I am curious how old you were when you learned how to swim?

I get it, normally when I swim laps I wear briefs.

But I live in North America, and while I don't even think twice when at a pool swimming laps, if I go to a beach, or a hotel pool for example, there are times I want to "actually swim" (so not board shorts), but where a speedo is less ideal.

I don't like jammers because significantly notice how much they impact lateral movement of the legs (so treading water or frog kick). Does anyone know of any square legs similar to the Tyr Durafast Elite ones where the seam isn't straight down the center as I find when the seam is in the middle it forces your John Henry to one side making it super conpicuous.

I've seen a couple Tyr models similar to this but no matter what I've never seen any in stock. Any suggestions welcome.

https://www.tyr.com/media/catalog/product/S/Q/SQCMN7A-978_main01.png?quality=94&bg-color=255,255,255&fit=bounds&height=1500&width=1200&canvas=1200:1500&format=jpeg

I have changed my free style stroke a bit by keeping my hand shallower in the water. I believe it’s a bit faster. It also leads to mild stiffness in both pecs. It feels like doing dips in the gym. 61 male if that matters

Hey all. I've worked hard and I can swim 400 yards freestyle without stopping. But I've been swimming this whole time breathing to my right. Recently I tried breathing to my left, when I turn, my body sinks. Like my hips start to sink and I'm trying to lift my head up. This doesn't happen in my right. Any good drills or tips?

At a swim meet they were playing the "bird dance song" or most commonly referred to as "The chicken dance song" during the girls 200 fly. Here is the song if you wanna listen to it:

YouTube

I’m a 59F and I swim for fitness and recreation. I swam very little in 2024 because I had both my knees replaced. I’m back in the pool now, and my strokes are coming right back. However, the amount of time I spent icing, elevating, and in rehab this year completely shot my cardiac fitness.

For example, today I used a Kiefer weekly swim work out for beginners, and I made it 700 yards. Even though I took breaks, at one point I got dizzy.

I was thinking if there was something like couch to 5 K but for swimming, it would be perfect for me. Any ideas?

Thank you!

How did you guys learn to swim was it by a teacher or did you just get thrown into the deep part lol. I’m talking about regular swimming not competitive :3

Why do faster swimmers feel entitled to dominate lanes that are:

a) not marked for speed in any way and b) where they are joining preexisting swimmers.

Why should faster speed or greater skill make someone a more valid or legitimate pool/lane user?

If anyone is reading this. Do women like to see guys in stylish speedo's? Wearing speedo's to any event that involves swimming has become addicting for me. I feel much more confident when I wear a speedo. I need feedback from men and women. Is this wrong?

I have recently had some troubles with my hand joints (as I work as a waiter) and wanted to control the inflammation and try swimming.

I was quite surprised how the pain relief instantly worked after the first swimming session… and I was only doing 700m by then (light smoker here, so cardio isn’t my biggest strength)

Now after 10 sessions, I comfortably do 1,8-2km in one go, without any brakes. Slow but steady…

But what has been really incredible for me, is the mental clarity after swimming, the “inner peace”… no distractions, no phone, just strokes and breathing, it’s quite incredible and I think that I have really found a new hobby! Any tips, advice, thoughts or suggestions are welcome :-) Just wanted to share this!

Do you have any stretching recommendations or videos?

I am trying to increase my flexibility and maybe even add some strength training to support my swimming.

I’m an intermediate swimmer if that helps.

Thanks!

I am trying to get in shape, doing laps at the local gym. Really love it. Zero interest in competing, just a mid 50s guy getting exercise and having fun.
Basic unit here, I only do freestyle with a snorkel (Powerbreather) and short training fins (DMC Elite Max), and I like using the fins all the time. I feel like I get more of a whole body workout. Lets face it, normally your arms are doing most of the work. Your arms are spinning like wild windmills while your legs are doing dainty little flutters. From what I have read, if you do get a swimming injury by far the most likely is shoulder problems. My thought, possible wrong, is that by balancing the workload more evenly between arms and legs you might avoid shoulder issues.
I see some people at the gym (older folks trying to stay in shape) using hand paddles. In my view that is just asking for trouble.
Anyone else do this? Thoughts?
Peace.

So I’m just starting out with competitive swimming. I’ve always played in pools growing up so I have good water survival skills I.E ( treading water, floating) but I don’t necessarily know how to improve my swimming, I was an avid runner and idk if I should take that same approach by doing 2-3 days of swimming at an easy pace for a specific time like 15-20 minutes continuously and maybe 1 day doing a workout like 10 x 25. Any advice would be appreciated

So I’m writing this from more of a sport standpoint… I can swim and tread water enough so I won’t drown or anything. I’m having trouble with form and the different styles of swimming. My goal last year was to complete a triathlon.. never happened because I can’t f-ing swim without looking like a toad. I know I'm able to swim and I might be alright at it considering I've completed multiple marathons, halfs, and an ultra (running).

Now I don't know if it has something to do with swimming in open water and not in a pool? it is coming around to be winter where I'm at, and I was thinking of getting a membership to one of the indoor pools by me. anyways I'm looking for some advice I see people talking about youtube, but I'm honestly not sure. I also don't know what the pool/lane etiquette is? Like i know I'm going to look bad, but i don't want to look bad and be an a**. So i guess any info will help thanks in advance!

I am trying to jump on a great sale price. My daughter (who is away so I can't measure her) usually wears a 28 Arena Carbon Air. I am trying to order a Speedo Pure Valor. I am thinking she is probably a 26. Does that sound correct?

So I need a neoprene shortie for swimming as I get cold super quick. Am I supposed to wear a swimsuit under it…? I wear nothing under it but apparently surfers so wear a swimsuit 🩱 under the wetsuit so I was wondering if it adds to the heat preservation or is it just so they can take it off at the beach? Many thanks

Uk-based (47M) casual swimmer, I enjoy a Masters session once or twice a week + some waterpolo.
If I'm on my own in open water, I would normally "just swim", so I'd probably do 2 or 3km of continuous easy freestyle, and while in Australia, I will do it more often.But I've been thinking, could I push myself a bit more? for ex:
a) try to push the distance (but I'd rather be faster at 100m )
b) do a more structured workout (but easy to remember)
c) works towards a goal

Has anyone figured out an individual open water program? I'd love to hear some thoughts from this community. Thanks

PS: as I write this, I feel a smartwatch and an app like MySwimpro could be a solution, but I don't have one

I order a gx sonic neo sl. I would like to know if this is good for 100 FLY and 100 BACK because those Are my 2 main events! I can’t find anything online so i would VERY VERY MUCH APPRECIATE some help Thanks!

Hello

I have some problem to dive

Here is a picture on how i dive :

https://preview.redd.it/ya174b1gq94e1.jpg?width=1462&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=780bbbe8809f53ef1d8290ea4b9cc4afd21e594a

I jump close to the starter, like 1m. And my legs are not alignate with head and arms

Do you have any tips to jump like a pro ?

Everybody likes to swim in clean water.

Back in late spring early summer I was having some problems with my mental health. Tried a lot of things but after trying swimming I started to feel a lot better. I started going more regularly and increasing the distance. 20 lengths, 30, 40 etc.Then I got it in my head I wanted to reach 1 mile per session and just as I was getting close to it I got an eye infection and was told by a corneal specialist that I shouldn't swim for 6 weeks (apparently most likely from wearing contacts while swimming. I was wearing goggles but that's another story).

After a 6 week break I started a physical challenge of 1 mile per day for all of November (while growing a moustache). It was very tough for me for the first week and some days when I could feel my body needed a rest. It's not something I'd recommend as there's a risk of injury. But I feel great now physically and mentally :) I'll continue to swim regularly but I think 4/5 days a week.

So yeah I love swimming now, it really helped me in many ways :)

If you are a marathon swimmer, I'm curious what was the best advice you received to help you achieve your marathon swimming goals.

Just felt the need to get a second opinion on an interaction I had in the pool today. For context this pool has 8x50m lanes, (2 reserved for a squad , 2 fast, 2 medium, 1 slow and 1 recreation lane).

When I arrived one of the fast lanes was free (happy days). I was warming up to do a time trail when an older lady asks if she can join my lane. I have seen several older swimmers out-swim me before so I figured this lady would be roughly at my level, so I said sure (not that she technically needed permission anyway).

Since I wanted to do a time trail I wanted a free lane, I noticed one of the reserved lanes was still available for another 10 minutes. I asked the lifeguard if I could use it for a few minutes and he said yes. So I did my time trail and when I go back to the fast lane I find the older lady swimming backstroke in the middle of the lane going no faster than 2:30/100m at most. When she stopped at the wall I said the following verbatim:

“Hi, I don’t mean to be rude but you are swimming the middle of the lane and are going quite slowly for the fast lane. I feel that it would be more appropriate for you to move to another lane.”

The other fast lane was occupied by a lady swimming breaststroke, the other swimmers were in appropriate lanes for their speed but were all still significantly slower than me (nothing wrong with that, just how it was).

This lady immediately got on the defensive saying “since there was nobody else in the lane she could do whatever she wanted.” I pointed out that was simply not true and that she was not following the rules set out by the pool. Eventually the lady swimming breaststroke in the other “fast lane” invited her into her lane but shot me an absolute death glare as if I had said something inconceivably rude.

I have never really had a problem like this before where I’ve asked someone to move lanes. Should I have handled this differently? I’m just really over-thinking the whole interaction and am wondering if I should’ve acted differently.

I have my friend's birthday party on Friday night, and I feel bad cause I'm probably gonna miss Saturday morning training, but I promised I would go to the party. But also our squad's about to go on holiday for about 2 and a half weeks so idk what to do AHHH

Anyway, do you guys have anything I can do to not feel bad? Or do I just wallow in my guilt and just not miss it next time

I have watched dozens of videos and still cannot get the hang of it. What drills do you recommend? What did you finally do that really clicked to master this exercise?

Hi! I'm trying to get better at swimming and all the training I've found is for people drastically beyond my level so I wanted to see if people had some advice.

I have always been able to float and do breaststroke with my head out of the water well, but recently decided to actually learn to swim properly and have been taking swim lessons once a week for ~3 months. I now know freestyle, breaststroke, and backstroke, but I can barely swim 25 yards and then have to stop and rest for multiple minutes.

Where do I go from here? My form is ok thanks to the lessons but I just have no endurance. Is it better to start building up endurance by breaststroke with my head out of the water and kicks with a kick board, or just do freestyle and take really long rests? Can I even do lap swim taking long rests if I have to share a lane, or will I just be in the way? My ultimate goal is to actually be able to swim freestyle for some decent distance, but I don't know how to get there.

A side note is I'm still not super comfortable with my face in the water and the breathing pattern, not sure if that affects how I should be training.

every lesson is 30 minutes. 😵‍💫😵‍💫 My legs just keep sinking. I have watched so much video and had 1 on 1 coach. But I still can't just kick with kicking board. Should I just give up ? I just feel i can't learn it forever.

Come on down and brag about your swim times, discuss training, and whatever else y'all got going on. Completely open discussion.