Articles and Videos
What Masters Swimmers Should Talk About With Their Coaches
Most swimmers think of their coaches as people who stand on the pool deck and loudly tell them what to do and how fast to do it. Because coaches like to hear themselves talk, you may have the impression that they prefer communicating in one direction...
How to Train for Middle-Distance Swim Races
Dialing in the optimal pace for a middle-distance event is a challenge, especially for athletes who race multiple distances in a single meet. How can coaches prepare their swimmers to allocate their energy for their best performance in freestyle even...
How to Have a Great Freestyle Recovery
Lots of swimmers focus on the stroke portion of freestyle—and rightly so. This is the phase of freestyle that provides the always-needed propulsion. Your freestyle recovery, the portion of your stroke that doesn’t move you forward in the ...
How to Get a Great Swimming Workout in a Short Time
Pool closures and lane restrictions because of COVID-19 have forced many swimmers into time-constrained workouts. Many pools, if open at all, have gone to a model that allows one or two people per lane. Times, which are limited because time is needed...
How to Minimize the Effects of Goggle Eyes
When you get out of the pool after a good swim workout you probably take two things with you: a wonderful swimmer’s high and a serious pair of goggle eyes. Goggle eyes, in case you’re one of the lucky few who is immune to this problem, is...
Lower-Body Exercises for Swimmers
A balanced approach that includes range-of-motion and strength-building exercises in your dryland routine will give you the foundation you need for an effective kick and efficient body position in the water.
How to Coax More Speed Out of Your Breaststroke
Here are a few tweaks that you can try to coax a bit of extra speed out of each part of your swim.
Five Sneaky Speed Thieves (And How to Avoid Them)
Here are five speed thieves that aren’t always obvious, and therefore require a coach to watch with a keen and focused eye.
Balancing Stroke Rate and Stroke Efficiency
For all strokes, there’s a trade-off between efficiency (distance per stroke) and velocity. It’s complicated, and as swimmers and coaches have increased their understanding of technique, lots of adjustments have been made to produce faste...