Keeping if Simple

Want a few simple ways to improve dramatically over the next couple of weeks?

Try these:

1. Eliminate sodas from your diet
2. Get more sleep
3. Alternate breathe on freestyle in workout
4. Don't breathe on your last stroke before freestyle turns
5. Don't breathe on your first stroke after freestyle turns
6. Do perfect streamlines off every wall in every workout

Pretty simple, right? After a couple of weeks, these positive habits will yield positive results. You'll be swimming faster with only a few small changes.

At meets, watch races to see what things top swimmers do correctly that others don't. Also, look for mistakes some swimmers make that cost them close races. Learn from both types of swimmers.

Let's eliminate bad practice habits that can hurt us in races.

When swimming backstroke, push off every wall on your back. When finishing backstroke, stay on your back until you touch the wall.

In breaststroke, hold your streamlines a little longer before taking your underwater pullout.

In breaststroke and butterfly, always touch every wall with two (or more) hands at the same time.