Commentary

What Sets the Best Swimmers Apart: Mental Habits That Lead to Growth Swimmers spend up to 30 hours per week training, stretching, lifting weights, and rehabilitating injuries. In the pool, they build endurance, focus on technique, and push to be as fast and efficient as possible. In the weight room,...

6 Tips and Tricks While Swimming in the Summer Heat The sun beams down, striking you with overwhelming heat. In the warm water, you feel heavier and heavier with every stroke. The clustered lanes are filled with sweaty, out-of-breath swimmers. Swimming outside can be one of the greatest joys of summ...

A Look at Swimmer Muscles by Stroke By Bri Groves, Swimming World College Intern, in collaboration with the creator of Swim Science, Dr. G. John Mullen It’s no surprise that swimmers keep their bodies in peak shape and their commitment comes with an added benefit for fans. Not only can we watch them...

The 7 Sins of Swimming (From the Archive - Originally Published 2017) By Chandler Brandes There is no such thing as a perfect swimmer. As swimmers, we sometimes (although rarely) make mistakes. We may DQ, forget our heat and lane, or even accidentally-on-purpose rip our cap at the exact moment a har...

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...

Luca Urlando, Ilya Kharun Chasing Leon Marchand for 200 Butterfly Supremacy In his most recent World Championships appearance, Kristof Milak put forth arguably the finest performance of his career. The Hungarian swept the 100 and 200 butterfly in front of a partisan crowd in Budapest, knocking off h...

What Happened to the International Swimming League? Across the late-2010s, the world of swimming was dominated by discussions surrounding the idea of an International Swimming League (ISL). The Olympics consistently attract new fans to swimming, but the sport has struggled to keep fans' interest wit...

David Popovici, Luke Hobson Leading Men’s 200 Freestyle in World-Record Pursuit A dramatic Olympic final came down to the last strokes before David Popovici claimed his long-sought Olympic gold. The Romanian star was still only 19 years old but seemingly a veteran of such high-stakes finals as he to...

Can Kaylee McKeown and Regan Smith Continue Backstroke Dominance in Singapore? The last time Kaylee McKeown was beaten in a major international final of the 100 or 200 backstroke was 2019. The Australian won double individual gold in both Tokyo and Paris while winning four world titles in the stroke...

A Letter to Swim Coaches Everywhere: Thank You From the Archive Dear Coach, I would like to begin this letter by asking you a question. A simple, one-word question: Why? Why did you pursue this career? Why do you wake up at the most ungodly hours every day, just to inevitably scream at your swimmers...

10 Hidden Benefits of Swimming Everyone wants to be an Olympic swimmer. But luckily, you don’t have to be an Olympic swimmer to benefit from the sport. People of all ages, from all backgrounds, and with various levels of experience can benefit from swimming. Swimming is one of the few sports you can...

Does Freezing Help? An Ice Baths Analysis Thousands of yards. Long, exhausting meets.  As swimmers, a lot of pain is endured on the path to success, both physical and mental. And yet, perhaps the most excruciating part of the swimming world is a method used for recovery.  Ice baths, also known as co...

World Record Watch (Men's): Can Leon Marchand or Others Set New Standards at Worlds? Amid his historic four-gold medal performance at the Paris Olympics, Leon Marchand came up just short of world-record pace every time out. In his opening victory in the 400 IM, he swam the second-fastest time in his...

What Goes Through the Mind of a Swimmer During a Race? As we approach the business end of the swimming season, athletes will be competing across a number of large and important target meets - regardless of level. The dedication they have put in over the past few months will be tested by the stopwatc...

World Record Watch (Women's): How Many Can Summer McIntosh and Others Break in Singapore? Six women’s world records have already gone down in the early portion of the 2025 long course season. The first three all came May 3 in Fort Lauderdale, with Gretchen Walsh breaking her own world record in the ...

15 Reasons To Love (and Hate) Swimming Outdoors By Kelsey Mitchell, Swimming World College Intern. The summer provides a unique opportunity for swimmers, as many get the chance to train and compete outdoors. The envy of all who swim indoors, outdoor swimmers love (and hate) these 15 things. 1. Air Q...

It's mid-summer and everyone is in the pool! Now is the time to consider getting your child confident in the water. Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children ages 1–4 in the United States, and the second leading cause for kids under 14. That’s why the American Academy of Pedia.....

The Training Transition: How to Adjust When Moving From Competition to Lifestyle Pursuits Competing as an athlete demands a specific and rigorous approach to training. It often involves long, grueling hours of practice and a significantly increased caloric intake to match the energy burned. That phy...

Tang Qianting Slightly Favored for World Title in Tightly Packed Women’s 100 Breaststroke In her first three appearances swimming for the United States at major international competitions, Lilly King was untouchable in the 100 breaststroke. A dramatic win at the Rio Olympics was followed by a world ...

Pan Zhanle vs. David Popovici: 100 Freestyle Showdown Awaits Together, these two 20-year-olds are responsible for the only record-breaking swims in the 100 freestyle since the supersuit era. Moreover, David Popovici and Pan Zhanle were the only men to break any world records in long course freestyle...