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 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…]
Most young swimmers don’t get slower because they aren’t working hard enough — they get slower because a small technique leak is quietly adding drag or wasting energy every single stroke. A high head, a crossed-over hand entry, or a kick that comes from the knee instead of the hip can cost tenths of a … [Read More…]
If your freestyle feels rushed, choppy, or like your arms are fighting each other instead of working together, the catch-up drill is one of the fastest fixes a coach can hand you. It slows the stroke down on purpose so you can feel exactly what each arm is doing at every phase, instead of blasting … [Read More…]
Most new swimmers quit not because they lack fitness, but because they try to swim continuously the way they’d run or bike, and gas out after 25 yards. Swimming endurance is built differently: in short, repeatable intervals with just enough rest to keep your form together, gradually stretching the work while shrinking the rest. This … [Read More…]
A pull buoy is one of the simplest tools in the pool bag, but most swimmers use it wrong — they let it turn easy laps into a leg-rest lap instead of a technique workout. Squeezed between the thighs, it floats your legs so your kick drops out of the equation, leaving nothing to hide … [Read More…]
If your legs feel like an anchor in freestyle, the problem almost never starts at your legs. It starts at your head. Sinking hips are one of the most common issues beginner swimmers deal with, and they make every stroke feel harder than it should, since dragging legs create drag that no amount of arm … [Read More…]
Butterfly has a reputation as the hardest stroke in competitive swimming, but almost every problem in a young swimmer’s butterfly traces back to one skill: the dolphin kick. Get the wave motion right and the arms, breathing, and timing fall into place with far less effort. Skip it, and kids end up muscling through the … [Read More…]
Of all the competitive swimming strokes, backstroke is widely considered the most beginner-friendly — and for good reason. Because kids swim on their backs the entire time, their face stays out of the water and they can breathe freely from start to finish. There is no breath timing to master and no anxiety about putting … [Read More…]
Breaststroke is widely considered the trickiest stroke for young swimmers to learn—and the kick is usually where things fall apart. Unlike freestyle or backstroke, the frog kick demands a very specific sequence of movements that feels unnatural at first: bend, turn, push, squeeze, glide. Miss any one of those steps and the kick stops working. … [Read More…]
A freestyle flip turn is one of the most time-saving skills in competitive swimming — but it can feel disorienting and awkward the first time you try it. Done right, it keeps your momentum and shaves seconds off every lap without a wasted breath or clumsy stop at the wall. This guide breaks the flip … [Read More…]
Swimming technique for beginners is the single most important factor in learning to move through the water safely, efficiently, and with confidence. Whether you are a parent enrolling your child in swim lessons or an adult who never learned to swim properly, mastering the fundamentals of body position, breathing, and stroke mechanics will transform your … [Read More…]
Free on the App Store and Google Play — or use it right in your browser.
menu
Next step blog
Socials
©2026 SportsSteps™