Why bend your elbows in Freestyle?
On the freestyle recovery, you often hear from coaches (like me) to bend your elbows on recovery. Swimmers may wonder why bending elbows is recommended so often. While there are swimmers, like...
View Article3 Swimming Drills for the Offseason (or Anytime!)
1. Kick WITHOUT a kickboard, On your side. This improves balance in the water and with practice, will improve your kick. Also, stretch your ankles- ankle inflexibility is the #1 reason for a weak kick!...
View ArticleA Little Kick Goes a Looong Way in Triathlon Swimming
by David Wendkos Yet again, my topic comes from a conversation with a fellow athlete. Nancy has completed more than one Ironman distance event, as well as a variety of other triathlons. Her swim is...
View ArticleSwimming Advice: If at First, You Don’t Understand, Try, Try Again
by David Wendkos My last post focused on the differences between the ideal kick for a triathlon swim as opposed to others. It was introduced by pointing out the challenge of human communication and how...
View ArticleFreestyle and Backstroke Drills
It’s great to combine these two strokes, even if you are primarily training for a freestyle event.
View ArticleKara Lynn Joyce (American Record Holder) Shows Us Freestyle
There’s some awesome shots in this video that we can all learn from (except for the part where she’s using a dreaded kick board!)
View ArticleTriathlon Swim Technique: Long strokes or high turnover?
I just watched a video done by Swim Smooth on the variety of stroke rates among freestylers: Swim Smooth: What is an efficient freestyle stroke? I think he made some good points, that not everyone HAS...
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Recycling an old debate: Short fast strokes vs. Long gliding Part 1/2
New developments in freestyle swimming stroke technique come about every few years or so. With new technology we are starting to figure out the most minute details of someone’s stroke that could be...
View ArticleRecycling an old debate: Short fast strokes vs. Long gliding Part 2/2
continued from Part 1 So what do you do? Always use long, gliding strokes, and forget about having a fast turnover? Since the open water, and especially the ocean, presents many new challenges to your...
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Sheila Taormina & Faster Freestyle
I had the pleasure of meeting former gold medalist, and the only woman to compete in 4 Olympics (in 3 sports!), Sheila Taormina on Saturday. http://sheilat.com Me & 5'2 Sheila My friends Greg &...
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Can you do a triathlon if you don’t know how to swim?
The short answer is “no,” but there’s no time like the present to learn! If you are a true beginner, you need a couple of months to get up to par to complete a sprint or short-distance triathlon. Your...
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Interview with Olympic Gold Medalist Sheila Taormina – Podcast #30
In this episode, I discuss a dryland exercise you can incorporate into your swim, and my interview with Sheila Taormina. References: Sign up for the Tri Swim Coach newsletter at: www.triswimlessons.com...
View ArticleThe Key to Triathlon Swimming: Learning to Swim on Your Side
Most kids learn to swim flat in the water, with little to no hip rotation. But swimmers who participate in triathlons and open water swims must often change their stroke to involve more side-swimming...
View ArticleGolf vs Swimming
I’ve taken up golf recently, and I’ve really noticed the similarities between golf and swimming. Both sports require finesse, concentration, and practice to get right. Further, neither sport requires...
View ArticleFront Crawl Technique Demonstrated
This two-minute long video was made from edited clips of underwater footage of Grant Hackett doing the front crawl. The Australian is a great distance swimmer. Check out his pull technique: he bends...
View ArticleHow to Develop a Kick for Your Triathlon Swim
Many triathletes find it confusing when they try to decide how often they should kick in their swim. Unfortunately, there is no “one right answer” – one person might find something works, and another...
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The High Elbow Catch – Podcast #33
On this podcast, I discuss the clinic I did with Sheila Taormina, the high elbow catch, and a preview of the upcoming podcasts. References: Sign up for the Tri Swim Coach 5-day Mini Course at:...
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How Many Calories Does Swimming Burn?
When it comes down to the amount of calories burned during a triathlon, running requires the most, while cycling uses the least. Swimming, of course, falls into the middle, calorie expenditure-wise....
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Play Free Golf to Get Better and Faster in Your Freestyle
Many triathletes and open water swimmers don’t know how to improve their speed in the water. Most believe they just need to swim fast to go fast…to practice and work harder, and do more sprints. But...
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3 Swimming Drills You Should Master Before Your Next Triathlon
3 Swimming drills to master for your next triathlon: 1. Close your fists and swim freestyle. This helps improve your stroke technique, even if it does feel strange at first. You’ll feel awkward and...
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Secret Swim Tip – How to Pull in Freestyle
The underwater pull is a compromise between power and drag. In this week’s Secret Tip we find out why it is more important to reduce drag than it is to increase power during the underwater pull in...
View ArticleSwimming for Triathlon: The #1 Thing You Need For a Faster Freestyle
Here’s a short video I did a couple weeks ago on swimming for triathlon tips. Transcript: Hey guys it’s Kevin here at Triswimcoach.com and I wanted to talk today about a question I had come up on...
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The Sprint Triathlon Training Swim Workouts You Are Likely Missing
There are a variety of training plans and materials out there that attempt to guide you to train for a triathlon swim. However, a lot of them are vague and confusing, or just plain inadequate. “Swim...
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The Natural Talent Myth- And How This Is Great for your Swimming
I’m in the midst of reading a book called The Talent Code, by Daniel Coyle, which is about how greatness is not born, it’s grown. The author uses many examples from the world of sports to show where...
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