The swim snorkel has become part-and-parcel of every competitive swimmer’s gear bag. Here are a fe of reasons why you should use it in practice today to swim faster. If you’ve never used a swim snorkel before it will take some getting used to. Push-offs are a little more challenging as it flaps around across the [...]
It is no surprise that most triathletes and amateur swimmers get next to no propulsion from their kick. Elite freestyle swimmers who have world class kicks only get a small propulsion from kicking. (10-15%) So why work on your kick at all? The reason is there is more to kicking than propulsion. You still need an [...]
This week’s drill is a finish drill for freestyle. This drill is a simple, but effective way to get you to lengthen your freestyle stroke and make sure you are accelerating through your underwater pull into your recovery with each stroke. This drill is not very complicated, but very effective. Swim your regular freestyle with a [...]
In the stroke technique world, there is a lot of emphasis on high elbow catch but not necessarily, a high elbow recovery. Most swimmers believe it is a hard technique to master. I believe with good on deck coaching, and plenty of concentrated practice this skill can become easy, and a great help to your overall [...]
If you have not been working on your swimming this winter, time to get going. Winter swim training is for fixing those technique problems you do not have time to work on during your race season. It is a time to reshape your muscle memory. There is still room to sign up for my next clinic [...]
You're a triathlete, strong and lean. You've been swimming three to five times a week, racking up the yards. You're getting fitter and faster and you're psyched. Then one day you have a scheduling conflict and drop in on the evening Masters swim with the age group kids next to you only to find out you're [...]
When you live in New England all you have to do is wait a day for the weather to change. On Thursday we experienced the high heat and humidity that we have grown to love so much this summer. Then on Friday, the cold front arrived. Dropping temps over 40 degrees. On Sunday morning triathletes [...]
It is fitting that the hottest weekend of the year thus far, would fall on a very busy weekend of racing. After a long winter and spring of training the athletes on our team were ready to step up to the starting line.It has been a pleasure to watch them go through the different phases of training, through [...]
Muscle memory is defined as “the ability to reproduce a particular movement without conscious thought, acquired as a result of frequent repetition of that movement.” For example, a newborn baby has no muscle memory, a blank slate. The only way for a baby to learn to crawl, sit up, and walk is to do these things, [...]
One of the most common problems I encounter with swimmers is the deadly “crossover.” I call it deadly because it is one of the most destructive technique problems in swimming that effects speed. When swimming freestyle, as your hand enters the water at the apex of your stroke, it should be perfectly in line with your [...]
