Improve your stroke technique, starts, and turns. * Improve your feel of the water by learning to anticipate and effectively manipulate the reacting flow of the water. * Understand the hydrodynamics of swimming and learn how water reacts to the forces you apply with each swimming stroke. * Improve your conditioning and develop a better training program by understanding the principles of training. * Learn how to design different types of workouts to produce specific physiological effects. * Learn how to plan a seasonal program and how to relate your training to the pace of the race you intend to swim.