Should You Swim With Hand Paddles?

Swimming tools, or toys as they are known in the tri community, can be a valuable asset in a swimmers arsenal. By design, these toys help increase efficien

Essential Stretches for Young Swimmers

Every sunny California day sees swimmers take to the beach and the pool to relax in the sun and play in the water. Swimming is a skill and a sport that native C

4 Lessons From a Swim Clinic

Did you teach yourself to swim freestyle? Maybe you picked up tips from friends or at the local pool. You can swim enough laps to call it a workout and you can

Men Vs. Women In Endurance Sports

Based on preliminary comparative research findings by Open Water Source, it was found that women compete very well against men—and many times better

4 Drills for Backstroke Beginners

Like almost anything youre learning for the first time, perfecting the backstroke takes a lot of practice and a lot of work on the fundamentals. Its a str

How to Streamline Your Stroke

Without a streamlined stroke, you open yourself up to wasted energy in the water and a distinct competitive disadvantage on race day. In this swim clinic video

2 Pull Drills for Faster Freestyle

Are you a frustrated back-of-the-pack (BOP) or middle-of-the-pack (MOP) swimmer? No matter how many yards you swim or how many sprint sets you do, is it di

Dont Get Caught in the Storm: Learn to Read Inclement Weather Patterns

Fall can be unpredictable for weather, no matter where you live. And in places like the Midwest and East Coast, an afternoon thunder shower becomes a regul

Running for Swimmers

Athletes, including swimmers, should incorporate different exercises into their workout routines to obtain muscle variance and cardiovascular fitness. Ru

Dont Let a Trash Island Ruin Your Ocean Time

I recently got a not-so-happy email about yet another trash island from a friend of mine, Doug Woodring, who was writing from the beautiful Indonesian isla

The Fun Isnt Over; Jump Into A Southern Hemisphere Summer

As we creep towards that Sunday when we set our clocks back an hour, it seems that we barely manage to utter three trick-or-treats before were already chec

Break the Rules to Swim Fast

In a previous column I gave you a few strategies for using the offseason to get faster. In this column I want to expand on the topic of single-sport focu

Improve Your Fitness With Swimming

Swimming provides great benefit to an athlete willing to get their feet wet. Whether you are looking to spice up your workouts with some cross-training, ge

A Swimmers Wish List

Every athlete has a list of the latest gear that is sure to make you better, faster, stronger. With the holiday season rapidly approaching, and as we sta

Strength Training for Swimmers

Many first time triathletes, or those looking to improve their swim, feel weak in the water. The immediate natural tendency is to get stronger in the weigh

How to Cross-Train Through Injury

Injuries are inevitable in the life of the endurance athlete. When they happen they are painful, debilitating, and frustrating. The most frustrating part o

Why You Should Embrace Your Slow Swim Times

During a recent Masters meet at Ithaca College, I swam the slowest 1000-yard freestyle of my life. And it may have been as valuable a gift as any Ive rece

Swimming Technique: 7 Ways to Improve Your Form

Youre a triathlete—?t, strong and lean. Youve been swimming three to five times a week, racking up the yards. Youre getting fitter and faster and y

How to Train the High Elbow Catch in Swimming

The high elbow is achieved with a vertically positioned hand and forearm that establish the catch in swimming. For the triathlete, a high elbow catch pro

Why Swim Pace Is Important

Swimming is different from biking or running in that its easier to go hard every day without tearing up your ligaments and joints. Since you dont feel