You know front crawl, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly. So what is the fifth stroke? It is a nickname for underwater dolphin kicking, used after starts and turns in front crawl, backstroke and butterfly. Why can it be faster than swimming on the surface? When you swim at the surface, your body makes waves. Making those waves uses energy and adds resistance, called wave drag.

Your race has finished, but you may have another one later. What you do in the gap can help you arrive ready for your next swim. First, check in with your coach and follow their instructions. If there is a swim-down pool, your coach will tell you whether to use it and what to swim. Do not assume every meet has one. Dry off and put on your club clothing and poolside shoes. Return to the team area, have a drink and keep your hat and goggles together.

Your breaststroke pull-out connects your push from the wall to your swimming at the surface. Learning the sequence and its timing helps you keep your speed. A strong push gives you speed. A locked streamline helps you keep it. Here is one way to practise: Power glide. Push away on your front in a locked streamline: hands together, arms extended and your head between them. Hold that shape as the push carries you forwards. One dolphin kick. Keep your arms locked in st

Pacing means choosing how to use your effort across a race. The distance changes how you use your arms and legs. In a 50m sprint, aim for speed from the start: quick, effective strokes and a strong kick. Fast arms still need to move you forward, rather than simply splash faster.

Your body needs energy for swimming, everyday activity and growing. As you get bigger, the meals that suited you a year ago may no longer leave you feeling full. When you grow more quickly, sometimes called a growth spurt, you may feel hungrier than before. Tell your parent or carer if you regularly finish meals still hungry. They can help adjust your meals and snacks around school and swimming.

Training makes your body work. Afterwards, it needs time, food, drink and sleep to recover and benefit from the training. Recovery includes replacing energy you have used and repairing your muscles. It helps you prepare for the next session. Your part starts with a few everyday habits. Eat your planned meal or snack, keep drinking water and make time for sleep. You do not need an expensive recovery product to do these things well.

You might recognise the exercises in your warm-up but wonder why your coach puts them in a particular order. Raise, Mobilise, Activate and Prime describe four parts of preparing to swim. Each has a different job. Raise means gradually getting warmer. You begin with gentle movement so your breathing and heart rate increase before more demanding exercises. Mobilise means moving your joints through a comfortable range.

A pre-pool warm-up should prepare the parts of your body you are about to use. That includes your shoulders, body, hips and ankles. Your coach can help you choose a short routine from the Bluefins warm-up guides or cards. Use movements you have been taught and can control.

A swimming competition can last all day, even when your races are short. Food helps you stay fuelled for warm-ups, racing and the rest of your day. Pack familiar meals and snacks with a parent or carer. Choose foods you enjoy and know feel comfortable before swimming. Bread, pasta, rice and fruit contain carbohydrates, often called carbs. These provide energy your body can use when you swim.

A personal best, or PB, is your fastest time for an event in the same pool length. Beating it is worth celebrating. But what about the swims when your time does not improve? Your time tells you how quickly you finished, but not everything about how you swam. You might hold a tighter streamline after each turn, keep your stroke together on the final length or use a skill in a race that you previously managed only in training. Those improvements matter, even if they do not p