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Analysis of Ariane Titmus Freestyle
What makes her so fast This is a recent video from one of my favorite swim coaches. He brings a few concepts that other coaches don’t use, such as “pass your body over the stroke,” the forward roll and depth of stroke. He also points out why her technique and stroke rate… Read more
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9-Year-Old Podiums
100 Yard Butterfly at 10 & Under State Championships Congratulations to BAC Swimmer Varum Vasam who’s 100 yard butterfly time was 1:17.72 at State Champs. Read more
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Proper Hand Entry in FReestyle
Fingertips, Wrist, Elbow, Shoulder A critical phase of the front crawl (freestyle) stroke is your hand entry. This is where we want to focus on the two most important movements in the stroke: streamlining and propulsion. Your hand should enter fingertips first, then wrist, then elbow, and then shoulder. Swimmers should avoid… Read more
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Old Guy Butterfly
Here are two common facts about the butterfly stroke: It is the most taxing of the four competitive strokes, and it is nearly impossible to swim slowly at the regular cadence. I have two reasons why every swimmer, even triathletes, should master the butterfly: It is really cool to swim well, and swimming… Read more
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Three Great Drills
For timing, rotation and streamlining The two most important factors in a better front crawl (freestyle) are reducing drag and improving propulsion. Even the best swimmers are continuously working at this. I use a progression of drills in my swim lessons and coaching–and for myself–to focus on these important factors. Using a… Read more
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Putting physics to work in swimming
In our Swim Faster Madison program, I’ve discussed some of the physical forces that we work with to swim faster, especially buoyancy and gravity, and drag and propulsion. Now I’m going to talk about two more principles that govern the point where each arm enters the water and why it is important… Read more
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I’m a triathlete. I don’t need to kick.
Yes. You do need to kick. You may think that wearing a wetsuit in a triathlon is enough to keep your body on top of the water, and that you can save your legs for the rest of the race. But here’s the secret: You don’t need to kick hard. You just… Read more
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Learning to Swim: Relax
I was one of the lucky ones. My grandparents had a cottage on a lake with a pier going out to the water. The first summer that I could walk, I began running down the pier and jumping into my mother’s arms. I never acquired a fear of water. But I understand… Read more
