If you ask me, the fastest stroke in swimming isn’t freestyle, fly, back, or breast — it’s streamline.

That moment when you push off the wall, arms squeezed tight over your head, body straight as an arrow, toes pointed… you’re moving faster than you ever will while actually swimming. Which means: if you master your streamline, you’re giving yourself free speed every lap.

Here’s why it matters:

• It’s your fastest position. Water resistance is lowest when you’re tight, straight, and narrow.
• It lasts longer than you think. Even a half-second longer in streamline every wall adds up over a race.
• It’s a separator. At championship meets, the swimmers who hold streamline the longest are often the ones who get their hand on the wall first.

Pro tip from Coach Mike: Next practice, focus on holding your streamline just a little longer before breaking out. Challenge yourself — can you get past the backstroke flags in practice without a single kick? That control and discipline will pay off big when the race is on the line.

Streamline might not be listed as an event, but it’s the stroke that can change every single one of your races. Master it, and you’ll be digging up gold every time you push off the wall.

— Coach Mike