[Short-List]: USA Swimming’s Competitive Swimming Levels Explained!
The world of competitive swimming has changed a lot over the last 20 years, and now – there are multiple new levels of competition here in the United States. Some of these new levels have been added as recently as the last 5 years! And I KNOW, I am not the only coach out there […]
Winning At A Swimmer’s Meal Plan
My mom sat across from me while I barely looked up from my food. I was 14, had just gotten back from practice, and had the post-killer workout ache in my belly that only a swimmer can truly know. It felt like there wasn’t enough food under the sun to return me back to normal. […]
4 Reasons Why Every Competitive Swimmer Should Know How to Swim Elementary Backstroke!
Teaching a child how to swim Elementary Backstroke has a few concepts and skills that help them pickup aspects of other strokes quicker. Elementary Backstroke also a useful point of reference for coaches. In today’s post, we can plan to discuss what Elementary Backstroke actually is – plus – 4 ways you can connect the […]
Why is my Breaststroke Slow?
A question I hear more often than not, “Why is my Breaststroke Slow?” Breaststroke often gets a bad wrap for being the SLOWEST Olympic Stroke, but the reality is time wise, yes, Breaststroke is the slowest Olympic Stroke but in regards to effort required and power produced – one could argue that Breaststroke is the […]
How Swimming Can Help With Foot Conditions:
10 Medical Feet Conditions Where Swimming Helps Swimming is often thought of as a low-impact activity that is great for people of all ages, sizes, and fitness levels. While it’s true that swimming is a fantastic workout option for those with certain health conditions or injuries, the health benefits of this type of exercise go […]
Best Swim Training Fins Categorized By Age
If you’ve read the title, you know exactly why you’re here. I’ve had this blog in mind for a while now, as I have never found a resource that does a great job describing what size training fin a swimmer should wear throughout their competitive swimming journey. There are so many different styles of fins […]
Hip Mobility Required for Short-Axis Swimming Strokes
Welcome back! It’s been a whirlwind of a summer over here at SLAF and I can’t believe we are almost in the month of July. For the USA summer season, that puts us almost to championship meets which is nuts because it goes to show how quickly the summer season comes and goes. In today’s […]
What Temperature Requires a Wetsuit for Open Water Swimming?
Anyone who is considering open water swimming – whether as part of triathlon training, an open water swim event, or simply giving swim training a different angle – has probably thought about using a wetsuit, and for very good reason. Wetsuits provide swimmers with some creature comforts and perhaps an advantage or two, and there […]
Why Are Squats Good for Swimming?
Welcome Back! In today’s post, we will cover why squats are good for swimming and, more specifically, your flip turns! If you love on-land training, this post is definitely for you! What is a squat? By definition, a squat is a popular exercise that targets the legs, lower back, and core muscles. There are many […]
Freestyle Stroke: 3 Common Mistakes NOT To Make
Even though the Freestyle Stroke is the most practiced stroke, it is still littered with Common Mistakes NOT to Make. For the last blog post in our series on Common Stroke Mistakes, we’re going through 3 of the top and most fixable Freestyle mistakes. We’re also looking at what happens to your Speed and Power […]
Swim Meet Results and Post-Championship Blues
Swim meet results are in. Championship season has come to a close. Maybe you accomplished all of your goals. Maybe you didn’t. Either way, it’s completely normal to feel a sort of “post-championship blues” after your last meet of the season. With the official ending of a season of life that represented hard work, teamwork, […]
Dolphin Kick Swimming for Beginners
Welcome Back! Undoubtedly if you’re new to the sport of swimming or have been swimming for a long time, you’re working on improving your Dolphin Kick swimming. The Dolphin Kick is mixture of timing, technique, mobility, and your anaerobic capacity. Most swimmers out there now rely heavily on their Dolphin Kick during their races. We […]