Terry Laughlin

Founder of Total Immersion

Terry Laughlin was a firm believer in the power of teaching people how to achieve the full potential of their swimming skills. Born in the United States in 1945, he was an acclaimed coach and innovator who had dedicated his life to spreading his philosophies to swimmers of all ages and abilities. Laughlin began his passion for swimming at a young age while competing on the Duke University crew team. After studying psychology, he moved onto coaching and continued developing his teaching techniques and philosophies. With his commitment to helping others, he founded Total Immersion in 1996 and focused on breaking down swimming skills into its component parts and helping people become better swimmers. The Total Immersion philosophy is based on Precision, Relaxation, Balance, and Streamlining. This four-stage “Roadmap to Effortless Swimming” has proven to be successful for swimmers of any age, size, and ability. This is particularly effective for triathletes, as swimming is an integral element in the race. The Total Immersion method builds on the best techniques of the past and develops new ideas for the ever-changing world of swimming. Due to his work and achievements, Terry Laughlin was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2017. His contributions to the world of swimming can and will continue to impact swimmers of all levels. Laughlin was a lover of swimming, a great innovator, and created countless tools and resources that were meant to help people reach the peak of their potential. He was truly an inspiration.