Swim Speed Secrets for Swimmers and Triathletes: Master the Freestyle Technique Used by the World's Fastest Swimmers (Swim Speed Series) Paperback – May 1, 2012

Before talking about the book I will give you some background on myself so you can understand where I am coming from. I was a competitive swimmer when I was a teenager, between the ages of twelve and sixteen, then got bored and stopped for 20 years and only occasionally would I get back in the pool for a few months at a time. A couple of years ago I decided to get in shape, so I started swimming again and got into triathlons. My swimming technique was decent, but I definitely needed a refresher, so being a triathlete I found the advice most triathletes swear by: Total Immersion (TI).Some of what I discovered in TI was useful, but I already had decent body position and many of the things they recommend there made no sense. The whole swimming through the eye of the needle felt odd, and there was too much body rotation for what I remembered feeling when swimming in my youth. I got the pointers I thought were good and together with the enhanced fitness I was doing fine. But I got to a point in which I was not getting any faster and there was definitely still room for improvement. Luckily, that is when I found this book!When I started reading Taormina's book, I was really encouraged by some of her points, especially her comments about how gliding forever is not going to get you to be really fast and also that the pull is much more important than body position. The author goes to great lengths to explain the correct technique that should be used for the underwater pull, together with many pictures taken using herself as a subject, but also using other well-known pros in the sport. After you read through the explanations you will have a very clear sense of what is needed to go fast in the pool. Also, for the "unbelievers", she provides quite a bit of proof about the point she is making regarding the overwhelming importance of the pull compared to other aspects.The drills are also magnificent! You may be familiar as I was with most of them, but after reading her explanation and watching her online videos on how to do them properly and highlighting what to focus on, I realized that I was not working on the right things. It is hard work to spend a good portion of practice each time I get in the pool working purely on technique and forgetting about the clock, but this has made me considerably faster already. If you really want to get faster and are not afraid to do the work to get there, I recommend you get this book. I also bought her workouts: Swim Speed Workouts for Swimmers and Triathletes: The Breakout Plan for Your Fastest Freestyle (Swim Speed Series), and they have also being truly helpful.

I am a 51 year old Master's Swimmer. I swam competitively in the 70's and 80's and then took about 30 years off swimming. Back in the 80's we learned the "S" pull; when I came back to swimming 7-8 years ago I found things had changed and now it was all about "early vertical forearm". I tried really hard for years to modify my stroke but could never get it. In the meantime I was getting very frustrated as my swimming seemed to be getting worse despite my efforts. My daughter's swim coach recommended this book. I read it cover to cover a number of times. I found some of the stuff in the beginning a bit hard to follow - but the pictures are really great. (especially if you are a visual person). I worked on the principles hard and tried to incorporate some of the recommended drills but not every day (hard since I swim with a team). It took about 6 months but all of a sudden one day it just clicked and the results were stunning. Once I got the catch right, I immediately dropped 3-4 seconds per 100 with less effort. Seriously. Overnight. When does that ever happen? Its gotten me so energized and excited about swimming again that I've entered my first meet in 2 years. So, in summary great book and I highly recommend it ! Have patience as it may take some time but once you get it right the results are dramatic.

I've been reading and re-reading for the past few weeks, and incorporating into my swimming as much as possible. I wish I has seen this book's synopsis or premise sooner like when I first started out. I started with TI (and don't regret it per se) but it steered me away from bothering with or learning about the catch too deeply. TI set the stage (allowed me to put faith in technique over brawn) so I'm having a good time trying to apply the principals in this book, at least the ones that I can. I don't have access to a Halo table and exercise tubing, but I'm trying to apply all the other drills and technique info to take my swimming to a different level. Several of her explanations about developing the catch really helped illuminate the process -- or at least seem to really connect the dots for me. I would still have appreciated a deeper examination or more pictures showing the form elements to strive for. Overall though, well worth it and a really refreshing perspective about what it takes to make oneself faster. Cheers.

I am an age group triathlete (M60, olympic distance) who is seeking to improve his pull. The explanations in the book are lucid and supported by excellent images. For the next edition I'd suggest the inclusion of EOlab recordings. One of the key findings when I started training with EOlab Swimbetter handsets, was too much downward force cause by the absence of a proper catch. The book explained to me the 4 elements of an elite catch in terms that I could understand - now my tracings are getting better. I wish there was a 3rd edition with EO lab recordings in addition to the video analysis of top swimmers.