Stop Blaming the Pool: What Your Swim Training Is Really Missing

Imagine you're at the blocks, heart pounding, goggles fogged. You dive in, swim your race, and touch the wall. You look up at the scoreboard: 1:02.34. Not a personal best. You're convinced it's the suit, or the lane, or the water. But here's the truth: the pool isn't your problem. Your training is.

Most swimmers blame everything except the one thing they can control: how they train. They obsess over equipment and lane placement, but they ignore the fundamentals. This isn't a feel-good article. It's a reality check. You need to train smarter, not harder, and that means understanding the actual rules, the actual pool, and the actual strokes.

Is a 50-Meter Pool Actually Slower Than a 25-Meter One?

Here's a myth that won't die: short course (25 meters) is faster because you push off walls more often. Well, yes and no. Short course does mean more wall pushes, which can boost your speed. But long course (50 meters) is the standard for Olympic swimming, and it's not slower—it's just different. The Olympic-size pool is 50 meters long, 25 meters wide, and at least 2 meters deep (Olympic swimming pool specifications). That depth isn't just for safety; it reduces turbulence. So if you're training in a shallow, choppy pool, you're not getting slower because it's 50 meters—you're getting slower because the water is moving. The lesson? Don't blame the length. Blame the waves.

Should I Buy the Fastest, Most Expensive Suit?

No. Stop. The high-tech suit era is over. Since 2010, World Aquatics has banned high-tech suits and requires textile-only fabric. Men's suits can only go from waist to knees, and women's from shoulders to knees (NBC Olympics). So that fancy suit you saw online? It's illegal in competition. And it won't make you faster. The 2009 World Championships saw 43 world records broken, all in high-tech bodysuits, which is exactly why they were banned (NBC Olympics). The suit wasn't making those swimmers faster—it was the technology. Now, everyone wears the same textile. So spend your money on coaching, not on a suit that won't pass inspection.

What's the Deal with the 15-Meter Rule?

You've probably heard the rule, but do you really understand it? In every stroke, after the start and each turn, you can stay underwater for no more than 15 meters (World Aquatics). That's it. 15 meters. Not 20, not 25. So if you're dolphin-kicking 18 meters off the wall, you're breaking the rule and you'll get disqualified. But here's the training implication: you need to practice your breakout. Most swimmers either surface too early or too late. You need to find that sweet spot—right at 15 meters. That means drills that measure your distance from the wall. It's not about kicking as long as possible; it's about kicking efficiently and breaking out at the right time. If you're not doing this in practice, you're leaving time on the table.

Why Is My Breaststroke So Slow?

Because you're probably doing it wrong. Breaststroke has the most rules of any stroke. You need a simultaneous two-hand touch on every turn and at the finish, and you must take one arm stroke and one leg kick per cycle (World Aquatics). But the real killer? The head. In breaststroke, your head must break the surface before your hands turn inward at the widest part of the second stroke after the start or turn (World Aquatics Swimming Rules Reference Card). That means if you're keeping your head down too long, you're illegal. And illegal means disqualification. But here's the training fix: practice your timing. Do drills where you focus on the head snap. Don't just swim breaststroke for distance; swim it perfectly. Also, forget the butterfly kick—a downward butterfly kick during the breaststroke stroke is not permitted (World Aquatics Swimming Rules Reference Card). So stop doing that, and you'll actually get faster because you'll stop wasting energy.

Can I Wear a Wetsuit in Open Water Races?

Open water is a different beast, but the same rules apply. In open water, wetsuits are compulsory when the water temperature is below 18°C, and they're not permitted at 18°C or above—unless the Chief Referee declares them mandatory in hazardous conditions up to 20°C (World Aquatics Open Water Swimming Rules). So if you're training for a 10K swim and the water is 18.5°C, you'll be swimming without a wetsuit. That means you need to train without one, even if it's cold. The wetsuit gives you buoyancy and insulation, so if you only train with it, you'll be lost without it. Also, in open water, you can't just grab the buoys. You have to round them, and if you miss a turn buoy, you'll be disqualified (World Aquatics Open Water Swimming Rules). So practice your sighting, not just your stroke.

Is It True That You Can't Stand on the Bottom?

Yes, in pool swimming, standing on the bottom is an infraction, except in freestyle (World Aquatics Swimming Rules Reference Card). So if you're doing breaststroke and you touch the bottom to rest, you're out. But in open water, standing on the bottom is allowed—as long as you don't walk or jump (World Aquatics Open Water Swimming Rules). So if you're in a lake and touch bottom, you can stand, but you can't take a step. That's a big difference. In training, you need to know which rules apply to your event. Don't practice standing on the bottom in a pool, because you'll never do it in a race. But in open water, you might need to stop and stand if you're fatigued. That's a strategic option.

What I'd Actually Do

Here's my advice: stop chasing equipment and start chasing the rules. Get a coach who knows the rulebook cold. Film your stroke and compare it to the technical rules. For example, in butterfly, both arms must be brought forward simultaneously over the water, and your legs must kick together in an up-and-down motion (World Aquatics). If you're doing a scissor kick, you're illegal. So fix that. And for goodness' sake, practice your turns. The 15-meter rule applies after every turn, and most swimmers lose races at the turn, not in the middle of the pool. I'd also recommend doing open-water races if you can, because they'll force you to be a better all-around swimmer. You'll learn to handle physical contact and mass starts, which are expected in the 10km Olympic race (NBC Olympics). But most importantly, train with intention. Every lap, ask yourself: 'Is this legal? Is this efficient?' If you can't answer yes, you're wasting your time.

Sources

• Olympic swimming pool specifications - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic-size_swimming_pool
• World Aquatics - https://www.worldaquatics.com
• World Aquatics Swimming Rules Reference Card (2023-2025) - https://eastswimming.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WA-Swimming-Reference-Card_13072023-Large-Print-Bold.pdf
• NBC Olympics: Swimming 101 Equipment, swimsuits and pool dimensions - https://www.nbcolympics.com/news/swimming-101-equipment-swimsuits-olympic-pool-dimensions
• World Aquatics Open Water Swimming Rules - https://www.aquaticapaulista.org.br/arquivos/2025/2025082012255.pdf