Blog #1: 5 Ways to Swim Like an Olympian (Video)

Hi Everyone,

Ever wondered what Olympic swimmers do daily to prepare for the world’s biggest stage? Check out this YouTube video: 5 Ways to Swim Like an Olympian.

I’ll share insights from the video and discuss how we can incorporate them into our own training. I’ll follow the order of the video for easy reference, so feel free to watch it and then dive into this blog!

1. Preparation (Activation)

Activation is crucial yet often underdone. I expect swimmers to be ready to activate at least 15 minutes before getting in the water. While younger swimmers in Mini-Bugaboos and Bugaboos can manage with lighter activation, older swimmers require more comprehensive routines. Activation is our best defense against injuries, with an inverse relationship between activation and injury rates. Considering the repetitive nature of swimming—60,000 to 70,000 freestyle strokes per season—activation minimizes wear and tear. For multi-sport athletes, it’s even more essential to protect the body from overuse injuries.

2. Everything Has a Purpose

Purpose drives every aspect of swimming. From drills to sets, everything aligns with specific goals. For younger swimmers, the focus is on learning foundational skills and having fun, using drills, games, and shorter sets. For competitive groups, the emphasis shifts to endurance and race preparation, requiring structured seasonal plans. These plans address energy systems, stroke refinement, weekly training loads, and recovery times. Even long sets like 30x100s have a purpose tailored to the group’s needs. It is the coaches responsibility to make sure that every set is designed to enhance skills and performance. Athletes play a role too as they are swimming the sets. Swimming the meters is not enough, they also have to follow their coach's instructions to make sure they get the most out of each practice. 

3. Equipment

Equipment plays a significant role in training but must be used thoughtfully. Broadly, equipment falls into two categories:

• Tools for assistance and development: Items like paddles, snorkels, and fins help advanced swimmers refine technique. However, for younger swimmers, they may impede development or cause injuries due to added physical stress.
• Tools for isolation: Kickboards and pull buoys are ideal for isolating movements like kicks or upper-body strokes, fostering development of specific movements that would otherwise be harder to learn without equipment.

The use of equipment should match the swimmer’s age and skill level to optimize learning and prevent harm.

4. Improvement

Every practice is an opportunity to grow. For Intro 2 Swim kids, coaches take the lead in guiding improvement. In contrast, competitive swimmers are more self-driven, with coaches providing feedback based on the athlete’s observations. This shift fosters internalized learning and personal responsibility. As swimmers progress, coaching evolves from direct instruction (“focus on bent elbow pull”) to collaborative discussions (“how does that pull feel?”).

5. Rest and Recovery

Recovery is just as important as activation. While a hot tub soak feels great, it’s not sufficient on its own! Recovery begins with warm-downs—easy movements at the end of practice to lower the heart rate and relax muscles. Swimmers often prefer kicking for warm-downs, but it’s important to include the upper body too. Post-practice stretching helps counteract muscle tightness and improve flexibility. For competitive athletes, these steps ensure proper recovery and readiness for the next session.

That’s all for now! If you made it this far, great job! Keep an eye out for future posts diving deeper into topics like recovery, nutrition, more!