1. Sports

Swimming: Most Popular Articles

These articles are the most popular over the last month.
Opening a Swimming Pool
When warm weather is approaching, it's time to think about swimming outside. Need some tips on opening a pool for a summer of swimming fun? These steps should help you get your swimming pool open the right way for the pool season.
Change Pool Filter Sand
How often should the sand in a swimming pool filter be changed? We recommend changing the sand every five years. Filter sand has been ground to a size of .45 to .55 mm in diameter and is very rough when new. This roughness is what makes the sand efficient at filtering out the particles of dirt in your water. As this roughness is smoothed out your filter's efficiency goes down. This means that your system has to run more frequently to accomplish the same task.
Swimming's Benefits
Swimming is a healthy activity that can be continued for a lifetime - and the health benefits swimming offers for a lifetime are worth the effort it takes to get to the pool. It works practically all of the muscles in the body (if you do a variety of strokes). Swimming can develop a swimmer's general strength, cardiovascular fitness and endurance.
Beginner Swim Workout Plans
If you are a novice swimmer looking for a swim workout plan, this may be the perfect plan for you to get started with swimming workouts. It is an 8-week swim workout training plan to move you toward improved swimming fitness.
Swimming Pool Filters
There is a lot of confusion about various swimming pool filters, and many different opinions. Here are a few facts to consider. The first is that a pool water can be properly maintained with any of the filter systems available: Sand, Cartridge, or Diatomaceous Earth. Which one is right for your swimming pool?
Prime Your Pool Pump Motor
Prime is the term we use to state that the air has been mostly purged from the swimming pool water pump and that the filter pump is moving pool water. When you have lost the pump's prime, your pump is no longer pumping water through it. Sometimes it can be very difficult to regain the prime on the pump. These tips will help you get the prime back in your swimming pool water pump and filter system.
Swimming Pool Vacuum Cleaners
Ever wonder which automatic swim pool cleaner to buy for your swimming pool? Ever buy one, only to have to bring it back and say it wasn't working right? If you answered yes to any of these questions, hopefully by the end of this article you'll have a better understanding of which pool vacuum is right for your swimming pool. With all the vacuums on the market, how do you decide? Let's start off by explaining the different types of swimming pool cleaners and what the pros and cons are of each.
Swimmers To Do Swimming List
There are many things that you can do be a better swimmer. This to list of 10 ways be a better swimmer could help any swimmer improve in the water.
Swim Pool Pump Size
How can you pick the right size swimming pool pump? Here are some tips to consider.
Planning a Swim Pool's Size
Planning on building a swim pool? The shape and size of your swimming pool should be determined according to the type of usage the swimming pool will get - recreational, competitive, or both.
Freestyle Swimming Drills
A guide for swimmers on performing several freestyle technique improvement drills to help make a swimmer's freestyle swimming faster and improve swimming efficiency. Learn how to improve swimming technique to swim faster and more efficiently by watching a video of freestyle swimming technique drills.
Lose Weight by Swimming?
Is swimming a good exercise choice if your goal is to lose weight? No doubt, swimming is good exercise, and you can burn calories when you swim, but swimming may not be the best way to lose body weight.
Swim Pool Multiport Valve
Next to your swim pool pump and filter, the multiport valve is a swimming pool systems most important piece of equipment. The multiport valve is also known as a Vari-Flo valve, backwash valve, or filter control valve. It is important that it operates easily and properly. Some of the problems caused by a malfunctioning valve include water leaking out of the backwash line, dirt returning to the pool when vacuuming, and water that never clears up.
Weight Lifting for Swimmers
Sport specific work is the best way to get better at that sport. But what else can you do? Flexibility exercises, plyometric work, swimming while wearing weights, and resistance training are some of the options. One example of resistance training is weight work aimed at adding strength and speed to your stroke.
Leaky Swimming Pool
It is common for pool owners to worry about losing water from a swimming pool. There are typically one of three swim pool issues with water loss: leaks in the swim pool plumbing, leaks in the swimming pool shell, or excessive splash out or evaporation from the swimming pool. There are some ways you can narrow down the reasons behind your leaky swimming pool.
Swimming for Swim Newbies
You want to be a better swimmer or swim competitively, but aren't sure about the next step to swimming - or you have taken time off and want to get back into the swimming pool? How should you start swimming (or swimming again), and once you do, what next? Here are a few things to keep in mind as you splash through the swim pool.
Smooth A Vinyl Swim Pool Liner
While there are some chemical conditions that can cause a vinyl swimming pool liner to wrinkle, wrinkles most often occur in a previously unwrinkled swimming pool liners during the winter, when the swim pool is closed and the water level is lower. How can you get the wrinkles out of your vinly swimming pool liner?
Swimming to Lose Weight
Swimming may not be the best form of exercise for weight loss, but it can play a part in a losing weight.
Get Ducks Out of A Swim Pool
Is there a foolproof method to keep ducks out of a swimming pool? Not foolproof, but there is at least one way that we have found to keep water fowl out of a swimming pool.
Get Swimming! 100-500 Plan
Want to get a swim workout routine going, but think you are a weak swimmer and won't be able to do it? If you can swim four 25 meter or 25 yard lengths of a pool, then you can use this swim training plan to build up to a workout that totals 500 meters or 500 yards of swimming.
Home Treatment Swimmer's Ear
When swimmers come across the itchy, annoying and painful symptoms of swimmer's ear, it can result in a trip to the doctor's office for a round of prescription antibiotics and painkillers. But what some people don't know is that many of these doctor's visits don't have to be the first line of treatment. There are some things you can try at home. If symptoms do not get better within a few days - or if they get worse - get to the doctor!
Challenges to Breathing
The most common question I hear in the triathlete world about the mysteries of swimming efficiently usually involves something with breathing. In freestyle, it is the first step to get your body position right. Then, for many, you throw in breathing and everything goes haywire!
Swimming Pool Algae Problems
Algae reoccurrences happen in a swimming pool because the algae was not completely eradicated when treated. Sometimes poor or misdirected water circulation can prevent the pool chemicals from removing all of the algae.
Drain a Swim Pool
A reader asks: I'm attempting to drain my inground plaster swimming pool for the first time. This is my first swim pool and I don't know that much about swimming pools. Our swimming pool expert's advice on draining swimming pools: Don't do it - here is why...
Drain A Swim Pool - Yes or No?
While it is possible to affect most repairs to your swimming pool underwater, there are circumstances that necessitate draining. You should not attempt this unless it is absolutely necessary and you are thoroughly familiar with the steps necessary to do this safely. Draining your pool can cause serious damage to it's structure. Why is it dangerous to drain a pool? Let's explain this by the type of pool and the damage that can occur.
Workouts for Swimmers - Week 1
These swimming workouts cover 5-weeks of swim training aimed at improved fitness and speed in the swimming pool or in open water. You can subscribe to get them e-mailed to you.
Wetsuit Buying Advice
Wearing a triathlon wetsuits should give you a potential or an actual swimming speed boost. You do not have this free swim speed boost in a non-triathlon wetsuit or without a triathlon wetsuit. Want to be a faster swimmer in a triathlon? Get a triathlon-type, swim-specific wetsuit.
Repair Swimming Pool Lights
If, after turning on the pool light switch, the GFCI trips, the most likely cause is water inside your light fixture. If the GFCI doesn't trip and the light is off, you probably have a burned-out bulb. In either case, you must now proceed to pulling your light fixture out of the pool.
Swim and Pool Games
Ever play swimming pool games? Here are a few that you or your kids may like to try next time they are swimming.
Olympic Swimming Rules
Swimming at the international and Olympic is governed by FINA (Federation Internationale de Natation). FINA also governs water polo, diving, synchronized swimming, and masters swimming. What are the basic rules for Olympic Swimming Competition?
Leaves Out of Your Swim Pool
Many times we have heard the complaint that it takes too long to scoop out the leaves from the swimming pool. Upon investigation, we find that the swim pool owner is using a Leaf Skimmer to scoop out the leaves. No wonder it takes the pool owner so long! There are three simple things you can do to speed up the removal of leaves from your swimming pool.
Plaster Pool Stain Removal
Large stains covering a high percentage of the swimming pool plaster surface are usually from chemical reactions. These tips are for smaller, concentrated stains, a few inches or less in size. A small stain is usually caused by a metal object being left on the bottom long enough to rust and leave a stain.
Chlorine Swim Pools and Asthma
Numerous private, public, commercial, waterpark, hotel, and motel swimming pools have switched to Ozone technologies as people become more concerned about chlorine and chlorinated byproducts and their possible health-related safety dangers. Other than the issues of reduced carcinogens and other reduced health problems, what are the relative benefits of Ozone over chlorine?
Change Pool Pump Motor
Unfortunately there comes a time in your life as a swimming pool owner when you are faced with replacing your swim pool water pump motor. This may be due to the bearings wearing out so that the motor is making a tremendous racket, or the motor won't run because it is burned out. Changing the motor is not difficult and can be done by the average pool owner provided you are comfortable working with electrical wiring.
Swimmers Ear Pain
My ear aches after I swim - what could that be from? Is it swimmer's ear, a common problem among swimmers, a slowly developing pain in the ear. It might be! It can start with an itchy ear feeling after a swim that, in time, intensifies to pain, particularly when the ear is touched or the ear is pulled. What can you do about swimmer's ear?
Swimmers' Hair and Skin Care
Swimmers can get green hair and dry skin from long exposure to the water or chemicals while swimming. These shampoos, conditioners, and skin care products should help swimmers combat the damage done by the pool - they fight swimmer's hair and dry skin caused by swimming.
Race Start - Backstroke
What happens during the Olympic Swimming Competition? These images show you what happens during the most important swim meet in the world, the Olympics.
Newbie Triathlon Mistakes
They say the best way to learn is to make mistakes. As a newbie and Clydesdale, in my first year of competing in triathlons, I've made my share of mistakes. Here is my Top ten list of newbie triathlete mistakes. (Roman Mica/Everyman Triathlon)
Synchro Swimming History
2004 - Athens Olympic Games awarded medals in the team and duet synchronized swimming events.
Clean Swimming Pool Filters
How often should I clean the swimming pool filters? Great question! The answer can vary from filter to filter, but a general guideline on any swimming pool filter is to take a reading when the filter is clean, then clean it when the pressure rises about 10 psi.
Sample Daily Workout for an 8 Week Swimming Fitness Plan
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Swimming Pool Water Level
Ideally you should keep your swimming pool water level between one third and one half the way up the opening of the pool skimmer. Why? Among other reasons, this is the level at which the swimming pool skimmers operate most efficiently.
4 Swim Skills for Fast Swim
Many things limit how fast a swimmer can swim, from swim technique to fitness to hand and foot size to a swimmer's natural bone and joint structure. Some swimmers seem to swim fast effortlessly, some look like they will never be able to swim fast. Some swimmers will have limits on technique because they don't bend certain ways. That does not mean that those swimmers can't swim fast, but they may never be as fast as swimmers that have a differing joint structure.
Learn to Swim Freestyle
A basic guide to help you teach yourself how to swim freestyle.
Swimming with Fins
Swimming with fins is a way for swimmers to improve kick strength, ankle flexibility, body position, and go faster during a swim practice. Fins (or flippers) come in hundreds of shapes, colors, fastenings, and sizes; different fins will do different things for (and to) you.
Swimming Away From Injury
In many cases, swimming can be a very helpful exercise for back pain sufferers. Athletes commonly become injured, and swimming is a great way to keep active since it usually does not put excess strain on a swimmer's back. However, that’s not to say that swimming can’t cause back pain or injuries as well.
Swim Head Position
Swimmers, the way you position your head while you swim can have a huge effect on technique and how fast you swim. Head position can make your swimming technique fast or it can make your swimming slow. Swimming with your head up or down - which is fast, and why? Or are both good, but in different situations? Head position, body position, and balance are all related to fast swimming.
Swim Without Fear
My understanding of a swimming teacher is they need to have a proficient knowledge of scientific principles, physiology and psychology; coupled with the ability to apply them to the individual is vital. Thoroughly understanding these elements allows the teacher to work within the capabilities of the non-swimmer or swimmer both physically and mentally, adapt the strokes, and achieve a comfort level within every session.
Winterize a Swimming Pool
The main purpose in winterizing your above ground swimming pool is to protect it from damage due to freezing water. You also want to keep your swim pool as clean as possible for the next season. Closing your swim pool properly can save you a lot of work when it comes time to open your above ground swimming pool for the summer.
How To Clean Your Pool Filter
The proper way to clean your cartridge pool filter consists of three steps. Rinsing the loose dirt, soaking in a cartridge cleaner, and rinsing again. This cleaning method is also excellent for diatemacous earth (DE) filters at the end of the season.
Pool Stabilizer Levels
I had my swimming pool water tested and my stabilizer was 135. I was told I needed to drain my pool then refill with fresh water to lower my pool's stabilizer level. Is this correct? Why is it bad if my swim pool stabilizer is too high?
iPod nano Waterproof Case
h2oaudio has updates to their waterproof iPod cases, including models to fit the nano and shuffle. I tested the nano iN3 model and it worked very well, no water touched the iPod, I enjoyed some of my own tunes while swimming laps, and some other swimmers borrowed it and liked it, too. I think the shuffle-model waterproof case will be even better for fast lap swimming, but the nano-model was good for casual laps and playing around in the pool.
2012 Oly Swim Trials QTs
The 2012 Olympic Swimming Trials will be at Qwest Center, June 25 - July 2, 2012. How fast do you have to swim to qualify for the 2012 USA Swimming Olympic Trials? You have to achieve a qualifying time between October 1, 2009 and the Olympic trials entry deadline in 2012.
Olympic Swimming History
Illustrated History of Olympic Swimming
swimpoolcoverfallincleanup
Getting your swimming pool open in the Spring is much easier if your swim pool cover stays on during the Winter. Having your pool cover fall into the swimming pool during the winter can leave you with a very messy pool to clean up. Cleaning your swim pool can be a very time consuming task if the cover has fallen in. Here are some tips that can help make the job of getting your swimming pool cover out of the swim pool and getting your pool ready for swimming easier.
Top Picks - Triathlon Wetsuits
A look at some of the best triathlon-specific wetsuits for triathletes, novice to professional, sprint to ironman
Legs Sink When Swimming Free
Ever feel like your legs are sinking when you swim freestyle? Do you have to kick a lot to keep your legs from dragging on the bottom of the pool when you are swimming freestyle? Sinking legs when swimming freestyle is usually due to one of two things (or both).
Weight Lifting Routines for Swimmers - Phase A
Weight Lifting Routines for Swimmers, Phase A, from your About.com Guide
Yellow-Brown Pool Stain
Do you have a yellow-brown stain on your swimming pool walls? Chances are it is iron. Many municipal and even some well water sources have iron as a contaminant. How can you be sure, and how can you get rid of it?
2008 US Olympic Swim Team
Following the conclusion of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Swimming in Omaha, Neb., USA Swimming today named the complete roster for the 2008 U.S. Olympic swim team. In addition to the 43 athletes named to the team, the swim team's coaching staff was finalized.
Swimwear Shopping Guide
Competitive or fitness swimmers often need advice on selecting, sizing, and fitting swimwear. While appearance may not be as compelling an issue in competitive swimwear as it is in fashion swimwear, its fit and functionality are still just as important, if not more important. Odds are you have had some unanswered questions and concerns when choosing swimwear. Here are some tips on shopping for and fitting competitive or fitness style swimwear.
Improve 100 Free Swim Speed
How did Alexandre Popov manage to become the world's fastest and most efficient human swimmer? The basic thrust of his program was that stroke efficiency - not training speed, hard work or power - was the #1 goal.
Olympic Swimming Controversy
From swimsuits to drug use, Olympic swimming has had controversies. Michelle Smith, Dawn Fraser, and entire countries have been involved in scandals that have, in small or large fashion, tarnished swimming.
Sample Template for an 8 Week Swimming Fitness Plan
[Enter Descripton Here], from your About.com Guide
Breath better to swim better
What is the most effective breathing exercise technique for swimmers? Coach Shev Gul takes a look at diaphragmatic breathing exercises for swimmers and how to achieve it while swimming. Using these breathing exercises in swim practice could help a swimmer perform better in training and racing and help improve recovery from training and swim meet competitions.
Eating and Diets for Swimmers
Specific guidelines on what to eat before, during, and after exercise for swimmers and other athletes.
Olympic Medal Stand
What happens during the Olympic Swimming Competition? These images show you what happens during the most important swim meet in the world, the Olympics.
Olympic Swimming Central
The Olympic swimming in the Olympic games is one of the most followed part of the Summer Olympics. Swimmers will compete for the gold, silver, and bronze medals in a variety of Olympic swimming events, from 50-meter freestyle races to the 10-kilometer open water race.
2012 Olympic Time Standards
How fast does a swimmer need to be to make it to the Olympic games? It is a little different for each nation, but the FINA standards must be met. USA Swimming sets time standards for the USA Swimming Team Olympic Games Trials Swim meet. Swimmers must achieve a trials qualifying time before they can swim in that meet.
Freestyle Swim Flip Turn
Heading into the wall, somersaulting, and pushing off that wall - flip turns. Wow! Looks neat. But is it necessary? Flip turns (or flipturns if you prefer) may not be necessary for swimmers, but flip turns can make your swimming a little faster and more fun.
Simple Strength Training
Weight training and dryland exercises can be used for many things, including injury prevention, rehabilitation, gain strength, build general or specific fitness, or to cross-train to improve abilities in other sports. Many training programs seem too complicated to follow. You may get discouraged, almost before you start. If this has happened to you, then perhaps you'll give this weight training program a try.
Fear of the Water
A fear of water. A non resourceful state, negative feeling, an unwanted reaction, a pattern of behaviour experienced by an individual, which prevents the swimmer from learning a water skill or freely entering a mass-volume water environment such as a swimming pool, sea, lake, ocean, or river.
Beginners Open Water Swimming
Swimming in open water is your goal, where to start? I will assume that you already know how to swim. If not, take some lessons, join a YMCA or a masters swimming team and learn the crawl or freestyle. There are a few things that you can do in the pool to prepare for swimming in open water; bilateral breathing, head lifting and stroke rate training.
Preschooler Swimming Lessons
After my first week of teaching swimming lessons to preschool swimmers, I visited a friend who had preschoolers. I watched them play, and I was amazed by how children were so different in terms of they way they played, the way they interacted, and other things they would do. From that day forward, I experimented with a new approach to teaching preschool swimming lessons.
Race Start - Freestyle, Breaststroke, or Butterfly
What happens during the Olympic Swimming Competition? These images show you what happens during the most important swim meet in the world, the Olympics.
How Often Do You Need to Swim
How many times each week does a swimmer need to swim? The first thing a swimmer needs to do to answer that question is to ask another one, why are you swimming? What is the main reason or primary goal of your time in the water? Do you swim to relax, or are you swimming for fitness? Maybe you are doing it for more than just fitness, you are swimming to do swimming races, or to do a triathlon? Here are some of my suggestions on how often you should swim.
Swimmers Shoulder Injury
Swim coaches frequently encounter swimmers complaining of pain in one or both of their shoulders. This pain is often associated with swimming freestyle, and seems to occur most often in the swimmer’s anterior shoulder region, but could also occur in other shoulder regions. When reported by swimmers, this pain often termed swimmer's shoulder, and can limit or stop training and hinder performance.
Cool Hot Swimming Pools
How can you cool down your hot swimming pools during extreme heat conditions? Not enjoying your swiming pool when it is as warm as a bathtub? How can you get your swimming pool water back to a cool and refreshing temperature? While dumping large blocks of ice into the pool may seem like a great idea, the cost is prohibitive and the effect is only temporary. There are other ways.
Synchro Rules & Judging
Synchronized Swimming is governed internationally by FINA (Federation Internationale de Natation). They also govern water polo, diving, swimming, and masters swimming. The detailed synchronized swimming rules for all aspects of the competition are available through the FINA web site
Swimming and Shoulder Injuries
Most sports come with injuries to accompany them. Although swimming is, by most standards, not a sport associated with high risk of injury, it does have it’s own problems. For swimmers, by far the biggest source of sidelining swimming injuries is the shoulder.
How To Be An Olympic Swimmer
So you have Olympic Swimming dreams? GREAT! Not many make it, but if you never try, you never will! The first step is to get swimming. You could join a local swim team with your park and recreation department, school, YMCA, or a USA Swimming club.
Swim Meet Action
What happens during the Olympic Swimming Competition? These images show you what happens during the most important swim meet in the world, the Olympics.
Get Swimming! 500-1,500 Plan
Want to get swimming workout s going, but think you are a weak swimmer and won't be able to do it? If
Open Water Swimming Workout Tip
There is more to swimming than just doing lap after lap, turning when you reach the wall at the end of the swimming pool. You can swim in places with no walls - open water swimming. Depending on the reasons you do open water swimming, you may find it more psychologically rewarding; open water swimming can certainly be just as productive for building your fitness and health.
Swim Fast
Swimmers want to swim fast or swim more efficiently. To swim fast means swimming a distance in less time. Swimming more efficiently means swimming in the same amount of time, but at a lower energy cost.
What to Eat Before a Swim Meet
What should your children eat before their next swim meet? What is good swimming nutrition? Here are a few ideas for swimmers and their parents.
Swimming and Stretching
How many times have you seen swimmers stretching before they get in the pool? I can't count that high! Should all this stretching be taking place? We have been told that flexibility is important for increased performance ability and to decrease the occurrence of injury. Is it? It may be more important to stretch at the right time - or it might be a waste of time.
Olympic Swim Contenders- Women
There are many women swimming for the top medals at the 2008 Olympic Games. These swimmers are among those that will probably swim to the gold medal.
Counting Swimming Laps
When you swim, do you count your laps? How far have you swum? How do you do count swimming laps or lengths? These are some ways you can use to count your swimming laps or yardage.
Tips for Open Water Swimming
As technical as the sport of triathlon and open water swimming can be, it is tough to narrow down the
Swim Goggle Fit
The most important goggle factor is fit, also known as not leaking. You will need to try out several different types. While at the pool, borrow different styles from other swimmers; tell them why before you ask and you should have no problem, since most of us swimmers are a friendly group.
Afraid to Swim? It's OK!
It has always been thought that if you're uncomfortable or afraid in water, you just need to learn to swim. But if you're afraid in water, why would you get into it? Why would you want to put your face in? Why would you volunteer to take your feet off the bottom and try to swim? For over a hundred years, the common practice used for swim students who were afraid of the water was to start from the premise that if you practice something uncomfortable long enough, it will become comfortable.
Men - Freestyle - 100 Meters
Olympic Swimming Medals - Men - Freestyle - 100 Meter - Men's 100 Meter Freestyle Olympic Swimming Medalists
Swimmers Streching Help
Most swimmer's workout and swimming fitness routines, including ones that I like to use, include regular stretching to increase or maintain a swimmer's flexibility. Why should a swimmer stretch? What does flexibility do for a swimmer when they swim?
Kickboards, Pull-buoys, Paddle
Rounding out swim training by using paddles, pull-buoys and kickboards is a part of many swimmer's daily workout routine. While some athletes own their equipment, many other swimmers use whatever is at the pool.
Freestyle Swimming Evolves
The freestyle swimming pull-pattern has changed over time, but more in how it is described, not on what
Make Swimming Goggles Anti-Fog
Swimming goggles are an important part of your swimming gear. They protect your eyes from damage and help you see where you are going. But what if your swimming goggles fog up? You cannot see? How do you stop swimming goggle fogging? You could buy anti-fog swimming goggles that have a coating or are pre-treated with anti-fog, but those can be expensive. What can you do to make your swimming goggles into anti-fog swimming goggles?
Swimmer's Catch Exercises
How important is an Early Vertical Forearm in swimming? It is undoubtedly the most important propulsive element in swimming and unfortunately for most swimmers, it also the most elusive. The bad news is that all the streamlining and effective conditioning won't make-up for a dropped-elbow, the antecedent of an EVF. The good news is that coaches have new EVF equipment and know more about how to train swimmers so they can acquire and improve this critical skill.
Shaping Up for a Tri Swim
Ask yourself how important it is to win the swimming portion of a triathlon compared to how you will perform overall. The longer the race, the less likely it is that the winner of the swim is the winner of the triathlon. But if it takes all you've got just to get through the swimming portion, you are going to face a big challenge completing the bike and run. This is a triathlon swimming training plan I recommend for Olympic distance or longer triathletes.
Olympic Swim Great Moments
Some of the great moments in Olympic Swimming history by the greatest Olympic swimmers.
Clean Swimming Pool Ladders
You may have noticed your swimming pool handrails or ladders corroding or rusting. All steels can rust or stain depending on what chemicals they come in contact with. The stainless steel grades used in swim pool rails and ladders are fairly impervious to swimming pool water that is in balance. However, unbalanced water chemistry and some other causes (poor electrical grounding, pouring chemicals near the rails, etc.) can stain or rust them.
Swim Standards Primer
For those of you familiar with time standards, like USA Swimming Top-16 Based Time Standards (B, BB, A, AA, etc.), this is nothing new. For those of you not familiar with them...
poolHead Swimmer's Hair Care
poolHead hair care products for swimmers includes anti-chlorine shampoos, a hair conditioner, and a pre-swim treatment called the invisible swim cap. Used alone or together, poolHead hair care products for swimmers did a great job keeping swimmers' hair soft, manageable, and even started to reverse some swimming-related dry hair - chlorine hair - green hair damage.
Sabotage a Swim Career
After thirty-three full years of observation, it has occurred to me that some parents must internally delight in the idea of sabotaging their child's swim career. They must for some perverse reason WANT to do this, since they work so incredibly hard at it and are so remarkably successful. Hereafter, my top ten list of means and methods - and more seriously, some clear examples on positive alternatives. (John Leonard, ASCA)
Swimming in a Triathlon
The first leg of a triathlon is the wettest, even on a rainy day. But it should also be the most enjoyable and relaxed part of the triathlon. Good triathlon swimming can lead to a great race, regardless of your swimming ability. Some triathlons are short, some are long, but all require swimming. It is critical to perform the triathlon swimming leg correctly to set up a successful bike and run leg.
Swimmers Streamlines
There is really no easy way to become a faster swimmer, but you can use streamlining techniques to help increase speed without a lot of extra energy.
Swimming and Breath Control
Do you control your breathing rate during sets in a swim practice? Do you follow a breathing pattern, taking one breath every certain number of swim strokes? Do a swim a certain distance and change the breathing pattern each length, such as breathing every 3-5-7-9 by 25's? Does holding your breath while swimming make you a better swimmer?
Fear of Open Water Swimming
What happens when you start a triathlon or open water swimming race, with an unprecedented sea swell, chop, cooler than expected water, and about 800 other swimmers trying to clamber on top of you to get to the swim finish before you? How do you deal with those open water swimming distractions?
Lap Swimming Etiquette
When you go to the swimming pool, follow these lap swim etiquette rules to help make your workout and swimming mesh with other lap swimmers.
Open Water - Tri Swim Workouts
Important swim workouts for an Olympic-distance triathlete or an open water swimming athleted involve race simulation, swimming skill proficiency, sustainable swimming speed, and time to recover after a swim. These sample swim workouts for open water swimming could be done as part of a swimming workout that also includes a warm-up and cool-down.
Olympic Water Polo Rules
What are the rules of water polo, and who enforces them? Water polo is played as a 6 on 6 game plus goalkeepers, so each team has 7 in the water at a time. How long is a game? Each water polo game is made up of four, 7-minute, quarters. Total squad size is 13 players. If there are less than 6 swimmers in the water, a team does not have to have a goalie.
Dunking Infant or Baby Swimmer
Should baby swimmers or infant swimmers be dunked as part of a swim lesson? This is a common question
Swimming Trivia Questions
What were the first goggles made of? The Japanese won all the men's titles except which one in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics? How far does a tuna swim in its lifetime? When was the first recorded swimming competition in the United States? You can use this swimming information to make your own swimming trivia questions. Have fun making trivia questions about swimming and swimmers.
Butterfly Swimming Basics
What is your mental picture of a butterfly swimmer? This is the result of a quick mental exercise, trying to describe different elements of butterfly swimming technique.
What is Olympic Swimming?
What is Olympic swimming? It is one of the more popular Summer Olympic sports. Olympic Swimming is also one of the oldest Olympic events. Olympic swimmers must use one of four different swimming styles or techniques (or all four strokes in some races) to swim a certain distance, with the fastest swimmer earning an Olympic Swimming gold medal.
Olympic Swim Event List by Day
The 2012 Olympic Swimming event list by day has been released. These are the Olympic Swimming events that will occur on a given day within a given session. The final schedule will be released in January 2012.
Aerobic Swim Speeds
In the swimming pool, how do swimmers know how fast to swim to get the desired training result? This depends on what result you want emphasized - anaerobic or aerobic metabolism. All swimming has some element of each, with aerobic work's contribution increasing as the distance being swum increases. How can you determine appropriate swimming speeds or paces for aerobic development?
Scared Kids and Swim Lessons
You must first understand there is not one universal correct answer for today's topic. I am going to
Swimming Pool Chlorine Levels
Chlorine in pools leads to breathing trouble in trained swimmers, regardless of past history of such problems, and the likelihood increases with the amount of chlorine used in the water A study presented at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) showed an incidence rate of over 60 percent for Exercise Induced Bronchoconstriction (EIB) after several minutes of swimming in water chlorinated at a concentration commonly found in home and public pools.
Freestyle Kick Rhythm
The freestyle kick - 2-beat, 4-beat, 6-beat, 2-beat crossover, What do I use when swiming freestyle? This swimming question, often asked by swimmers, is one best answered by that swimmer. How? By a little swim or kick test in the swimming pool. The answer to how much you kick when swimming freestyle today might not be what you do 6 months from now if your swim technique and conditioning improve.
Learn to Swim Breaststroke
Breaststroke can be a relaxing, restful stroke, or it can be fast and furious, burning a lot of calories. You can learn to swim breaststroke by teaching yourself how to swim breaststroke.
Swim Freestyle on Your Side
When we learned to swim freestyle as children, most of us swim flat in the water, with little or no hip rotation as our arms are doing the majority of the work. Many triathletes and open water swimmers have found it necessary to change their stroke and swim more on their sides in order to conserve energy, swim faster, and get through potential rough water conditions with greater ease.
TRISWIM Shampoo for Swimmers
TRISWIM products for swimmers overcome many of the harmful effects of swimming pool water or swimming in lakes or oceans. Swimmers can use the shampoo and conditioner to fight green hair, swimming pool chlorine residue, and dry or damaged hair. TRISWIM body wash and TRISWIM body lotion moisturizes and removes that chlorine smell. The TRISWIM product group gets 5-stars from me - and from my wife.
Swim Stroke Rate or Length?
Most swimmers will, at one time or another, count how many strokes they take per length and aim to reduce the number of strokes by focusing on such elements as catch, pull through, and body rotation. This is an excellent way to improve your economy and efficiency through the water.
Distance per Stroke Swimming
How many swimming strokes a swimmer takes for a given distance, and how fast you take them, makes a difference in your swim training and swimming races.
Aquathlons or Aquathons
Did you know there are aquathletes - swimming and running athletes? If your body allows you to run and swim, this is a great way to cross train, adding some extra variety, training gains, and scenery to your workouts. Can't run, swimmer? You can still add some walking to your training mix. Swimming has some good things for runners, too.
Breaststroke Swimming Basics
What is your mental picture of a breaststroke swimmer? This is one result from a mental exercise to quickly describe different elements of breaststroke swimming.
Swimmer's Shoulder Injury Help
No swimmer works hard, swimming lap after lap, just to get injure their shoulder, but swimming too much may be the cause of swimmer's shoulder. How can a swimmer prevent swimmer's shoulder from occurring?
Olympic Synchro Contenders
There are two events in the 2008 Olympic Games Synchronized Swimming Competition, Team and Duet.
Swim Lessons for Back Float
When it comes to teaching swimming to true beginners who are at least 3 year of age, the back float can be taught in 60 seconds or less. Am I kidding? No, I am not. But let me explain an approach that will not only allow you to teach preschoolers to float on their back in 60 seconds or less in one swim lesson, it will also help you teach preschoolers to swim sooner too.
Swim Training for Half-Ironman
The swim leg of a triathlon (sprint, Olympic, half-Ironman/Ironman 70.3, or Ironman distances) could be the easy part - or the hard part - of the triathlon. It depends upon your swimming ability; a combination of swimming skill and swimming fitness. A shorter triathlon might require more swimming speed, a longer triathlon more swimming endurance, but no matter what the distance, swimming skill or technique, swimming endurance, and swimming speed all play a part in a successful triathlon.
Top Picks - Swimming Hand Paddles
Top Swimming Hand Paddles for Swimmers: swimming hand paddles stroke technique crawl stroke freestyler finis
Workouts - Swim Up-Down Twice
This swimming workout progresses from 50s to 100s to 150s, then back down, then does it again. Swimmers, can you swim with the same effort level through the whole swimming workout?
Open Swim Turns
If you are swimming in a pool and reach the wall, what do you do? The most obvious thing to do is stop, call it a workout, climb out and head for the showers (I'd call that a finish). But if you swim more than one lap, turning is inevitable. Open swim turns involve touching the wall with your hand(s), then reversing direction - you probably get a breath of air during the turn.
Fix Freestyle Kick Problems
Do you have the dreaded runner's kick? Have no fear, there are things you can do to beceome a better kicker and a better swimmer. Even the worst of kickers can develop an adequate kick for freestyle, which is all you need for a triathlon swim.
How to Swim Butterfly
You can teach yourself how to swim butterfly if you take it step by step.
Learn to Swim Backstroke
Steps you can follow to teach yourself how to swim backstroke, from body position to full backstroke swimming.
Olympic Swimming 2008 Medals
Michael Phelps' Olympic Medal Count - Michael Phelps - The Olympic Medal Numbers
8 Weeks to Increased Fitness in the Pool - Blank Plan - About Swimming
8 Weeks to Better Swimming - An 8 week plan to get you in better swimming shape - Blank Workout Template - About Swimming
Freestyle Swimming Basics
What is your mental picture of a freestyle swimmer? This is one result from an exercise to quickly describe different elements of freestlye swimming.
iPhone Swim Meet App
Big Fish Software has an iPhone swim meet app - and an Android swim meet app - that allow you to navigate meet results from Hy-Tek managed swim meets that post their results on-line. I don't have either type of device, so my 1st hand knowledge of the apps is nil. A very active swimming buddy pointed the app out to me and says it is a good one.
Yoga and Swimming - A training secret you should use
Yoga and Swimming - Guest Author and swimmer Haley Cope
School Swim Training Plans
Coaching a high school swim team can be a challenging task. One way to make it easier is to use a season training plan. A season training plan provides ways to maintain a swimming program direction of continued development, forecast and prevent potential difficulties from occurring, forecast weaknesses, and establish a way to overcome those weaknesses. Let's take a look at some ways to put together a season training plan for a high school swim team.
Swimmer's Dryland Exercises for Developing a Swimmer's EVF Catch Technique
Swimmer's Dryland Exercises for Developing a Swimmer's EVF Catch Technique
Refresh Your Swim Pool
Is the finish of your concrete pool looking stained and blotchy? Did your pool have a white finish that now looks like a stormy sky? There is an easy and inexpensive way to make it look new. Coat it with a cement waterproofer.
Speedo's Fastskin LZR Racer
Speedo's new swimsuit, the Fastskin LZR Racer (Laser Racer - get it?) is out, as seen on the NBC Today Show. The suit looks fast, and with swimmers like Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, and Kate Ziegler in them, I bet they will be the fastest swimsuit on the planet come Beijing during the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Flip Turns for Everyone!
Swim to the wall. Turn around. Swim to the other wall. Turn around again. There are lots of ways to do that turn, but competitive swimmers all use flip turns - they are faster and, once learned, easier than open turns. I think they also give swimmers a little more confidence in themselves, and in their ability to hold their breath.
Workout- Sprint Swim Challenge
Start with longer fast swims and stay fast as they get shorter. Swimmers, can you meet the Sprint Swimming Challenge?

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