Speed. It’s the key ingredient in most sports, but where does it come from? In auto racing, the answer is easy…the bigger the engine, the sleeker the body, the better the traction, the faster you’ll go. But where does speed come from in swimming?

The answer is…from being sleek and powerful off the walls and off the blocks. In a swimming race, you are at maximum speed when you hit the water after your start. The next fastest you’ll be is when you push off the wall after each turn.

The key to fast swimming is something your coach tells you every day: Streamline. Maintain your pushoff speed for as long as possible by streamlining your body. Races are not always won by the person who swims the fastest, but by the person who slows down the least. Think about every wall as an opportunity for speed.

This video will give you a 5-step learning sequence for breaststroke turns, and for pullouts. Even if you already know how to do these things, we recommend that you go through each learning sequence, from the beginning. This will help you learn the specific focus points for turns, and for pullouts. You can then use each focus points without interrupting your regular training.

These focus points should be in addition to what your coach asks you to do, not in place of.

All great swimmers will tell you: Don’t just do what’s asked of you. Always do just a little bit more.

Now let’s watch how United States World Championship Team Member Dave Denniston applies these techniques to his turns,and pullouts.


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Introduction - Dave Underwaters