It has been 10 years since I wrote the original Fitness Swimming.
I’ve been quite pleased with the results of that endeavor. As I write
this, that first edition is selling out the last bits of its third
English-language printing. It has been translated into, and has been
published in, Spanish, French, Chinese, and Turkish. College instructors
have adopted Fitness Swimming as a textbook for a number of swimming
and coaching courses. Swim coaches have built programs around the
techniques and training principles espoused therein. Most satisfying of
all, I’ve heard from hundreds of readers since the book’s original
release. I am indebted to everyone who has taken the time to tell me
what they liked about the book and, more to the point, what they’d like
to see changed or added if a second edition were ever considered.
The profession of coaching swimming is in its infancy. Martial arts masters have evolved their discipline over 10,000 years or so. The handful of decades in which the words swimming and coach have been uttered in close succession are a comparative blink of an eye. Methods of producing highly effective swimmers are evolving rapidly. Throughout the 25 years I’ve coached adults, I have maintained that if at any point I were to look back 5 years and realize that I was still teaching the same things in the same way, it would be time to find another line of work. So far, so good.
That statement, however, paints the original Fitness Swimming into a bit of a corner. You see, from the moment the first edition was published, my words on the page have remained both public and static, while what I teach my real-life athletes and how I teach it to them have changed. So, after a decade, a Fitness Swimming upgrade is due. In the following pages, you will find my current understanding of how swimming works—and of how best to improve your swimming. While the basic concepts in the original Fitness Swimming are the same, the way I express and apply them has changed—by a great deal, in some cases. I’ve expanded my discussions of many technique and training topics, added a number of new drills, and included 60 new practices—all to help you swim as effectively as possible, improve your conditioning, and enjoy the journey. Stay wet and swim smart.
The profession of coaching swimming is in its infancy. Martial arts masters have evolved their discipline over 10,000 years or so. The handful of decades in which the words swimming and coach have been uttered in close succession are a comparative blink of an eye. Methods of producing highly effective swimmers are evolving rapidly. Throughout the 25 years I’ve coached adults, I have maintained that if at any point I were to look back 5 years and realize that I was still teaching the same things in the same way, it would be time to find another line of work. So far, so good.
That statement, however, paints the original Fitness Swimming into a bit of a corner. You see, from the moment the first edition was published, my words on the page have remained both public and static, while what I teach my real-life athletes and how I teach it to them have changed. So, after a decade, a Fitness Swimming upgrade is due. In the following pages, you will find my current understanding of how swimming works—and of how best to improve your swimming. While the basic concepts in the original Fitness Swimming are the same, the way I express and apply them has changed—by a great deal, in some cases. I’ve expanded my discussions of many technique and training topics, added a number of new drills, and included 60 new practices—all to help you swim as effectively as possible, improve your conditioning, and enjoy the journey. Stay wet and swim smart.
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