How To: Practice the freestyle swim stroke
The freestyle, also known as the front crawl, is the fastest style in swimming today. This informative video details the proper form and technique of this very popular stroke, viewed from multiple angles above and below the water, while discussing the physical mechanics behind its effectiveness.
How To: Do the breast stroke faster and more easily
The breast stroke may seem like an afterthought at modern Olympics dominated by the Freestyle and IM events, but it still has two of it's own races and is a part of the IM and Medley Relays, so knowing how to do it well is still great for any competitive swimmer. This video, put together by one such person, offers great advice on all areas of the stroke, from the stroke itself to starts and turns. If you already do breast stroke and just need to get a little bit faster, this video has tips fo...
How To: Do exercises to increase muscle density for swimming
Increase muscle density by watching this two minute tutorial. Muscle density is important for keeping your body strong and active now and especially as you get older.
How To: Do exercises to strengthen your core for swimming
The core of your body - your abs, obliques, and the muscle that goes around your midsection like a corset - is what holds your entire body together when you're performing tasks like lifting groceries, doing push ups, and even just sitting at your desk.
How To: Jump rope to increase your swimming stamina
Relive your favorite recess exercise by watching this video on jumping rope, a simple but very effective cardio exercise that'll increase swimming stamina.
How To: Do a Tabata exercise to increase swimming stamina
Rest in between long bouts of exercise is recommended, since muscles need time to heal and patch themselves up after tearing (yes, any form of exercise makes micro tears in your muscles that must be healed. These tears are a good thing because once you get patched up, your muscles become stronger than before).
How To: Do the Tiger swimming exercise to increase strength
Tigers are common names for forms and routines in martial arts because they are creatures of bold, athletic beauty who usually remain graceful yet can pounce and kill you before you even know it.
How To: Do the Stallion exercise to improve swimming skills
You'll be a stallion in water (without the drowning) once you perfect this difficult training move to improve your swimming skills.
How To: Flip turn in three easy steps
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to do flip turns in three easy steps. The first step is to be able to do a regular somersault. Begin by standing on the black line away from the wall and execute a flip. The second step is to stand at arms-length away from the wall and execute a flip without touching the wall. The third step is to execute a flip that is arms-length away from the wall. Land the feet on the wall and pause with hands above the head. This video will benefit those viewers ...
How To: Do the Dragon weighted exercise for swimming
Challenge yourself with this swimming video, which teaches you a pre-swim exercise called the Dragon. As fiery and monstrous a move as its name suggests, it involves lifting a set of heavy (10-30 pound weights) from your hip to over your head and then jumping as the weights go up.
How To: Do exercises to increase swim strength
Breast strokes are pretty fun until you get to your 100th and each arm feels weighted down by 1,000 octopuses. It's nice to have agility and speed when careening over the vast seas, but for long distance swims it's best to also have strength.
How To: Do warm up exercises for swimming
Watch this video for warm-up exercises you can do before you swim - or before any sort of workout - to build up your heart rate. By changing the plane of your body several times within the three-minute warm-up you'll force your heart to work harder, which means a bigger calorie burn.
How To: Do exercises to increase swimming mobility
You may not think yoga, calisthenics (jumping), and dynamic flexibility are related to swimming (given that those former exercises occur on land and swimming occurs in water), but all three types of exercises strengthen your ability to swim with ease and strength.
How To: Do exercises to improve your swim speed
Without speed, you'd swim like a turtle at your swim club races, which is okay if you're into leisurely paced losing. Whether you're navigating away from a hungry shark who likes your "Family Guy" swim trunks or trying to finally snag that "First Place" trophy, speed is something you can always improve on.
How To: Sharpen power and stamina for swimming
Swimming does usually occur in water, but that doesn't mean there aren't land exercises that we land mammals can do to improve mobility for when we emulate finned fishies.
How To: Swim in a triathlon
In order to swim in a triathlon, according to Jodie Swallow’s technique, you will need an efficient stroke. You will need to work on your turn over. Try to aim for 90 strokes per minute. Rhythm, flow, and momentum are key. You will want to find your rhythm and keep it throughout. Timing is important. Breathe at the same point of each breathing stroke. Flex your wrist to improve your feel of the water and your momentum. Try to keep your elbows high and bent, when in the under water portion o...
How To: Swim freestyle, effortlessly with 4 key points
This video demonstrates the four keys to a powerful freestyle. The first is internal shoulder rotation. Rather than holding your arms out straight, rotate the shoulder inward to bring the elbow up. Point your fingers downward and catch the water with your entire forearm.
How To: Do a simplified flipturn
Flip turns can be one of the most challenging aspects of learning how to swim races. Suddenly flipping over and turning around like that can be very disorienting. With this tutorial, learn how to simplify the flipturn at the beginning of your learning process.
How To: Improve your freestyle swimming breathing
One of the hardest challenges for a beginning swimmer can be learning how to breathe properly. If you aren't careful with your breathing, you can end up with a mouth full of water and an unpleasant swimming experience.
How To: Do moving support perception drills in swimming
If you think you have a good swimming technique and you're not sure how you can gain more speed in the water, moving support perception drills can help you improve your skills. The specialized drills focus on the motions you do while swimming to give you more speed and consistency while swimming.
How To: Swin freestyle faster by decreasing drag
Friction from the water plays a major role in slowing you down when you are swimming. Without proper form and technique, your body will drag in the water. Decreasing drag can greatly improve your speed in the water.
How To: Go skinny-dipping
Always wanted to try skinny dipping but not sure quite how to get the ball rolling? There's not much to it but with a little bit of forward thinking you can make sure to get your friends on board while avoiding cops and an unwanted audience.
Swim Better, Swim Faster: Lessons from the Gay Army Tri Swim Coach
By Louis Tharp RealJock.com is pleased to present this first in a series of articles on improving your swimming form and performance from Louis Tharp, out gay man, swim coach for the Army Triathlon Team at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and author of the new book Overachiever's Diary: How the Army Triathlon Team Became World Contenders. Tharp is the first out gay coach in the history of West Point.
How To: Do the breast stroke
The breaststroke is a great swimming stroke for beginners. There are four simple moves to learn in the breaststroke. Get expert tips and advice by following along with the coaching in this swimming video.
How To: Swim the butterfly stroke with good technique
The butterfly stroke may look tough, but the trick is in good form and technique. This how to video demonstrates some drills for improving, as well as demonstrating correct alignment and positioning. Check out this video swimming lesson and learn how to swim butterfly with proper technique.
How To: Improve butterfly and breaststroke while swimming
This swim technique video series from a professional swimming coach hones in on the fine details for developing perfect alignment and stroke to help make you a better, more competitive athlete. The coach demonstrates the proper way to use swimming equipment and how to position your body to condition your swimming performace. This series is particularly helpful in that not only is the coaching beneficial, but the drills, including dryland training, are shown in practice. It's the next best thi...
How To: Get ankle flexibility to improve swimming
This swim technique video series from a professional swimming coach hones in on the fine details for developing perfect alignment and stroke to help make you a better, more competitive athlete. The coach demonstrates the proper way to use swimming equipment and how to position your body to condition your swimming performace. This series is particularly helpful in that not only is the coaching beneficial, but the drills, including dryland training, are shown in practice. It's the next best thi...
How To: Use isometric exercises to change swimming stroke
This swim technique video series from a professional swimming coach hones in on the fine details for developing perfect alignment and stroke to help make you a better, more competitive athlete. The coach demonstrates the proper way to use swimming equipment and how to position your body to condition your swimming performace. This series is particularly helpful in that not only is the coaching beneficial, but the drills, including dryland training, are shown in practice. It's the next best thi...
How To: Develop muscles for swimming through exercise
This swim technique video series from a professional swimming coach hones in on the fine details for developing perfect alignment and stroke to help make you a better, more competitive athlete. The coach demonstrates the proper way to use swimming equipment and how to position your body to condition your swimming performace. This series is particularly helpful in that not only is the coaching beneficial, but the drills, including dryland training, are shown in practice on his swim team. It's ...
How To: Use equipment to improve arm strokes in swimming
This swim technique video series from a professional swimming coach hones in on the fine details for developing perfect alignment and stroke to help make you a better, more competitive athlete. The coach demonstrates the proper way to use swimming equipment and how to position your body to condition your swimming performace. This series is particularly helpful in that not only is the coaching beneficial, but the drills, including dryland training, are shown in practice on his swim team. It's ...
How To: Do early vertical forearm exercises for swim technique
This swim technique video series from a professional swimming coach hones in on the fine details for developing perfect alignment and stroke to help make you a better, more competitive athlete. The coach demonstrates the proper way to use swimming equipment and how to position your body to condition your swimming performace. This series is particularly helpful in that not only is the coaching beneficial, but the drills, including dryland training, are shown in practice on his swim team. It's ...
How To: Understand early vertical forearm position in swimming
This swim technique video series from a professional swimming coach hones in on the fine details for developing perfect alignment and stroke to help make you a better, more competitive athlete. The coach demonstrates the proper way to use swimming equipment and how to position your body to condition your swimming performace. This series is particularly helpful in that not only is the coaching beneficial, but the drills, including dryland training, are shown in practice on his swim team. It's ...
How To: Use techpaddles while coaching swim teams
This swim technique video series from a professional swimming coach hones in on the fine details for developing perfect alignment and stroke to help make you a better, more competitive athlete. The coach demonstrates the proper way to use swimming equipment and how to position your body to condition your swimming performace. This series is particularly helpful in that not only is the coaching beneficial, but the drills, including dryland training, are shown in practice on his swim team. It's ...
How To: Do early vertical forearm position swimming exercises
This swim technique video series from a professional swimming coach hones in on the fine details for developing perfect alignment and stroke to help make you a better, more competitive athlete. The coach demonstrates the proper way to use swimming equipment and how to position your body to condition your swimming performace. This series is particularly helpful in that not only is the coaching beneficial, but the drills, including dryland training, are shown in practice on his swim team. It's ...
How To: Swim fast using techpaddles
This swim technique video series from a professional swimming coach hones in on the fine details for developing perfect alignment and stroke to help make you a better, more competitive athlete. The coach demonstrates the proper way to use swimming equipment and how to position your body to condition your swimming performace. This series is particularly helpful in that not only is the coaching beneficial, but the drills, including dryland training, are shown in practice on his swim team. It's ...
How To: Prevent swimmer's ear
Watch this video tutorial to learn how to prevent swimmer's ear. Don't let this painful infection of the ear canal keep you out of the water! A few simple precautions can combat the excessive moisture that causes bacteria to fester.
How To: Swim efficiently with Natalie Coughlin
Natalie Coughlin's strength and motivating voice guide you through 60 minutes of lap madness. iSWIM is broken into 3 20-minute sections: Warm up and drilling, an aerobic set, and sprints and cool down. Each workout includes freestyle, backstroke and kicking drills. Natalie's cues are golden in creating a more efficient stroke, kick and efficiency in the water. The champion guides you through each body part guarantees that your body is reshaping with every stroke. Get lean with Natalie! All le...
How To: Swim a proper freestyle
New techniques may improve a swimming pool workout from Masters coach Nancy Kirkpatrick Reno. Before sticking a toe in the water, consider this advice: * Swim in a pool that's at least 20 to 25 yards long; those pools can usually be found at high schools and some gyms. A 50-meter Olympic-size pool is best, but not everyone has access to that. "If you're going to become a lap swimmer," Kirkpatrick-Reno says, "you can't go any shorter or you'll be constantly turning." An outdoor pool is prefera...
How To: Swim the basic breaststroke
Breaststroke is a traditional stroke popular with people who like to swim for fitness. It is the slowest stroke, but that does not mean it cannot be swum powerfully and at speed. Follow along in this how-to animation to learn the basics of doing the breaststroke.
How To: Swim the backstroke for beginners
The back crawl is different to most strokes because you cannot see where you are going. It is a good idea to count how many strokes it takes you to swim a length so you will know when you are getting close to the end of the pool. Try and swim with all of your body close to the surface of the water, almost like you are lying on your back in bed with your head on a pillow. Follow along with this swimming how-to video and learn how to do the backstroke if you are a beginner.