A great relay takeoff can shave real time off your split, but a takeoff that’s even a hair too early can get your entire team disqualified. That tension is what makes relay exchanges one of the hardest skills in swimming to master — you’re trying to leave the block at the exact instant your teammate’s … [Read More…]
Swim fins can turn a frustrated kicker into a confident swimmer, but only if you pick the right pair. A toddler splashing around in a lesson pool needs something completely different from a 12-year-old training for a summer swim league, and grabbing the wrong style can slow a child down or even make learning to … [Read More…]
Taper is the stretch of training before a big meet where a coach dials back the yardage so tired muscles can rebuild and a swimmer shows up on race day feeling fast instead of flat. For young swimmers, taper looks different than it does for a college or Olympic athlete, and doing too much of … [Read More…]
If your kid lives in the pool every summer, you’ve probably noticed the aftermath: hair that feels like straw, a faint chemical smell that survives three shampoos, and skin that turns red, itchy, or flaky by bedtime. Chlorine is what keeps pool water safe from bacteria, but it also strips away natural oils from hair … [Read More…]
Nothing kills the rhythm of a good swim like lifting your head every few strokes because you can’t see through your own goggles. Fogging is one of the most common complaints swimmers have, and it’s almost always fixable in under a minute with things you already have on hand or a cheap bottle of spray. … [Read More…]
If your child comes out of the pool tugging at their ear, complaining it feels plugged, or wincing when you touch their earlobe, you’re probably dealing with swimmer’s ear. It’s one of the most common summer complaints among kids who spend a lot of time in the water, and while it’s rarely serious, it can … [Read More…]
Shoulder pain is one of the most common reasons young swimmers miss practice, and it usually doesn’t come from one dramatic moment — it builds slowly from thousands of overhead arm rotations across a training week. The good news is that most cases are preventable with a short, consistent routine of shoulder and shoulder-blade exercises … [Read More…]
The individual medley rewards swimmers who can hold technique together under fatigue, and nowhere does that show more than at the walls. A clean, legal turn between strokes can save real time and keep a swimmer out of the disqualification tent, while a sloppy one can undo an otherwise strong swim. This guide breaks down … [Read More…]
Somewhere between lap four and lap seven, your brain wanders off and the count is gone. It happens to almost every swimmer, not just beginners, because counting laps while breathing, kicking, and watching your stroke technique asks a lot of your attention all at once. The good news is that counting laps is a skill … [Read More…]
The backstroke flip turn is one of the trickiest skills in swimming to learn, mostly because you can’t see the wall coming. Instead of spotting the wall like you would in freestyle, you have to rely on the backstroke flags and a memorized stroke count to know exactly when to roll over and go. This … [Read More…]
Walk onto any pool deck and you’ll spot two staples in nearly every swimmer’s mesh bag: a flat foam kickboard and a figure-eight pull buoy. They look simple, but each one trains a completely different half of your stroke — and using the wrong one for the wrong drill can waste a session or reinforce … [Read More…]
If your freestyle catch feels weak or your hand slips through the water without grabbing anything, the fist drill is one of the fastest ways to fix it. Swum by everyone from age-group swimmers to Masters and triathletes, it’s a staple in pool workouts precisely because it forces your body to find a better catch … [Read More…]
Your child just aged out of the beginner class, or a coach mentioned tryouts, and now you’re stuck deciding: keep paying for lessons, or sign up for swim team? The two aren’t interchangeable, and jumping into team before your child is ready can backfire into frustration and pool anxiety instead of confidence. This guide breaks … [Read More…]
Butterfly has a reputation as the stroke that empties your tank in under 25 yards, and for most amateurs that’s not because they lack strength — it’s because their arms, kick, and breath are all fighting each other instead of working on the same beat. This guide breaks down the timing that makes butterfly feel … [Read More…]
If your backstroke zig-zags across the lane or feels like you’re dragging your arms through wet cement, the problem usually isn’t your kick or your catch — it’s that your body isn’t rotating. Backstroke is a side-to-side stroke, not a flat-on-your-back one, and swimmers who keep their hips and shoulders locked flat lose reach, power, … [Read More…]
If you’ve stood poolside during swim lessons and heard a coach shouting a beat out loud — “1-2-3-4” or “1-2-3, 1-2-3” — you’ve run into the world of kick counting. Coaches use terms like “4-count kick,” “4-beat kick,” and “6-beat kick” somewhat interchangeably, which is exactly why parents get confused about what their child is … [Read More…]
Swimming fast isn’t just built in the water. Most competitive programs, from age-group clubs to college teams, now pair pool work with a structured dryland routine to build the strength, power, and stability that translate directly into faster starts, turns, and stroke mechanics. This guide breaks down what dryland training actually is, how to structure … [Read More…]
Breaststroke is usually the last stroke kids master, and the kick is almost always the hardest part. Unlike freestyle or backstroke, the breaststroke kick asks a child’s ankles, knees, and hips to move in a sequence that feels backwards at first — bend, turn out, sweep around, then snap together and glide. This guide breaks … [Read More…]
Walking onto the pool deck cold is one of the fastest ways for a young swimmer to feel sluggish off the blocks. A short, structured warm-up wakes up the muscles, raises the heart rate, and gives kids a few quiet minutes to settle their nerves before the whistle blows. This guide breaks down a warm-up … [Read More…]
Nothing sinks a good swim like going out too fast and dying in the last 25. It’s the most common mistake young racers make, and it’s also one of the easiest to fix once a swimmer understands what pacing actually means and practices it in training, not just at meets. This guide breaks down how … [Read More…]
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