With more and more people talking about swimming technique, length, or distance per stroke, stroke counting is really an easy way for you to check to see how you're doing. It's simple, and very effective in helping you judge your progress. Here are some sets to help you figure out your ideal stroke count per length, and to help you develop a stroke-count "range."

I was recently asked about my views, or philosophy, on training young swimmers. Because so many parents are visiting the site, I thought we should revisit this question.

Last weekend I accompanied my stepson to his weekly diving class. My stepson's class was in one half of the pool. In the other half was a group of 10 to 12 adults swimming laps. Was this a Masters team? I wondered. There was a young woman sitting in a tall director-type chair at the end of one of their lanes, but it wasn't obvious whether she was a lifeguard or a coach....

I recently had the pleasure of dealing with a corporate call center and now have a new understanding of what it means to be in customer service. What follows is the true account of my dealings with a major TV service provider whom I will call "Dish N*twork." I am an idiot for not seeing the writing on the wall.

One year ago I posted an article describing my teaching experience with an eleven-year-old boy who'd never learned to swim because of a fear of putting his face in the water. Here's what a dream and a goal can do....

How many hours a day do you spend being unproductive as an athlete? You sit in school, you sit at work, you sit in the car on the way to practice, you sit while watching TV, you sit while playing video games, and then, oh yeah, you go to swim practice and feel like you've done enough.

When you grow up in Michigan and Ohio, snow is something you get used to. But you can get used to living without it, too. For example, I have really enjoyed living in (mostly) snow-less Maryland. It has been a mild winter, and up until a few weeks ago, I've felt like I was living in the SOUTH.

When I coach triathletes in the pool, I hammer home several simple, yet important points:

#1. Don't waste everything on the swim leg -- it's only the first leg of the race!...

In Mexico, the creation of an athlete is not a matter of luck. It demands patience, and is an adventure in constant creation. It requires of a TEAM and people willing to learn in spite of the cultural difficulties. Here is the story of one young Mexican athlete, Javier Gris Cid, Mexico's 2004 Triathlon National Champion, age 12-14.

Coaching is like learning to ride a bike. Once you get the hang of it you know how to do it for life. This is true, however, for only the most basic elements of coaching and bike riding.

Watching the news each night, I get more and more frustrated by...well...HUMANS. It seems that, increasingly, HUMANS are so caught up in success that they'll do anything, and take any short cut, to achieve it. Here's how swimming can do something to change all of that.

persistence, noun, the act of persisting, to refuse to give up, especially when faced with opposition or difficulty; to continue firmly or steadily in a chosen course or purpose. Stretch and fitness guru Tom Drum sends some inspiration to help you reach your goals in 2005.

Ever wish you could talk to an Olympic swimmer and ask him or her what it was like? Not just what it was like to swim THAT FAST, but what it took to get there? In our series of Olympic Interviews, Go Swim asks Olympians past and present about their early years, their training, motivation, successes, and failures. This week's featured Olympian is Rich Saeger, a member of the 1984 US Olympic Team.

In our day-to-day lives, we often get SO caught up in our tasks and responsibilities that we lose sight of the things that are really important. Over the past few days, I've had a tremendous opportunity to spend a couple of really nice hours with my son....

OK... so I'm no poet! But at least I tried!

Have a great Christmas, Chanukah, and New Year. Be safe, and train hard. This is a great opportunity to reclaim any missed training, or technique aspects that you've missed so far into the season. Most of all, have a great weekend.