Commentary

The Unseen Nerves Behind Every Swim: A Community of Jitters When I swam, I was an emotional athlete—my highs were high, and my lows were low. Looking back, I thought that nothing could replicate the intensity of the nerves I experienced before a race. The racing heart, the sweaty palms, the tension ...

The Confessions of a Back-Halfer Swimming World continues a brief series from the archive that identifies confessions of specific types of swimmers. Previously, articles discussed the confessions of a distance swimmer and the confessions of a butterflyer. By Jamie Kolar (From the Archive) Being a ba...

A Taste of Everything: Why Younger Swimmers Should Race Every Event In swimming, the topic of specialization of young athletes is often contentious and controversial. At the beginning of my career, I was extremely fortunate to grow up and participate in a program that put an emphasis on doing all di...

Over the weekend, the Philadelphia Eagles soared to a Super Bowl victory, defeating the Kansas City Chiefs, 40-22. Some of the world’s best athletes were on display for hundreds of millions to see, with Eagles stars like Jalen Hurts and Devonta Smith dominating in victory. It made us here at Swimmin...

Tips for Tech-ing Up: Advice from 'The Swimsuit Guy' for Championship Season After five months of stress and hard work, we’ve almost made it: championship season is right around the corner. From the club level all the way up to NCAAs, the crux of the short course season lies in February. And as man....

The Method of Cupping: Is the Recovery Technique Beneficial? As the 2016 campaign progressed, there was no shortage of storylines in the sport. Michael Phelps' last dance. Katie Ledecky's dominance. Anthony Ervin with a title surge in the 50 freestyle, 16 years after his initial Olympic gold. But on...

15 Truths About Swimming Swimming is a sport like no other. You learn a lot about yourself throughout your years as a swimmer and the sport inherently instills valuable life lessons in you. Even when your time as a competitive swimmer is done, you still continue to learn more about the sport and hav...

Do Olympic Gold Medal Winning Times Matter? It's More About the Moment Winning an Olympic gold medal is the ultimate dream of athletes across sports worldwide, especially in the sport of swimming. It is often a lifelong pursuit, with the possibility offered just once every four years. At last summer...

10 Things That Drive Swimmers Absolutely Crazy Being a seasoned swimmer has its ups and downs: we know our way around any and every pool, we constantly smell of chlorine, our faces have permanent goggle marks and we can all count in fives exceptionally well. Forty-five plus 45 equals 1:30, right? Wh...

NCAA Swimming Has a Chance to Emerge From Turbulent Waters in Stronger Position [caption id="attachment_604195" align="alignright" width="450"] Rose is All Smiles[/caption] BERKELEY, Calif. — The sky hung heavy with gray clouds over Spieker Aquatics Complex, a fitting backdrop for the Cal Men’s Swim...

Surviving Taper: A Guide to Thriving During the Most Exciting Time of the Season It’s that time of year again. Practices gradually become shorter, the yards start to decrease, and the energy is at an all-time high. It’s taper time. For swimmers, tapering marks the beginning of championship season - ...

By Eric Bugby, Swimming World Archive Congratulations, you’ve made the decision to swim in college. Swimming in the NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA, or CCCAA is an opportunity and feeling like none other. It combines the best of club and high school. The people you meet and friends you make will last a lifetime. ...

Strong Women are Beautiful Women: Growing Up in a Swimmer’s Body By Lillian Nelson (From the Archive) Whether you are 13 years old and just growing into your body, or 20 years old and reshaping your body with college swimming, this sport really forces you to be aware of your own presence. I cannot s...

Fanfare and Spectacular Racing Lift College Swimming During Record-Breaking Four-Team Derby This was the best of what the college swimming regular season can offer: high-level racing in the often-lethargic month of January inspired by the stakes of competition against other high-level programs. Sure...

By Delaney Lanker, Swimming World Magazine College Intern (From the Archive) I once had a coach tell me that butterfly was the easiest stroke. At the time, I just looked at him and rolled my eyes. But, here I am years later, a Division I butterflier, and I might have come to believe him. This means ...

Lessons Learned From the Injured Swimmer And there I was again, sitting on the side of the pool deck with my college’s athletic trainer, watching my teammates practice. All I wanted to do was get back in the water, but my body had other plans. With every day that passed, it felt like I was falling f...

Based on the TikTok Trend: We Listen and We Don't Judge ... Swimmer Edition! What are some common swimmer habits that may or may not be slightly judge worthy? I am sure many of us have seen the recent TikTok trend called, “we listen, and we don’t judge.” This trend usually includes two or more peopl...

Stay Strong, Swim Long—10 Ways to Beat Illness and Injury  By DAWN WEATHERWAX, RD, LD, ATC, CSCS  As an athlete, maintaining your health is crucial for optimal performance. The world’s top athletes experience fewer illnesses and injuries, thanks to their focus on recovery, nutrition and smart traini...

How Pre-Race Nerves Can Be Used to a Swimmer's Advantage My heart would race, my knees would feel weak, and my arms would get heavy… but this was not the start of an Eminem song. This was how my body felt every time I was about to dive into the water. The nerves and jitters that came before a race f...

Six Ways Swim Parents and Coaches Can Work Together In A Beneficial Manner The coach-parent relationship is critical as athletes work toward improving and achieving their goals. In many cases, this relationship is smooth and proves beneficial. Unfortunately, there are times when parents do not give ...