominic Zsui: 37:08

Before Montreal.

Danielle Spurling: 37:10

That's right, yes.

Dominic Zsui: 37:11

You don't go too far that far back, Daniel.

Danielle Spurling: 37:16

I don't remember, I don't remember Munich. Uh probably the first Olympics I remember at Moscow.

Dominic Zsui: 37:24

Neil Brooks. They were all in.

Danielle Spurling: 37:26

Oh, Neil Brooks, yes. I yes. Yeah, I know, I mean, I don't know him. I remember him. He was he was in the famous Mean Machine, Australian Mean Machine, with Greg Vasala and Mark Stockwell. Yeah, back in the day.

Dominic Zsui: 37:42

So yeah, Mark Smith.

Danielle Spurling: 37:44

Yeah, fantastic. Well, Dominic, thank you so much for talking to us today and sharing uh a little bit about what's happening in Master Swimming in Hong Kong and your coaching and swimming. And hopefully we'll get over there soon and smoke one of your meets.

Dominic Zsui: 37:58

Yes. Well, very welcome. I'll send you the link to uh some swimming opportunities here in in Hong Kong. Please look me up.

Danielle Spurling: 38:07

That sounds great. Okay, take care and we'll see you next time.

Dominic Zsui: 38:11

Thank you, Danielle.

Danielle Spurling: 38:12

Okay.

Dominic Zsui: 38:12

Thank you.

Danielle Spurling: 38:13

Bye.

Dominic Zsui: 38:13

Bye bye. Thank you, Bob.

Danielle Spurling: 38:17

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