Trying to find the perfect, thoughtful gift for the swimmer or triathlete in your life can be a challenge. You want something unique and useful that won't just sit in the back of their closet. Whether they are a beginner, a seasoned triathlete, swimrunner or an avid open water explorer, this guide...

It is one of those days. The swimming lane you're about to plunge into is overcrowded. Even though it's marked "FAST SWIMMERS," it's plagued with leisurely head-up breaststrokers and people discussing politics by the wall. Your mood is ruined... or is it? Instead of getting angry, it's time to mak...

I’ve grown up as a full-blown chlorinated pool swimmer with lifelong search for the perfect fitting goggles. I swear, I must have tried like 50 different types and always found them inadequate. Either they leaked or the suction was too much on the eyes until I found the holy grail: the Swedish ...

We usually focus on strokes, equipment, and speed. But there is a scarier side to swimming: the microscopic dangers that lurk in the water. According to the CDC, recreational water illnesses (RWIs) are a real risk in both man-made pools and natural bodies of water. In this guide, writer and avid...

Swimmers love their gear, and one of the most common questions I hear is, "What hand paddles should I use?" Let me stop you right there. I implore you to ask a much better question first: What do I need paddles for? If your answer is, "I don't know, everyone else uses them," or "They make me fe...

"Bilateral breathing" is one of the most misunderstood terms in swimming. Many beginners assume it means you must breathe every third stroke, only to find themselves gasping for air and hitting a frustrating plateau. The truth is, there's a huge difference between the act of rhythmic bilateral...

The Swim Smooth's Clean Up Your Stroke DVD set is not your usual learn to swim program on DVDs. It is more of a series of short hints and tips addressing a few important aspects of an efficient freestyle stroke. Paul Newsome, an accredited level II triathlon coach who coaches triathletes in Wester...

Open water swimming and triathlon are becoming incredibly popular. And since 70% of our planet's surface is covered by water, it only makes sense we'd discover it sooner or later :). But with this popularity comes a challenge: many swimmers have a hard time understanding that swimming in open wate...

Triathletes are some of the most self-motivated athletes in the world. To achieve a competitive level in three different sports requires incredible discipline and time management skills. But this drive often creates a major problem in the pool. Running and cycling are sports where effort usually...

Getting more propulsion during a swim is a huge problem for many swimmers, and even advanced individuals shouldn't stop exploring their stroke for potential improvement. If you read this swimming blog regularly, you might notice I do not recommend using too much swim gear unless it has a particula...

Squinting to see the pace clock. Swimming in a zig-zag in open water because you can't see the buoy. Constantly taking off your goggles to see the workout on the board. If you wear glasses or contacts on land, you know these frustrations all too well. For swimmers, poor vision isn't just an anno...

In 2011, British comedian David Walliams did something extraordinary. He swam 140 miles (225 km) down the River Thames in just 8 days for charity. To put that in perspective, that's an average of 18 miles a day, a distance that even Olympic athletes rarely cover in training, let alone in dirty riv...