21 Top Laws of Swimming

Found this via Glenn Mills of goswim.tv

Top 21 Laws of Swimming from Jerry Heidenreich, a four time Olympic medalist, 2 of them gold.

----cut & pasted from this URL---
http://www.breaststroke.info/21laws.htm

1. Three of the most important components of swimming are: technique,technique, technique.

2. Strive for optimum, not maximum, performance.

3. Learn to balance, align, and stabilize your body first. Everything else will become easier.

4. Seek the path of least resistance.

5. Find the path of most resistance.

6. To become effortless requires great effort.

7. Listen to the water, feel the water, be one with the water. Swim quietly.

8. The mind leads the body.

9. The harder you work, the harder you can play.

10. Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect. What you do in practice will determine what you do in meets.

11. The fastest swimmers are the ones who slow down the least.

12. The fastest you ever travel is when you dive off the block and push off the wall.

13. Slice through the water, don't plow. Make your middle name"streamline".

14. Don't think of pulling the water. Learn to anchor your hands,wrists, and forearms, and hold onto the water. Learn to use your legs for balance and body stabilization.

15. Power is generated from the hips and torso. Use your shoulders for your recovery and to generate additional arm speed.

16. Relax from the inside out.

17. Never look back.

18. Attack your race, attack your opponent.

19. Embrace your opponents. They make you a faster, better swimmer.

20. Use visual and mental imagery of yourself achieving and surpassingyour goals.

21. Swim smart, use your head, and keep your head still.