Swim Speed Strokes for Swimmers and Triathletes

Swim better and faster in all four strokes with 4-time Olympian and gold medalist Sheila Taormina.

In her bestselling book Swim Speed Secrets, Taormina revealed the freestyle swimming technique used by the world's fastest swimmers. Now in Swim Speed Strokes, she shows swimmers and triathletes how to swim their best in all four strokes: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle. Using crystal-clear photographs and her engaging, straightforward style, Coach Taormina explains the science behind power and speed in the water, explores the elements common to every stroke, and examines the technique of each stroke.

Over the course of 4 Olympic Games and throughout her career as a world champion triathlete, Taormina refined her exceptional technique as a student of the sport, studying the world’s best swimmers using underwater photographs and video analysis. From Johnny Weissmuller to Michael Phelps, the world’s fastest swimmers share two common elements: high stroke rate and a high-elbow underwater pull. Swim Speed Strokes goes deep into the fastest swimming techniques and breaks down the pull, kick, core movement, and timing of 13 elite swimmers and Olympians including Peter Vanderkaay, Rebecca Soni, Aaron Peirsol, Rowdy Gaines, Ashley Whitney, Vlad Morozov, Ariana Kukors, Andrew Gemmell, Laura Sogar, Nicolas Fink, Elizabeth Beisel, Doug Reynolds, and Melanie Margalis.

From the catch through the curvilinear path and diagonal phase to the power-packed finish phase, Taormina explores the pull patterns to show how any swimmer can improve their own swimming. Whether you want to master every stroke or simply improve on your best one, Swim Speed Strokes will show you how to become the strongest swimmer you can be.

Sheila Taormina is a 4-time Olympian, gold medalist, triathlon world champion, and swimming coach. She is one of a handful of athletes who have competed in four Olympic games and the only woman in the world to have competed in three distinctly different sports--swimming, triathlon, and modern pentathlon. At the unswimmerlike height of just 5' 2", Taormina refined her exceptional freestyle swim technique to win a gold medal in the 1996 Olympics and the 2004 ITU triathlon world championship. For 15 years, Taormina has coached elite and age-group swimmers and triathletes to develop the strong underwater pull that propelled her to such athletic success in her racing career. Taormina conducts dozens of swim clinics around the world each year.