Technique is critical in swimming performance. In the pool or open water, coaches and athletes alike know that efficiency in entering the water and in moving through it equates to milliseconds of improvement-milliseconds that make all the difference in a competition. That's where The Swimming Drill Book continues to deliver. The first edition quickly became the best-selling drill book in the sport. Now, this second edition ups the ante with more drills, new variations, and expanded coverage to help every swimmer. Inside, you'll find more than 175 drills for refining strokes, correcting faults, and improving your feel for the water. In addition to mastering all four competitive strokes-freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly-you'll learn the essentials of body position, sculling, starts, turns, and finishes. You'll even find all-new coverage of open-water drills and strength band workouts to be performed poolside. See for yourself why The Swimming Drill Book is on the shelf of every serious swimmer and coach. It delivers every stroke, every skill, and everything you need for swimming success.

For three decades, David Wright has coached international swimmers who began their swimming careers in his Learn to Swim program, and this book is based on his experience guiding these swimmers. Wright saw many pitfalls that resulted in the sport losing 80% of its participants in their early teenage years-pitfalls that resulted in swimmers ending their careers broken and disillusioned. Shaping Successful Junior Swimmers examines the nature of the sport's early dropout rate and proposes steps to correct the problem. It discusses qualities that should be present in good conditioning and speed training programs as well as why these qualities encourage continued participation and championship performance. Also included are danger signs of poor programs that cause early dropout. In addition to important training factors are the decisions and behavior outside the pool that coaches, parents, administrators, and national federations can make and do to extend and improve every swimmer's involvement in the sport. Swimming champions are the product of good care in and out of the pool, and using this book provides the means for that good care.