Commentary

The 3 Types of Swimmer: What Mold Do You Fit? By Annie Grevers (From the Archive) This may be a narrow view, but in the most simplistic language, there are three types of swimmer: The in-season sensation; the taper talent; and the forever fast phenom. Let's dive into a brief case study of each. 1. T...

Why Being an IMer is the Perfect Situation (From the Archive) By Cathleen Pruden Full disclosure: I am a 400 IMer and I absolutely love it. It took me a while to come to terms with my fate as an IMer. I struggled with the fact that I didn't have a "prime" stroke. It wasn't until being well rounded s...

Be Proud of Your Build By Maggie Lasto, Swimming World College Intern. If you’re a female swimmer, chances are you aren’t as lean as Kendall Jenner or as short as Ariana Grande. In fact, you probably don’t look like most girls who come across your Instagram feed or your TV screen. It’s hard for you ...

By Dr. G. John Mullen No two people are alike, nor are two swimmers. Look at the NCAA championships or the various conference championships and you'll see similar body types at the pool, but no two are identical. Look around your high school conference meet and you'll see a greater variance in body ...

Honoring the Greatest World Records In History; Michael Phelps Leads the Celebration The fastest of all-time. It’s a special title to hold, and only a tiny percentage of athletes can make the claim. To own the label of world-record holder elevates an individual to a status that cannot be argued. Whe...

Rooming with a College Swimmer 101 By Kristy Kinzer Many college athletes elect to room with another athlete, particularly a teammate, for the big transition to college life and sports. But those who room with non-athletic regular people (NARPs for short) must inform their new co room-dweller of the...

Our Away-From-The Pool Heroes: The Debt That All Swimmers Owe By Jamie Kolar, Swimming World College Intern. Swimmers live busy lives. We never stop moving from the moment we wake up until the moment our head hits the pillow at night. We wake up, run to practice, run to class and then run to practic...

5 Helpful Tips to Expertly Balance School and Swimming By Caitlin Daday One often over-looked difficulty of any sport at the college level is the need for student-athletes to be just that--STUDENT-athletes. From the outside, most of our non-athlete peers only see the glamours but tend to forget that...

7 Things to Consider Before Quitting Swimming By Niki Urquidi Many swimmers consider quitting at one time or another due to the intense demands of the sport. Waking up at 5 a.m. to be pushed to the limits day in and day out takes a toll on anyone's psyche. Yet most swimmers only make empty threats r...

Olympic Swimming Will Look Much Different With 50-Meter Events in 2028 The unexpected news will reverberate throughout the sport, with many swimmers surely adjusting their long-range training plans and even career plans. The 50-meter events of butterfly, backstroke and breaststroke are no longer sec...

6 Ways To Improve Your Flip Turn By Annie Grevers How many times have you been told to be quicker on your walls? Not to hesitate before flipping? Get your feet around faster? Probably quite a few times. Turns are not merely a fun accessory in swimming. They're a crucial part of our sport. How many t...

6 Ways to Swim Tall: Advice for the Vertically Challenged By Delaney Lanker My whole swimming career people have been telling me to swim tall. Standing at 5'0", I wouldn’t really consider myself “tall.” I don’t fit the typical swimmer mold, but I’m okay with that. While my height might be a disadvan...

Underwater Dolphin Kicking: 5 Scientific Technique Tips By Katie Wingert, Swimming World College Intern (From the Archive) Swimmers and coaches alike love to talk about the importance of the fifth stroke: underwater dolphin kicking. But it can be overwhelming at times to understand just how to impro...

Swimming fast requires intense physical and mental exertion, which is all the more reason for competitive swimmers to focus on what goes into their bodies. It’s no wonder then that providing your body with the proper nutrients it needs to perform, recover, and reset comes with a hefty reward. What t...

11 Things That Separate the Good Swimmer from the Great Swimmer By Brittany Oxley (Archive) “This is the difference between being good and being great.” That quote has been engrained in my head since I started swimming at 6 years old. I believe every coach I have ever swum for has said those words. ...

11 Things Your Swimming Coach Is Always Yelling By Allison Peters, Swimming World College Intern We all know what it is like to have your swimming coaches yelling at the top of their lungs during practice, trying to get our attention. Here's a few things that you can improve on to reduce some of thi...

Luca Urlando Has Opportunity to Convert 200 Fly Success into Stardom The last time Luca Urlando posted a performance that set him up as the next American star in the 200 butterfly was six years ago. The then-17-year-old swam a time of 1:53.84 at a Pro Series meet in Clovis, Calif., breaking a Nation...

What Makes the Perfect Swimmer's Body? Although swimmers with a wide variety of body types have found success in the sport, most at the international level tend to look similar, sporting tall and muscular bodies - typically with long torsos, long arms and short legs. This begs the question: If you c...

Why Swimming Is Worth the Sacrifice and Time Demands By SuSu Almousa (From the Archive) Swimmers become “swammers" and swammers typically stay swammers but the sport doesn’t leave us as easily as changing a vowel in our titles. In retirement, we watch meets and there is typically a yearning for a .....

14 Ways To Tell You Come From a Swimming Family By J.P. Mortenson Due to the sport's all-consuming nature, swimming inevitably becomes a family affair. And once your family becomes a swimming family, the sport will affect your home life in more ways than you could have ever imagined! Here are ways t...