Swimming & Diving

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.

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 for...

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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...

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. Secondly, pull with your elbow bent rather than a straight arm. After you've extended your arm, bend the elbow to begin the catch. Third, use elliptical or rounded movements, that is pull through in the shape of an "S". Fourth,...

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.

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.

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.

By Louis Tharp

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.

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 thing...

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 thing...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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.

Front crawl is the fastest stroke and gives you the feeling of being powerful in the water. It is often hard to get the hang of at first because fitting in the breathing can be difficult. Follow along in this swimming how-to video to learn the basics of the front crawl.

Most top swimmers use the grab start to get their race under way. This gets you moving off the blocks quickly and into the water smoothly. The starter will not begin the race until everybody is ready and still. This is really important because you can be disqualified if you fall in before the start or if you are slow getting ready. Follow along in this how-to animation to learn the best method to power off the blocks in swimming.

This quick how-to animation demonstrates how to do a tumble turn in swimming. Follow along and see how easy it is to do tumble turns. The main purpose of the tumble turn is to finish one length and begin the next as fast as possible. In freestyle races, you do not have to touch the wall with your hands. Any part of your body is fine, and using the feet gets a much faster turn.

This how-to animations shows you the basic turns for breast and butterfly strokes in swimming. Watch and see how easy it is to improve your swimming techniques with these steps. The same type of turn is used for both butterfly and breaststroke. The laws say that you must touch the wall with two hands, so a touch and pivot turn is used. The main thing to remember is that you don't need to hang on to the wall. The quicker you touch it and pull your hands away the better.

James Gibson, the former 50m world champion demonstrates a competitive level breaststroke. The breaststroke is a mixture of fast leg kicks and smooth arm and hand movements. It's key to have proper technique in the up and down movement as well as moving forward. Follow along with this swimming how-to video to learn how to do and advanced breaststroke with James Gibson.

The single arm drill can improve the backstroke and butterfly stroke. Get expert tips and advice in this swimming video tutorial.

The sidestroke may be used recreationally and in rescue situations. Therefore, proper sidestroke form is especially important. Get expert tips and advice in this swimming video tutorial.

Floating is a swimming skill needed in a survival situation. Floating can be done on the back or front. Get expert tips and advice in this swimming video tutorial.

Holding breath underwater is an important part of learning to swim. Knowing how to hold breath underwater can prevent choking and drowning. Get expert tips and advice in this swimming video tutorial.

Hypothermia can be a real danger when swimming in very cold water. There are both emergency and non-emergency steps the swimmer can take to prevent hypothermia. Get expert tips and advice in this swimming video tutorial.

The streamline kick can reduce drag while swimming. The streamline kick is a good drill for style swimming. Get expert tips and advice in this swimming video tutorial.

Swimming in the ocean requires a few unique considerations. Ocean swimming is more unpredictable than swimming in a pool or lake. Get expert tips and advice in this swimming video tutorial.

Kick drills are important in swimming because they improve technique and build strength. There are unique kick drills for each of the swimming strokes. Get expert tips and advice in this swimming video tutorial.