Strategy of efficiency. Tell me which you would rather do: swim 46 seconds 50s (x10) with dolphin kicks and pullouts. (7:40) or take out pullouts & dolphin kicks and swim 47 seconds 50s with 10 to 12 fewer kicks and two extra breath per 50 m? (7:50) (100-120 kicks less + 20 extra breaths?) Still swimming sub 8 min? Mastering the CSS is more than just "pull-breathe-kick-glide".

Many military diving and rescue swimming training programs include a wide variety of pool skills. One of the most overlooked and frankly ignored by students is treading. Because treading is easy, right? Wrong! Here is a question from a recruit preparing for a military diving program in the future, who is curious about how to add in treading workouts: Stew, do you have any recommendations on how much I should be treading before Navy Dive School? I can swim well, but I struggle to tread water without my hands. It is much easier for me to sink than float. Thanks, Joseph. Joseph, it is smart that you recognize treading is something you need to work on regularly. When you are negatively buoyant (sinker), treading water is extra effort and requires both technique and conditioning to keep you afloat for longer without using your hands. Most tread tests in Navy Special Warfare/Special Operations will require treading without hands. Here is what we do: Add Treading to Warmup/Cooldowns – Warmup with a 10-minute tread without using your hands (as much as possible). NO grabbing the edge of the pool, but when you start to sink, use your arms to keep you on the surface. But once you have recovered, take away the arms again. You can either start or end your workout with this 10-minute treadmill “warmup or cooldown”. Add Treading to the Workout (as rest) – Resting with treading is easier said than done, but when you can build up to it as an active rest exercise, you are getting into the type of swimming conditioning needed to excel in these pool skills. We will typically do 100-200m swim sets, and for the rest, tread for 1 minute with (or without) hands. A good swimming workout is roughly 1500-2000m of distance per workout (with or without fins), so depending on your sets, you can get 5-10 minutes of treading time accumulated in the workout alone. A classic workout is the 50/50 - Swim 50m of freestyle / Swim 50m of CSS, for 10-15 sets. Rest in between each set with a 1-minute tread, float, or bottom bounce to mix in more pool skills you will need to improve during your preparation phase. Not only will you need to master treading, but you will also need to learn the drownproofing skills. Mix those into the workout “rest” sets as well.

The RULES: First, the 500yd Navy Physical Screening Test (PST) allows for the elementary side stroke, the breaststroke, or the modified side stroke nick-named the Combat Swimmer Stroke. The general theme is that these strokes must be "underwater recovery strokes." However, beyond the PST (getting accepted into training) will require the addition of swimming and SCUBA diving with fins mostly in open water. 99% of your swimming will be done in fins once you are accepted into the training. So, if you choose to use breaststroke as your PST stroke, you will also need to learn the side stroke with fins to succeed beyond Day 1 of training/selection and get THROUGH the training.  The Combat Side Stroke is about conserving energy and maintaining a low profile in the water. Avoid too many kicks, popping up to breathe, and not gliding long enough to maximize your efficiency. Pay attention to your body position and ensure your movements are streamlined and efficient. Count how many strokes it takes to get across the pool (note distance). Typically, we try to get our folks down to 4-5 strokes per 25-yard pool at a yard-per-second pace. See if you need help with any of the following steps of the CSS in the CSS HELP article series: The CSS HELP Series: Breakdown of the Stroke CSS Help: Fix Your Kick CSS Help: To Add Flutter kicks or Not? 

Just showing videos of people swimming the CSS and offering how to fix their issues. CSS = Combat Swimmer Stroke (aka modified side stroke)

These are good knots to know on a basic level, but if you are considering preparing for SEAL training and other various special ops diving programs, you need to learn these.