A question about swimming.

[mike8009]

Hi, I am about to start my training that is going to be based on the BUD/S Warning Order which however implies that I should swim strictly in the sidestroke style. Now I have been swimming quite a lot when I was younger and I remember swimming a lot using the breaststroke, front crawl, backstroke and sometimes the butterfly style. I was never introduced to the sidestroke style actually and this is going to be my first time swimming in this style. My main question however is: According to the BUD/S Warning Order, should I (learn)train the sidestroke style only? I am interested in this because this(along with the CSS) is the most mentioned style on this website and many other SEAL/BUD/S training related sites.

I know I can get the info from various books/dvds regarding the NAVY SEALS training and what not, but at the moment I do not posses the financial means to purchase them while I would really like to start training according to the program starting next week because I have been doing some push up/pull up/sit up exercises(I haven't been fit for a few years now with absolutely no interest in sports whatsoever, but I would like to change that) to getting into a somewhat respectable beginners shape as it is suggested in the BUD/S WO. Long story short, I am a complete newb when it comes to any kind of PT, and would highly appreciate if any of you could help me with this only issue I am having as of now.

Cheers!

[king henry viii]

go to youtube, type in Navy SEALs. one of the results you get will be a dude teaching the CSS.

go to youtube, type in Stew Smith. you will get a video of him doing the CSS.

use both of those to teach yourself the CSS. That's what a lot of us did.

make sure you stay parallel to the surface of the water. do not lift your head to take a breath, but rather rotate your head, so the only thing out of the water is your face.

[mike8009]

Thank you for your answer. But there is one more thing I would like to know. By your answer, I suppose I should concentrate specifically on the Sidestroke/CSS, and forget or refrain from using the styles I have learned as a kid? Is this the main/only style that is used in the Navy, thus the most important one for me? Or is there any method of alternation?

Again, I apologise for my ignorance.

[joshdupre]

Well the sidestroke is the stroke you will learn and use in training etc. However still swim using your other strokes for training purposes. When I swim we always start out with the 500 sidestroke then we may do 3 laps breast stroke, 3 laps freestyle etc etc just for PT purposes to build confidence in the water/ to build up shoulders etc. We also do laps where we swim freestyle holding shirts/towels in each of our hands and we have to slap them on the water when we take a stroke. Don't forget the basics.

[mike8009]

Thanks for the reply. I shall train/learn the sidestroke and will also go back to the stuff I used to do. Only thing left is to get myself into a resepectable shape and join a group in order to perfectly balance and to bring some order into my training while learning new things which will help me improve my technique.

Cheers!

[leahy_j]

i learned the basics of the side stroke from watching the stew smith youtube video, but then when i got my contract my seal mentor showed me some better ways to do it