Recognizing flaws in a swimming stroke is the first step to fixing them. Often, what feels right in the water looks very different on video. This article breaks down a video analysis of a swimmer with four common but critical freestyle mistakes. By learning to spot these errors, from a deep kick t...

In the individual medley races, there are a lot of transitions between strokes: fly to back, back to breast, breast to free where each swimmer could either gain or lose time on the opponents. Usually, the most complex turn is the one from backstroke to breaststroke. In the history of swimming,...

There is no doubt in my mind that anyone can learn how to swim and anyone can swim with ease if the right approach to learning is taken. In order to convey a certain feeling or a message to the swimmers and to keep swim workouts interesting, every coach should once in a while think outside the box....

Breaststroke is the easiest stroke to swim casually, but it's one of the hardest to swim correctly. The difference between a relaxed "Mrs. Mayor" breaststroke and a competitive one is all in the details, tiny adjustments that eliminate drag and convert every ounce of power into forward motion. T...

Every few years, a revolutionary piece of swim gear is launched with promises of free speed and record-breaking performance. One of the most famous examples was Speedo's Fastskin3 "racing system." While new technology is exciting, it often obscures a fundamental truth: for 99% of swimmers, the sec...

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...

If you are just starting out learning how to swim, or if you struggle to improve your swimming, you have probably heard someone along your swimming journey say: "You just need to relax more". At that moment you also probably thought to yourself: "Yeah right. How am I supposed to relax if I am usi...

The freestyle flutter kick is the engine of your stroke. A proper kick provides propulsion, lift, and balance, but it's also one of the hardest swimming skills to master. This guide will break down the mechanics of an effective flutter kick, using analogies and a unique "learn-by-doing-it-wrong" a...

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 difficult to actually perform...

After you learn how to properly hold your body in the water and relax, you can move on to using your arms to propel yourself forward. The secret to a truly powerful freestyle stroke lies in one, often misunderstood, technique: the "catch." Don't be scared by the technical term "Early Vertical Fo...

We all long for that elusive, smooth swimming stroke. While practice is essential, sometimes you need a little help to feel what "correct" actually feels like. The problem with most swim gear is that it makes swimming easier (like fins) without teaching you anything. Today, I want to share three...

Many of you have asked for some breaststroke workout advice, so here it is. This workout is designed to improve your 50 and 100-meter breaststroke, but the principles will help with longer events as well. Keep in mind that breaststroke is a combination of powerful leg drive and perfect timing. T...