With the busy schedule we all have, I often find myself not having much time to do an extensive research online to buy a thoughtful present, so I look for pre-compiled lists to give me an idea of what to give to the person in question. I know, I know, no excuses. I should do better, but procrasti...

One of the basic skills of any beginner student of any activity is the ability to recognize if something is not done the right way. Be it the ability to notice spelling mistakes in written texts (I am sure there many in my posts :)), the know-how to acknowledge that a ski jumper’s form during the...

Hand paddles are commonly used in swimming pools around the world. In fact, you hardly ever see a pool deck or the infamous Lost and Found basket (yes, they do exist) without a pair of them laying around. They are either loved or hated. The main rudimentary idea behind the original hand padd...

Do you swim breaststroke every time you have a swim workout? If you do, perhaps it is time to start learning other strokes and give your knees a bit of a rest. I know quite a few competitive breaststroke swimmers who did not train properly during their younger years and now suffer from knee...

Final rating: 5/5 One of the toughest things to learn in swimming is a proper effective and efficient kick. Many coaches can tell you that having a great kick is the essence of fast swimming, however, they also struggle with teaching the proper kicking technique. No wonder though, the r...

A proper flutter kick is one of the most important keys to an efficient, fast and enjoyable freestyle swimming experience; however, it is also one of the hardest parts of the freestyle stroke to learn. I’ve taught countless individuals with varying skill levels and everyone is different in the wa...

I try not to live by too many rules as they tend to constrict one's ability to think creatively, however I do have a rule when it comes to kickboards (also referred to as swimming boards). Do not use them when you are learning to swim! Kickboards are a huge impediment to your swimming progress....

In one of my previous posts, I discussed how adding another sport as an alternative to swimming is beneficial, not only for your health but also for improving your swimming. To make the point even stronger, listen to what Aaron has to say about the cross-training of running and swimming. Thi...

Final rating: 4.5/5 I have already discussed proper body position while swimming freestyle and the drag forces that act upon your body on numerous occasions on this blog. However, the reality of it is that it is very easy to say, "swim relaxed with good body position", but a bit more diffi...

This is an additional post on proper head position while swimming freestyle. I know you might be tired of hearing the words "put your head down" while you swim, however, believe me, if I tell you, this is the building block of your swimming. Without the proper head position, your stroke wi...

Many of you have asked me to give some breaststroke workout advice in your comments, so here it is. Below you will find a few tips for your breaststroke 50s and 100s and I am sure it could come handy for longer events as well. First, keep in mind that breaststroke is a combination of leg power...

The head lead body rotation drill is the foundation of a successful swimming stroke. If you do not spend enough time on this step or if you skip it entirely, you will regret it later on as you will struggle to improve. Got your attention? Yes? Very good. To reiterate, a proper body balance i...