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🔨 How to Nail the Perfect Swim Finish
You’re in the final stretch of your race. Your lungs are burning, your legs are heavy, but this is where it really counts.
A strong finish can be the difference between a gold medal and a near-miss, a new personal best or just another swim. But powerful finishes don’t happen by accident—they’re built through technique, mindset, and training. Let’s break it down.
🏊 The Keys to a Strong Finish
Technique
🏊 Most swimmers slow down before the wall without realizing it. You’re not just trying to get to the finish—you’re trying to hit it at full speed.
✅ Body Position: Keep your body streamlined and head down.
✅ Stroke Execution: Avoid short, choppy strokes—lengthen out, but keep tempo high.
✅ Hand Placement: On freestyle/backstroke, stretch fully—your fingertips should hit first. On breaststroke/butterfly, lunge and finish with power.
⏳ What to avoid?
Gliding into the wall or taking a breath in the last stroke—that tiny hesitation costs races.
Mental Prep
🧠 Most swimmers mentally relax before the finish. That’s a mistake.
🚀 Here’s how to keep your head in it:
Set a "no-breath" zone: The last 5-10 yards, commit to NOT breathing.
Visualize the perfect finish: Before every race, imagine hitting the wall at top speed.
Sprint through the wall, not to it: The race doesn’t end until you touch.
🔑 Key Mindset Shift → Every stroke and kick should feel like you’re accelerating into the finish, not coasting to it.
Advanced Tactics
⚡ Maximize Speed in the Final Yards
If you’re looking to level up, try these:
🔥 Dolphin Kick Surge (Backstroke) – Use a powerful last dolphin kick into your final breakout for an extra burst.
🏁 "Lunge & Kick" (Breaststroke) – One final full-body drive forward instead of gliding into the wall.
🔄 Turn Review – If you mis-time your final stroke, don’t shorten it—take one more full stroke instead of gliding.
Fine-Tune With Video Analysis
Want to see exactly where you’re losing time?
📹 Reviewing race footage can pinpoint where you slow down or mis-time your final stroke.
➡️ Need help analyzing your finishes? Check out our video analysis packages here.
Practice Set : Beginner
💡 Goal: Sprint through the finish with maximum power
🚀 Set: (Freestyle Example)
🔹 6 x 25s ALL OUT @ :30 (focus on finishing at full speed)
🔹 4 x 50s last 15 max effort @ 1:00
🔹 2 x 100s negative split (second half faster than first half)
⏱️ The Bottom Line: Finish Like It’s a Race
It’s not just about how fast you swim—it’s about how strong you finish.
🏆 Key takeaways:
✅ Accelerate into the finish—don’t slow down.
✅ Mentally commit to an all-out last 5-10.
✅ Drill it in practice so it happens automatically in races.
💬 What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made on a race finish?
Stay fast,
The Swim Trident USA Team
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