Swim Speed Strokes for Swimmers and Triathletes

Book excerpt: In her best-selling book Swim Speed Secrets, 4-time Olympian and gold medalist Sheila Taormina revealed the freestyle swimming technique used by the world's fastest swimmers. Now in Swim Speed Strokes Taormina shows swimmers and triathletes how they can swim with elite technique in all four swimming strokes--butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle. Using crystal-clear photographs and her engaging, straightforward style, Coach Taormina explains the science behind power and speed in the water, explores the elements common to every stroke, and examines stroke technique in detail in individual stroke chapters. Swim Speed Strokes goes deep into the fastest swimming technique for each stroke, breaking down the pull, kick, core movement, and timing of 13 elite swimmers and Olympians including Peter Vanderkaay, Rebecca Soni, Aaron Peirsol, Rowdy Gaines, Ashley Whitney, Vlad Morozov, Ariana Kukors, Andrew Gemmell, Laura Sogar, Nicolas Fink, Elizabeth Beisel, Doug Reynolds, and Melanie Margalis. Taormina interviews each athlete and analyzes underwater photos and race stroke data to break down their technique in butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle. From the catch through the curvilinear path and diagonal phase to the power-packed finish phase, Taormina explores the pull patterns to show how any swimmer can improve their own swimming. As Taormina shows in Swim Speed Strokes, the fastest technique for all four swimming strokes is remarkably similar. One-stroke swimmers will find big improvements in practicing the others, refining their feel for the water, coordination, and stroke efficiency. Whether you want to master every stroke or simply improve on your best one, Swim Speed Strokes will show you how to become the strongest swimmer you can be.