how do you work on your dive in swimming to get better and go further?
352544
To dive well, you must strengthen your entire core, but not in the way that swimmers usually train (get ready for some unorthodox stuff).  \n\nFor leg strength, I recommend doing single leg presses on a machine with as much weight as you can manage.  Don't do anymore than 4 per leg per day, and do it with supervision. \n\nThe best training for starts that I have seen or done involves a machine made by Hammer Strength called a Ground Base Jammer.  Most schools have these for their football players.  Get proper instruction before you use it, it's easy to hurt yourself.  This machine helps football linemen explode out of their stances and is VERY beneficial for strengthening your "start" muscles.\n\nFor technique, try these:\n\n1.  10x jump from block up as high as possible, put body into perfect streamline and land in water.  (you will hit water feet first and try to be perfectly vertical in the air)\n\n2.  10x like above, but pike in air and enter water hands first\n\n3.  10x easy starts, streamline as long as possible\n\n4.  5x racing starts (if you do your racing starts properly, you can only handle about 5-6 before you are exhausted and your form breaks).\n\nRemember- stay relaxed on the block, if you are gripping the block and pulling back, you are not relaxed.  When the gun sounds, explode FORWARD, not up.
592070
There is a different technique when you swim open water.. \n\nwhen I swim open water I take 2 or 3 normal strokes and 1 above.. but you have to make sure to look up with your stroke so you dont lose momentum\n\nthe fact that you cant see still freaks me out, but the longer you do it the less it worries you. \n\nMy advise is, when you are training try to close your eyes when your face is underwater and do the 1, 2 , look up thing.. its good practice
1095448
Take a deep breath.\n\nAs you lower your head under the water, slowly blow out through your nose.  With practice, you will learn to do this very slowly or in short puffs to make your breath last longer.\n\nGood Luck!
275521
Face your fears. Try something slow and then build up. I had to do this with my daughter. It was swimming, but she now fights me to get out of the water. Go for it and you will be so proud of yourself, not only for learning something that you like, but also that you faced your fear of something.
194844
Well, since you posted this in the swimming category, I'm assuming you want to be a better swimmer.  I used to swim competitively and I'm only 5'5".  Try stretching to increase your flexibility.  Along with strong kicking (which you can work on by lifting weights), you should be a good competitor.
1073074
YMCA I learned how to swim there and went on to take SCUBA , about two years later. When I learned to swim I was actually trying to learn not to fear the water. if you cant get over this part you are not going to learn to swim you have to let go of the fear.
584693
You have to hold your breath and keep your eyes open or wear goggles.\nPut your head down into the water and put your feet up in the air out of the water. It is easy if you can swim under water. Learn that first.
394404
Try circuit training. Circuit training is when you have a set order of exercises that you will be doing. Do high reps at your first station for 1 minute. Use a weight light enough that you will be able to lift it continuously for the whole minute. Once done, rest for a minute and move to your next station. At your next station do your exercise for the minute then rest for a minute and so on. If 1 minute is too long do 30 or 45 second intervals.\nThe exercises you do should hit each of your major body parts; legs, back, chest, shoulders, arms, and abs. Try and do 3 movements per body part. Work through each body part, then cycle through each body part again doing a different exercise, then your final cycle through the body part with a different exercise.\nSuggestion for exercises:\nLegs - leg press, leg extensions, leg curls\nBack - lat pull downs, cable rows, straight arm pull downs\nChest - Press, incline press, flys\nShoulders - shoulder press, bent over flys, upright rows\narms - curls, tricep extensions, hammer curls\nabs - crunches, situps, hanging leg lifts\n\nThe key to lifting weights when swimming is to do high reps at light weights. You don't want to bulk up. Lift in the off season and start to cut down your lifting during the season. Make sure that you stretch out well after done. You don't want to lose flexibility.
298548
Practice doing your butterfly at a slow pace. It will feel awkward because you are sinking but visualize the position of your body. Visualize your body following your head. Each movement will be exaggerated when swimming slow. Practice this until the motion feels comfortable. Pick up the pace concentrating on your body position. You will notice that as you speed up your body will be in a more comfortable position.\nPractice without breathing, then practice breathing every stroke. The key to the timing is a keeping that small second kick, even when your taking your breath. Practice with fins to get the feeling of your kick.
889968
First of all, breathing every third or more strokes is only good for SPRINT swimming. This means short or a few lengths, say 25, 50 or 100m. \n\nIf you have to swim middle or long distance, your body needs more oxygen. That's why you are tired after so many lengths.\n\nMy suggestions to get the most out of your every breath:\n\n(1) Exhale when your face is submerged under water. Use your mouth to blow all the air out of lungs. This way you will breathe in more oxygen when you inhale.\n\n(2) Do bi-lateral breathing. Alternate your breathing side every third stroke. For example, breathe on your right side, then on your left side, then back on your right side, and so on. \n\nIn the beginning, practice bi-lateral breathing on one length of the pool, when you push off. Do normal breaths on the return trip. When you can do bi-lateral breathing on both lengths of the pool many times, that's the time you can TRY to inhale every four, or six strokes.\n\n(3) Increase the efficiency of your lungs by doing diaphragmatic breathing. This is deep breathing by flexing your diaphragm rather than breathing shallowly through your rib cage.\n\nDo this exercise while sitting or lying. Put your hand on you stomach. Inhale, and feel your stomach expand with your hand. Exhale through your mouth.\n\n(4) The legs are composed of big and long muscles that tire easily, hence they need more O2. Try to decrease your kick rate, and to improve your hand stroke to increase your speed.\n\n(5) Practice using hypoxic training. See the link (source) for  more info.
870981
OH YES!!!!!!!\n\nAnd if you are nto swimming for competition and can swim well enough you could save your life.. then you dont have to learn anything else!\n\nUnless you want to!\n\nBreaststroke is great ... keep on going...\n\nYou can also use a kick board for working out and just kick ...really works out the legs\n\nGood for you any kind of swimming is gerat for fitness!\n\nGood Luck and keep it up!\nWismom
61635
If you are trying to swim freestyle (crawl), switch to an easier stroke, like the sidestroke while you increase your endurance. If you can only swim 20m, then swim 20m, rest, and swim 20m again. Repeat that process.  You can time your rests and shorten your rests as you get stronger and increase the number of repititions you do each session. After a while, push yourself to do 40m between stops, then 60, etc.\n\nIn my experience, if you can work up to 400m without stopping, you will be past the point where you are struggling in the water.\n\nIt might be a good idea to have someone look at your stroke and tell you what needs correcting. If you are struggling to make 20m. there are probably a lot of things that you can do to make your stroke more efficient. Find out what they are and work on correcting one thing at a time. Find someone who's swimming laps when you are at pool, someone who's stroke looks good, and ask them to look at your stroke. Ask them what the worst thing that you are doing and what they think you should do about it. You'd be suprised how many people would be happy to help you.
462716
You need to rotate your body. When you start your recovery (hand starting from your hips moving to start your stroke above your head), initiate the movement with your shoulders. Rotate your shoulder out of the water, to under your chin. Then start your hand moving up above your face, turning your hands and placing your pinky into the water.  This movement will help to rotate your body. Don't "shrug" your shoulders to your ears. Visualize your legs following the rotation of your body, and visualize your flutter kick rotating from one side, up and over to the other side. This rotation will make your body more hydrodynamic and prevent your legs/hips from wagging side to side. \n\nA drill you can practice is the one arm back stroke. Do a lap stroking with only one arm. The arm that you are not swimming with rests at the side of your body. When you start your pull (in the water) you should be on the side with your almost all the way in the water. You should feel like you are doing a side stroke. Your kick will be a side flutter kick. When you do your recovery, kick on your back. Once your hand recover back to above your head, glide and maintain your balance. Start your pull again when you feel balanced and stable.
111812
Practice doing your butterfly at a slow pace. It will feel awkard because you are sinking but visualize the position of your body. Visualize your body following your head. Each movement will be exagerated when swimming slow. Practice this until the motion feels comfortable. Pick up the pace concentrating on your body position. You will notice that as you speed up your body will be in a more comfortable position.\nPractice without breathing, then practice breathing every stroke. The key to the timing is a keeping that small second kick, even when your taking your breath. Practice with fins to get the feeling of your kick.
562460
If someone is hanging on you, go under water.  They'll let go, trust me.  Then swim behind them, put your arm around their chest, like in a half-nelson, and start swimming them in.  If you haven't been extensively trained in doing this, use some kind of equipment or get help.
1147546
I agree with the guy above, technique is definetly something you can have down pat.. I swam with Phelps and he still works on his technique.. even if he beats everyone by 2 seconds.\n\nMy experience is that the way to get faster is to balance good technique with strength.. strength being specially important in a stroke like fly. you need very good upperbody strength for the pull.. and great legs to keep you going and for pushing off the walls.. \n\nPractice will get you there.. but practicing good technique and motivation will get you there faster.
962555
This is a great free web site for generating an endless number of workouts no matter what your level or goal.  http://www.swiminfo.com/swim-cgi/\nI would spend at least two weeks focusing on the basics and getting your feel for the water back: lots of sculling, underwater streamlining, and drilling.  Some Olympic level coaches choose to drill for a full month at the beginning of the season before they allow their athletes to swim normally.  This is because it is easy to cheat on your strokes and build bad habits when you are out of shape.  Plus stroke technique is so important to overall swimming.  After a few weeks of drilling and sculling, start with workouts that build an aerobic base.