In This Guide
Swimming
There is a type of swimming for everyone: from recreational laps to competitive swimming; from the calm of the public pool to the chaos of the open water. Whether you're an experienced swimmer looking for the most in-depth information on swimming techniques and swim news, or are a novice wanting to improve your stroke, the Web has a site for you.
Expand All Guide SectionsHistory of Swimming
The British-born sport of swimming became competitive in the mid-1800s and was part of the first modern Olympics, where just three swimmers competed. Nowadays there are hundreds of swim competitions throughout the year. These sites illustrate swimming's rise in prominence and growth as a sport.
Dulcinea's Insight
- Many of the sites in the "governing bodies" and "news" sections of this guide have history pages that are worth checking out.
- Searching for individual swimmers is a great way to learn the history of the sport.
Dulcinea's Picks
DeAnza College
gives course notes on the history of swimming, beginning in 2000 BCE. It includes information about the Olympics and other competitions, open-water swimming, and the role of swimming in popular culture.
The International Swimming Hall of Fame
is dedicated to the history and recognition of famous swimmers and athletes involved in related water sports. The "Honorees/Awards" page provides photos and bios of inductees, with some providing links to their personal Web sites. There is a virtual tour of the Hall, but it doesn't provide much detail of the exhibits. It can only be fully appreciated at the Ft. Lauderdale-based museum itself, where there is a great deal of information for potential visitors.
The Times
presents a history of swimming in the modern Olympics, including the bizarre competitions of the first two Games.
Olympics.org
allows you to search for Olympic medal winners by year, country, name, and medal. Be sure to enter "swimming" under sports and events.
The Dover Museum
presents a history of swimming across the English Channel, based on the museum's own exhibit.
Where to Swim
Whether you're looking to swim competitively or just want some exercise, you'll need to find a suitable pool. The following sites help you find some of the finest and most conveniently located swimming facilities both nationally and internationally.
Dulcinea's Insight
- Plan to send an e-mail or make a phone call to get all the required, most-recent information about where, when, and what it costs to swim close-to-home. Also, keep in mind that none of the sites are comprehensive, so check out a couple to find the most conveniently located pool.
- Many of the sites below feature information about swim clubs, which are some of the best ways to gain access to a pool, while simultaneously benefiting from camaraderie and training.
- Web locators use geographical information-zip code, city, state-to find and list local teams and pools. They typically depend on users to update their own entries, which leaves some outdated.
Dulcinea's Picks
U.S. Masters Swimming Zone
provides a color-coded map to find teams by state. The list gives times and places for practices, plus coaches' contact information. More recent info is available by selecting "Club Web sites" from the "Local Programs" menu, although not every team has a site. The 42,000-person member USMS organizes workouts, competitions, clinics, and workshops for fitness, tri-athlete, competitive, and noncompetitive swimmers.
ClubSwim.com
lets you search for pools, clubs, and lessons by zip code or by selecting from a list of states and countries, which include the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Much like Wikipedia, visitors can add, access, and modify information about their local swimming, diving, and water polo teams. Results include pool lengths, locations, and contacts.
Swimmers Guide
indicates thousands of pools worldwide, but doesn't offer as much depth as USMS and ClubSwim. It is recommended for finding pools outside the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia.
YMCA
chapters offer inexpensive pool access and swimming lessons. Find one nearby by clicking "Find Your YMCA" at the bottom of the homepage. The amount of information given varies by location, but every entry has at least an address and phone number.
Swimming Organizations
Swimming is an international sport, with competitions held all over the world. Learn about these swimming championships, and keep up with the latest developments in the world of competitive swimming on the Web sites of these major swimming organizations.
Dulcinea's Insight
- For governing bodies not found here, visit Wikipedia's list of swimming organizations.
Dulcinea's Picks
The International Swimming Federation
governs aquatic sports, including lap swimming and open-water swimming. It oversees the aquatic competitions during the Olympics, and governs the biannual FINA World Championships, which are the most prominent swimming competitions outside of the Olympics. Its official site has press releases, results, rankings, world records and regulations. It also features swimmer biographies and video highlights from FINA events, which can be downloaded in WMV format.
USASwimming.org
is the official governing body of American swimming. Its site has weekly features, including "20 Question Tuesday," an interview with a prominent American swimmer. The archive of race results is from as far back as 1964, but doesn't offer instantly updated numbers. Those can be found through "LSC Results Links."
The Ligue Européenne de Natation
is the governing body of European swimming, incorporating 50 national swimming federations. Its site includes historical records, regulations, and links to individual federations.
For open-water swimming ...
The Channel Swimming Association
is the official governing body of swims across the English Channel. It sets guidelines and maintains records, both of which can be found on the site. It also includes stories from swimmers and profiles of Channel-swimming pioneers and record breakers.
Swimming News
Once every four years, competitive swimming gains international attention during the Summer Olympics. In the years between, however, swimming is given little coverage by mainstream media. For frequently updated, comprehensive swimming news, it's best to seek out specialty sites.
Dulcinea's Insight
- For Olympic coverage, check out large sports outlets like ESPN.com, SportsIllustrated.com, and Yahoo in addition to the sites listed below. A complete list of large sport outlets can be found on the findingDulcinea Sports Guide.
- If you are trying to compare times among long-course meters, short-course meters, and short-course yard races, try the "Swimming Time Conversion Tool" from the Huntsville Swim Association.
Dulcinea's Picks
For news and analysis ...
The BBC
has coverage of British and international swimming, with both news stories, commentary from BBC Sport writers, and profiles of noteworthy swimmers. It also includes video and audio clips.
Swimming World Magazine
's online edition features news on international, college, high school, and master's swimming, as well as water polo, diving, and synchronized swimming. With updates several times a day, it has a large archive that is most easily searched using the categories in the channels tab. The site also features results and records, which are available in PDF format. Visitors can choose to subscribe to the print version, with which you gain access to the site's premium access.
The U.S. Open Water Swimming Connection
's blog has coverage of major open-water swimming events from a collection of American open-water swimmers. It includes personal accounts and advice for beginners. Use the "Categories" tab on the right-hand side to easily search several years of content.
SwimNews
has an active newswire with swimming stories from across the world.
For statistics and results ...
Omega Timing
has the results of major international competitions since 2000 for lap swimming, as well as synchronized and open-water swimming. It includes the starting list and results of qualifying heats, semi-finals and finals, all in PDF format.
Collegeswimming.com
provides news, schedules, results, rankings, top times, and recruiting information for all divisions of men's and women's swimming. It also links to team and conference sites, where you can find more in-depth coverage. The site is largely dependent on volunteers, and as such, there are several flaws, including a lack of information for lower division teams.
Solo Swims
has a list of swimmers since 1875 who have successfully crossed the English Channel. Some of the swimmers' homepages are linked.
Swimwear
Whether you're looking for the latest in swimwear technology, or just want a regular bathing suit and goggles, these sites can help you find all types of swimwear and swimming gear.
Dulcinea's Insight
- Many retailers listed here offer free shipping for orders costlier than $75-a suit, cap, and goggles will usually get you there. Most places offer 30- to 60-day return policies on unworn suits.
- Most online retailers offer a "Grab bag," which contains older models of swimwear at a steeply discounted price. You are able to choose your size and product type, but not the manufacturers, models, or colors. Grab bags are a good option for recreational swimmers or competitive swimmers looking for extra training gear.
- For user-submitted product reviews, look under the product descriptions at SwimOutlet and TriSports.
- Many of these sites also cater to divers, water polo players, and lifeguards.
Dulcinea's Picks
Kiefer
, founded by Olympic Gold Medalist Adolph Kiefer, has a large collection of suits and accessories from its own brand, as well as name brands. Its wide selection accommodates the needs of competitive and recreational swimmers alike. It also features daily discounts and a decently sized sale section.
Kast-a-Way
has a large selection of equipment for men, women, and children, and a smaller selection of "championship swimwear" featuring high-end gear from Speedo, TYR, and Nike. It is also possible for teams to register with Kast-a-Way and receive discounted merchandise for all team members.
Swim Outlet
, the shop of ClubSwim, is full of discounts and product reviews. It features a diverse selection, including plus-sizes and the "Borat" style thong. Orders over $75 are shipped free.
Swim to Win
has a good selection of men's and women's suits, including maternity suits. Users can register for a "Discount Club" newsletter to receive marked-down gear.
Finis Inc.
offers its Monofin training device, as well as lesser-known brands at low prices. It has a large selection of training equipment and aquatic electronics. Its community tab, with a blog and FAQs, help give you the information to make informed choices.
Lane 4 Swim
offers its signature goggles and a large selection of both name and lesser-known brands.
DJ Sports
has a decent selection and great prices on men's and women's gear. Free shipping is available on orders over $60.
Swimming Technique
Whether you're a recreational or competitive swimmer, it's important to learn proper swimming techniques and training habits. These sites will help you perfect your stroke and get the most out of your workouts.
Dulcinea's Insight
- The Web won't offer season-long guides, but it will provide workout plans and other advice that coaches and athletes can use.
- Not all Web workouts are accompanied by glossaries, so check out USA Swimming if you need help with a term.
Dulcinea's Picks
For first-timers ...
Washington State University Master
's Swim team provides beginners with essential information, instructions on etiquette, and training tips. It also includes sample drills and explains the purpose of each.
ClubSwim
enables you to search for swimming lessons in your area, taking into account age and ability level.
Lap Swimming Etiquette 101
lays out common guidelines for swimming at your local pool. This is essential reading for any novice, but even experienced swimmers ought to give it a look; you may be breaking these rules without even knowing it.
For lap swimmers ...
Go Swim
offers workouts, technique tips, and free instructional videos on every stroke, plus starts, turns, and dry-land exercises. Featuring user-generated content from veterans of the sport, the site has frequently trafficked discussion threads about workouts and worries for triathlons, cross-training, coaching, and more. Questions of the week invite visitors to share their opinions and get informed answers.
Total Immersion Swimming
offers training videos that teach "fish-like" swimming so you can become "one with the water." This style, created by coach Terry Laughlin, is better suited toward beginners and recreational swimmers than competitive swimmers. The site has descriptions of Laughlin's unique philosophy, as well as previews of his instructional video and excerpts from his book, both of which are available for purchase.
SwimFit
gives general swimming tips, as well as tips for beginners, "improvers," and advanced swimmers.
Coaches
' InfoService features journal and news articles on the science behind swimming, many of which include advice on how to maximize your performance. Some of the information may be too technical for the average swimmer to fully understand, but there are usually simplified swimming tips in the article abstracts.
Swimming Technology Research
offers high-tech products that can be used to analyze your swimming stroke. The products are expensive, but they may be worth it for a coach who wants to improve his team's technique.
For open-water swimmers ...
10K Swim
has a guide on swimming an open-water race from start to finish, ideal for anybody planning to compete for the first time. It includes advice on preparation, nutrition, positioning, turning, and finishing. It also has a brief history and rules overview of open-water swimming.
John F. Walker
puts forth a comprehensive guide to open-water swimming. In a very straightforward, academic manner, he provides training guidance, race strategy, and tips for overcoming obstacles unique to open-water swimming.
SwimSplit
appeals to tri-athletes who feel that swimming is their weakest event. Written by a triathlete who didn't start swimming until his adulthood, SwimSplit features advice on technique, practice, and how to prepare for a race.
© 2012 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
