Commentary

6 Common Characteristics That Swimmers Share Swimmers stand out for the traits they possess. They have fundamental ideals of persistence and determination that help them succeed in the sport. Here are six qualities that are common among swimmers. 1) Perseverance Swimming is by far one of the most ch...

5 Reasons to Continue Swimming as a Lifelong Sport By Lianne McCluskey U.S. Masters Swimming has referred to swimming as "the magic pill" for a reason - regardless of an individual's athletic ability, a person can pick up the sport at any time in their life. Here are five reasons why swimming is a w...

Fear. One simple word, yet one of the most complex and personal emotions we experience. It shows up in obvious ways: Fear of snakes, fear of heights. But for athletes, it often runs much deeper. Fear of failure. Fear of judgment. Fear of what comes after the so-called failure, when the results are p...

Advice to My Younger Swimmer Self: Appreciate the Journey And suddenly it was over. Twenty-two years of competitive swimming came to an end within a split second on a random Saturday in March. My hand touched the wall for the last time and my competitive swimming journey ended much faster than it be...

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...

World Records in Women’s Breaststroke Could Last For Years Almost very discipline in women’s swimming saw at least one long course world record beaten or challenged in 2025. At the Fort Lauderdale Pro Series in May, Katie Ledecky knocked off her long-standing record in the 800 freestyle while Gretch...

Motivational Monday: Positive Affirmations for Swimmers Breathe in, breathe out. The moment has arrived. All swimmers know the feeling of having a big race in front of them. You stand behind the blocks, anxiously adjusting your cap and goggles. You count down the heats in front of you until it’s fin...

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...

An Explanation Of How Tech Suits Benefit Swimmers When it comes time to race, many swimmers, especially those racing in high-level competitions, wear specialized knee-length swimsuits known as tech suits. They're everywhere in the swimming world. But how do tech suits work? And do they actually make...

10 Things 'Swammers' Miss About the Sport There’s something about swimming that never really leaves you. Even after the early mornings end and the goggles are packed away for good, the sport lingers in muscle memory, daily routines and nostalgia. For former swimmers or “swammers,” as some like to sa...

The Excellent Swim Coach (From the Archive) Swimming is very much a sport of observation. Swimmers observe others' strokes underwater during practice and have a lot of time on deck during meets to watch the coach-swimmer dynamics surrounding us. I had 12 swim coaches in my 18 years of swimming. It's...

Pieter Coetze, Miron Lifintsev Among Contenders to Track Down Long-Standing 100 Back WR In the last 16 years, the world record in the men’s 100 backstroke has fallen only twice. Aaron Peirsol, the Olympic champion in the event in 2004 and 2008, became the first man under 52 at U.S. Nationals in 2009...

Summer McIntosh Dominating 400 IM At Spectacular Level An athlete’s dominance of an event can be measured in multiple ways. The number of consecutive global titles in a specific discipline. The gap between a world-record performance and the No. 2 performer in history. How many of the all-time top ma...

A Letter To My Club Coach  Dear Coach,  I used to think gratitude was something you expressed at the end, after the final practice, after the last meet, after the chapter was closed. But swimming doesn’t really work that way.  Neither does your impact.  You were there long before the success, long b...

American Women Positioned for 400 Freestyle Relay Breakthrough The premise here should sound familiar. Over the summer, the U.S. women were in prime position to capture a world title in the 400 freestyle relay and end an eight-year gold-medal drought in the event. The team has never failed to reach ...

The Pros and Cons of Being a Versatile Swimmer By Maggie Lasto Being a versatile swimmer is like being the jack of all trades. It means you are decent at everything but not necessarily great at anything. This experience resonates with many swimmers as they struggle with finding their true path. Lear...

Weekend of Erisman: Siblings Rylee and Ryan Make Statements in Austin Through their performances in 2025, both Rylee and Ryan Erisman established themselves as contenders for senior-level U.S. national teams. Rylee shined at the World Junior Championships, securing five gold medals and three silvers...

The Role of the Time Trials Referee By Phil Barnes Most people associate time trials with a session between prelims and finals during a championship meet, but time trials can also be conducted as a stand-alone event. A common denominator of time trials is their ad hoc nature, with entries, seeding, ...

How Do the Best Swimmers Get Off the Block Fast? Keys to a Speedy Start A fraction of a second can change everything. If you’ve been swimming long enough, you’ve heard it time and time again. Most often, we apply this mentality in the water, looking to hone in on any technical improvement to our str...

Motivational Monday: Establishing Your Voice as a Swimmer As much as swimming is a team sport, most races are only completed by one person. However, the training often organized by coaches applies to many teammates instead of one person. Even though this practice is effective and makes sense for hel...