500yd combat swimmer stroke in 7 min!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.พ. 2025
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It is a 25 yard pool is what these guys are swimming. Severna Park Community Center Pool. The Navy SEAL mentor does the PSTs here as well. 10 x 50yd laps = 500yds
See two specwar candidates break 8 min in the full 500yd swim using the CSS.
One almost broke 7 min (7:05) and the other got 7:45. Both were efficient but the faster was averaging 3-4 strokes per length and the 7:45 averaged 6 strokes per length with a lot of additional flutterkicks.
Neither are swimmers. Both collegiate athletes (tennis / lax) however. Watch and learn!
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just came across this video. I am swimmer #2 in blue shorts. Its kinda funny watching my self swim. I just started the stroke a few days before that test and i have gotten my time down and my stroke count is around 4-5 for the full time. a few things that helped me a lot: not short stroking and allowing myself to actually glide. like Stew said in the video short stroking may seem faster, it is slower and very tiring. I did mostly flutter kicks in the video but the scissor kick is much more effective when you get it down. knowing your stroke count and breathing helps a lot in the endurance part of the 500. but practicing the stroke helped the most
Good job Ryan.., Keep it up
Thanks great video and it has helped a lot!!
@@tomaliafern4219 your a piece of shit man. Keyboard warrior, why you wanna talk shit about someone else's progress
@@tomaliafern4219 Obviously you are 12 years old. Your parents should take away your internet access.
Aaron Meyer I can swim faster than this guy tho so how am I a keyboard warrior if I’m better than who I’m shot talking?
My routine. Though half is learning the technique the other half is getting your cardio up to handle 500yds of this stroke. And lots of practice - Remember this - "Don't practice until you get it right - Practice until you cannot get it wrong..." ~ Darryl Johnston
Hey Stew, I was not able to swim 75m straight without almost dying in the water, after watching your video in depth a swam 500m without getting out of breath, I couldn't believe it, and I could've kept going too after I reached 100m, I told myself go for the Navy Seal PST distance. Thank you for making this video, most efficient way to swim by far.
James Juzwa - thanks - love to hear people seeing success with swimming. This is just one method of many ways to swim. Keep it up.
Beautiful technique i cant wait to get it down like that
Omg I figured it out. I had no idea how this guy could move across the whole pool in only three strokes but I did it yesterday!! Its all in the glide fellas. Now I just need to master this technique and I will be as fast as this guy in no time!! Love it! Thanks for the vid, its priceless to us hopefuls.
I sent my video to Stew and he said I was over gliding 😂 idk what to do because it feels like if I glide any less I’ll end up short stroking
He Mr stew, I'm 19 and going for a diver spot. I started swimming this stroke about three weeks ago at a 14 minute pace. sense I started to copycat this video, iv dropped a little over 4 minutes on my time. thank you!
Joshua Shepard u
Joshua Shepard Nice!
Going for ND now, also 19 at the time of writing. Did you achieve your goal in the there years since this comment?
Nice
Hey man how often did you swim to drop that time? How many laps did you do a day (yards)??
You have helped me more then you would ever know... went from DNF to 8:23 in 3 months hoping to break 7
Jacob Sims nice work
CCT candidate here. This is really helpful for a guy who has never had any true swimming lessons, just kind of taught myself before this
CCT for AF right? Is this stroke allowed on the PAST or only freestyle?
Did you make the cut bro
7:05 is definitely not bad for a non swimmer doing 500 yards CSS. Swimmer 1 stayed relaxed throughout the swim and held his form better than swimmer 2, who tightened up when he got tired. Relaxation is the key to this, as a relaxed swimmer will always utilize the glide portion more effectively than a less relaxed swimmer. We did this with a group of seals when we went on a team training trip in December and it was actually quite fun. It was definitely a nice change of pace from our usual workouts lol.
well what's excellent
I will race u
Holy crap.. this is absolutely phenomenal.. I swam this the other day and got it in 13:48
Took me 25 minutes my first time ( am a little fit man 😂 ) swimming is different 💪
Even when I was enlisted & physically able, I knew I couldn't endure the training they put you through. They encourage failure because they only want the extraordinary of the phenomenal. I salute the men & few women who've endured it. They protect us daily & we never know it.
pararescue is a dream and this video is helpful in preparing me. college first, enlistment later I have time.
After watching and practicing the technique of swimmer #1 I'm able to swim 500 yds under 8 min. Thank you sir!
Stew, I am trying to convince people that power side stroke is faster than breast stroke. I picked up scissor kicking to prep for knee replacement. I saw a couple of young navy guys at the pool doing the combat swim which is a step or three above the more common side stroke. After, surgery, I picked it up again. Day dreaming while swimming laps I thought, the top arm creates a lot of drag by staying under the water, what happens if I pull it over the top like freestyle? No one had ever seen it done like that. Turns out it was how they did it in the 1890's when the current record for 100 yard side stroke was set at 1:02.5. I am 65, and can do a 50 sprint at about 45 seconds, which is about 15 seconds faster than I did a year ago. If you co ordinate the over hand and the pull, you can thrust more effectively into the next stroke, kind of like that final push to the wall in free style. It is way past time for some youngster to smash that old record. I can do a 500 in about 9:30, while my freestyle comes in at 9:00. Oh, you can do flip turns with the power side stroke. The power side stroke is a step or two faster than the combat swim... Oh, I swim on one side for one length, and the other for the next length. Excellent for hamstrings and quads.
Can't lift your hand out of the water on CSS. That's the point. Lower profile. While the top pull is basically in water freestyle your version would only work for civilian use. If you need to get somewhere fast and efficient, a better freestyle will alway be better unless you can't swim it for some reason.
I swam the 500 yard CSS on a 25 yard pool last week and achieved my personal best time at: 8:51
My new goal is: 8:15
I've been working on my stroke technique and on building endurance in order to more efficiently push off the wall and glide as far as I possibly can every single lap!
My current PST mock scores are consistently getting better because I'm working hard.
Swimming, running, and pullups are the toughest events for me.
Thank you for posting this video. I am a Specops/Specwar potential candidate.
👍
Good luck with the glide. It really works - just pull hard / kick hard not faster.
This is an older video I know, but I’m a AST candidate for the CG and this helped so much, actually SEEING how to glide and be efficient in kicks, strokes and breathing, I was exhausted doing the 500 yard swim the wrong way, this way literally cut 3:30 off my time, it’s not 7:30 yet but it will be soon
Nice
I'm sure you are aware but for the AST test you need to swim freestyle not CSS. The two don't necessarily cross. I swim CSS pretty well for long distances but I'm really not a good freestyler over 200m. Definitely make sure you can swim 500m free if you are doing AST
@@StewSmith182I want to fight a SEAL in a bar fight. How can I make happen and do you have any tips?
Keep going and adding in running too. I try to swim 4-5 days a week as well as run that often. Build up to that much over time - maybe increase 10-15% each week.
this is actually really helpful. Im getting ready for my PAST test for the Pjs. thanks!
How'd the PAST work out for you?
Are you a PJ
7 years apart, same goals, its also called the IFT now 🧐
it's really cool how it looks like they're going slow yet they're gliding for such a good time! I think my problem is I always try to short stroke, thinking I'm going faster because i get more strokes. I'm going to absolutely try to glide a little bit more like swimmer #1, thanks for the upload Mr. Smith!!!
Gosh, Stu seriously thank you so much. I've been looking for a video exactly like this for close to 3 years. Always trying to improve. Thanks again!
Come on focus on the swim ladies - not the comments...
CSS, critcal swim speed
Critical Swim Speed (CSS) is defined as the theoretical fastest pace that a swimmer can maintain continuously without exhaustion, your aerobic swimming threshold. Your CSS is computed using your time for a 400 m or yard time trial, and your time for a 200 m or yard time trial.
Freestyle is much faster than the CSS usually. Most guys get around 6 - 6:30 min 500yd when doing freestyle. But you are right 500m = 545yds
Keep it up - it takes practice near DAILY
Hey Stew, I got your book back in the day, in preparation for a Dam neck interview. Good stuff man! I am not a Frog, I am a Diver. My PST swim was 8 flat with CSS. I Was NOT fresh when we started the swim, we ran (forever) to the pool. Long story short, my numbers improved a great deal because of your book! Thanks!
awesome to hear. Thanks for the note and your service
Been training for dive school, so thanks for all of your videos and info, Stew. Had no idea you are from Live Oak. I'm from Lake City. Again thanks for everything and your service.
Good luck with the training. Yep - went to USNA back in 1987 from LO - Suwannee High School!
the bodybuilders are always the first to go...
Man, swimmer #1's double arm pull and scissor kick are tremendous... so is #2's, especially compared to mine. Hope I get that fast soon
Get a kick board and practice - practice - practice. ALso when on the ground do 36" flutterkicks to work those hip flexors
Yes yards to meters is usually a 20-30 second difference in this stroke depending on your last lap pace. CSS with fins is what you need to focus on - you will be faster with freestyle for your PAST 500m.
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I think you both did an excellent job. Keep up the good work. I'm using this video as motivation.
I’m currently in search and rescue training.. I have 9 minutes to qualify. I need this dude’s consistency asap lol
If it's any help, I'm 5'7" at 200 lbs, and average about 20 seconds (compared to his 15 sec from one end to the other) and make it half way on the kick off. Still have quiet a ways to go, but Stew's advice on technique has helped me overcome some hurdles for sure!
thats good. even when i start naturally bulking during winter i can feel my cardio and endurance decline from just the few 5-8lbs added on. a few pounds definitely has its impact. you should try getting one of stews books. even if you dont follow the routines religiously, it still gives a great workout and lets the body adapt to military style PT
Ngl I’m on the swim team at my school and unfortunately I am a 500 Free swimmer, but my best time is 5:59:87. Barely beat 6 mins! My city meet is today at 2 PM. Gonna try and beat my best time
Thank you for this video. I'm trying to grasp the concept of the CSS. I myself am not a strong swimmer as far as stamina but I'm working on it. I'm an older cat looking to make it into buds. Thank you again.
Been a swimmer for past 11 years. To see complete aquatic beginners do 8's withe stroke is impressive
Yes a great pace is a yard or meter per second. So a 500m / 500yd swim is 500 seconds = 8:20. Keep working at that pace. A 1:45 is is 105 seconds so you are in the ballpark. In a short time you will be crushing the 8:20 pace "minimum standard" I set for my students.
depends - you will get called out if your arm comes out of the water so keep the recovery underwater otherwise it is not an "underwater recovery stroke"
Very awesome, motivating to see where times can get down to if you focus on efficiency, technique, and grinding it out.
awesome video's, been watching alot of them as i train up for pararescue. thanks for all the info.
Work with a SEAL mentor. You won't excel in the pool as much swimming and learning on your own. Get to know the other guys that are working with the mentor in your area and go to swim pt's together. Helps out so much!
Thank you for all the great info online and in your videos Mr. Smith! I have some questions, and I would really appreciate a response.
1. Should you flutter kick after every scissor kick--as one's gliding (like 2nd swimmer), or stay streamline and just glide for the sake of conserving energy? (Is flutter kicking even allowed for CSS?)
2. Do you recommend using fins(very little, from time to time) strictly for checking one's kicking form? (So you catch form mistakes early, and make sure it translates well into kicking with the fins later on).
Thank you in advance!
I'Il have to try this. Never heard of CSS until I saw this video. I've been trying to train for PJ on and off pool training. I started with just swimming for 25 meters, already running out of breath and now maxing at 250 meters (so disappointed). Then again, I've always been using freestyle. Good to know CSS is what everyone recommends just by reading through the comments.
Update?
Yes - we all know you can swim the breast stroke and the side stroke for the BUD/S PST no one is doubting you. The combat swimmer stroke is just a nick name for a modified side stroke. I have seen guys swim the breast stroke sub 6 min and the CSS in sub 6 min as well. It is not that uncommon among collegiate swimmers / water polo players. These guys are not swimmers and still pushing 7 min zone.
This pool is a YARD pool not a METER pool. We have both 500m swim test and 500yd swim tests in our military (different branches) so we know there is a difference.
Cant wait to be able to do this. Just like running. I gotta learn how to walk
These guys are crushing it; however, a PST or qualifying swim for BUDS, SWCC or EOD is done in a fifty yard pool. That does make for quite a difference. A 25 yard or even meter pool allows for greater conservation of energy because you are crossing a good part of the pool with just the kick off the wall. Which also reduces your stroke count. In a fifty meter pool you may still have a 10 to 15 yard kick off, but you still have to stroke for 35 to 40 yards which will wear you down and increase time. If you are going to be taking any sort of qualifying swim test, ensure you are training for the size pool you will be swimming in.
Jd88 - the local SEAL mentors swim in any pool they can find. Some are 25yd / some are 50yd. Depends what you get. Typically the swimming is about 25-30 seconds slower in a 50yd pool
@@StewSmith182 you need to train in the pool size used at the actual facility in Coronado which is a 50.
08turboSS you can only swim with what you have. Been doing this with countless SEAL candidates for 20 yrs. Not sure what to tell you other than - IT DOES NOT MATTER.
I guarantee training in a proper sized pool, the quicker of the two guys will be lucky to do it in under 9:30. Takes more energy. And in a SEAL world swims are rarely short and often in cold water at 64° to 58° and if in winter training, the air temps are 45 to 60. Ots why one must learn to work as a team and snuggle with your buddy in the water to stay warm. If you try to fight everything and do it alone or on your own you will fail and be washed out.
The minimum allowed 500 yrd swim is 12:30, max is 10 flat. Not many have gotten under 9:40. But your better off conserving energy and going for middle ground on all the testing instead of maxing out, otherwise you'll have no energy left to finish the other tests.
I have watched this video many times now. Whenever I swim 500 yards, I can barely swim that distance under 10 minutes. My average time for a 500-yard swim is probably around 10:30 to 11 minutes.
SHould not make a huge difference - maybe an added stroke per length at the most. Measure it with a tape measure and use 500 yds = 457meters. Usually we swim 9 laps and a kick off (8 yds) when testing in a 25meter pool.
I am working with a mentor right now. Mentor's insight and building relationships with the other guys have helped with my overall fitness. Still not close to this dudes swim in the video... that's just ridiculous.
I'm at my PST first time and never learned this. Learning it now before we start 😭😭
Brutal
Not a good first impression - should have waited to learn this first - crush the PST THEN join the military. www.stewsmithfitness.com/blogs/news/four-steps-to-get-prepared-for-spec-ops-profession
@@StewSmith182 yeah but I crushed everything else. So ill be back in 2 weeks
No - you wear shorts at BUDS when you swim
I would do those exercises 3 times a week personally. 48 hours in between each is plenty rest. Swimming strokes is fine but you need to add swimming with fins eventually if you want to get ready for BUDS.
Open turns are best with this stroke.
+Stew Smith at my pst we aren't allowed to get even close to half way before we are supposed to come up
+ThePro - that is pretty new to PSTs then. But usually people cannot do 10yd+ off the wall for 10 laps - some can. It is not a written rule for all PSTs - maybe it should be so things will differ in kick off / pullouts from site to site.
Stew Smith yeahh I'd love to be able to do that but it probably isn't written its probably our scouts helping to prepare us for the boot camp pst because I've heard they're pretty strict about everything there
+ThePro yeah I wasn't able to kick off and double arm pull at my PST. Or wear goggles. It hurt my score, so I'll have to adjust my practice. The problem with that is the pool I practice in has a much higher chlorine content.
That makes no sense. You should be able to kick off / double arm pull every turn at a PST. Some guys make up rules just to mess with you.
Sure
He is pretty tall (6'2")but not super tall. If helps to be taller but I am a average size power lifter football player 6 ft 200lbs and have gotten under sub 7 min. I have seen many short guys who can swim well. Sure a taller guy can swim optimally but short guys can too...
hold your glide longer, work on relaxing your legs for the kick, work on your kick, work on your arm pull. also swimming with camis on adds a lot of resistance when propelling yourself, so 6 strokes to get across a 25m pool isnt that bad, your stroke number wouldve been lower had you been swimming 25m long pools than 50m. i would work on treading and underwater swimming with camis (no boots), and then subsurface swimming with camis and boots. boots make a hell of a difference.
traditionally I see about a 20 sec difference in swimming short vs long m / yd courses.
I've always wondered this, good question and good answer. Thanks!
Im going to try this when I go swimming.
It took me forever to learn this damn stroke
Baby steps - just go easy into it and it will come.
total 500 time is only 20 sec difference slower if using longer course in my experience. You are faster with a good kick off and glide every 25m or 25yds.
Hey stew! I am dedicating the next 4 years of my life to physically prepare for buds. Is aiming for a 7 minute 500yd swim a good time to aim for? Or should I try to do better than that? I’m extremely curious about this because online it says minimum 12:30 and average 9:30 but I understand that getting selected in buds you have to go above and beyond the average and the minimum
Plenty. In fact many make thru BUDS with 8-9 minutes
I freestyle the 500m for PJ PAST at an average of 7:30-7:40. He'd have to go down and back again for it to be 500m instead of yards, so he'd finish with a 7:45 with his lap times. But I definitely feel a need to develop a good CCS. He barely looks winded and is just a hair slower.
Good coaching!
When I first started training for SAR my swim CSS was around 15 minutes. My CSS swim is currently 10:30 to 10:50. I've been swimming 6 days a week for 3 months and I feel like my technique is good but my improvement has plateaued. I'm trying to get my swim to 9:30 ATLEAST, ideally sub 9. Is kicking and gliding as far you can to around the middle of the pool the best way to shave off time? Or should I keep working on my stroke?
It will help but adding pushups into your routine (more volume per week) - 3 times a week will also help you with pushups..
Trust me. I got my act together long time ago.
Im no longer doing a bodybuilding workout. Though I am still hitting the gym (4-5 times a week). But more of a "fitness" /"strength building" workouts.
zakarias1886 do tell
Sure - practice doing the PJ PAST and master swimming 500m and running 1.5 miles fast - along with crushing pullups, pushups, situps for starters...That is your entrance exam.
Stew, can you do the css for the PJ past test or does it have to be freestyle? I'm training freestyle and am having major troubles breathing. This seems to be a little better for me. Thoughts??
I usually run. The last time I timed my 1.5 mile run I got 8.50, so im pretty comfortable there, at least for now. I'm focusing more on the swim because I suck at it.
do the stew smith push up push, its worked for me fantastically. if youre like me when i was looking to increase my reps, id try to find every push up routine on the internet and look at the reviews to see if people got good results, but trust me your best bet is the push up push workout by stew smith
swim. do regular swimming exercises. 1:30 for a 100 is a warm up pace if not slower for a year round swimmer. I hold 1:10 when I swim (warm up) but for a recreational swimmer getting in shape aim for 7:30 500's regular freestyle. and build your yards each week. 2k yards every mon-friday then next week add 1k etc.
Here I was I thought I invented this stroke on my own just found it now, lol.
I start competing for a SWCC contract tomorrow. Seven minutes as fast as hell.
I think most kick get them half distance of the pool then the trick is kick and then glide. No panic movt or crazy kicking. Of course turbulences and side waves that came out of no where happened.
real helpful in real wave crashing ocean situation like at the Bay.
Can't wait to join the Navy at 17 to persue my dreams.
Dont be in a hurry...take some time to prep and be ready: www.stewsmithfitness.com/blogs/news/dont-set-a-timeline-set-a-performance-line
Stew,
Old guy here, getting back into swimming shape from ages ago at USNA. CSS is getting me there quickly and I am amazed at how far each stroke will take me (3-4 strokes for a pool length). I also am amazed that my heart rate drops during my CSS laps, compared to my breaststroke and freestyle laps. You guys have really figured this out. BZ.
My question: I saw you recommend that a baseball player protect his throwing arm by using it as the bottom arm. For those of us looking for even strength development on both side of our bodies, can it make sense to switch side to side on the CSS -- so the first pull (top arm from arms extended) is with the right arm for one stroke cycle with the breath taken to the right, and then switch so the first pull is with the left arm the next full stroke cycle with the breath taken to the left?
Swimmer 2 actualy had his head tilted a bit upwards which slowed him down and made his neck drag through the water he wasn't properly commiting or pressing on his "buoy"
And 99% of swimming at BUDS is with fins using the CSS. That is why I do not recommend the breast stroke
I know that - but these guys were not swimming breaststroke as you stated. And if you are going to make smart ass comments on my page you will get them back
No one is angry at you - you were either misunderstood in your orignial comment OR you do not know the difference between CSS and breast stroke. Your comment: "meh......one did it breast stroke for about 6 minutes....." came across as either one of the swimmers in the video did breast stroke or you know a guy who did it in 6 min breast stroke. Nothing in your comment states some of your later explanations. Once again we all know the breast stroke is an option for BUDS PST.
Thanks for uploading
NICE. I picture is worth 1000 words.
Thanks, headed to the water right now!
do you have any workouts on how to get in good swimming shape, because i am at about a 9:20 swim and i am just gassed and go so slow at the end.
The best way to become a better swimmer is to just keep swimming. There is no secret.
+TheCelticsAREboss the secret is to eat 99 endurians every year. those fruits are so hardening that you will get swole within centuries.
Disregard the below question, found my answer on another video. Thanks
Stew, first, thank you for all of your videos and information that you have made available for all of us!
I need some help! I am currently in the DEP for the Marine Corps on a Reconnaissance contract. Admittedly, my swimming needs the most work. My 500M time in camis (no boots) is 15-16 minutes. Even slick my stroke rate is absurdly high, about 12 strokes to get across the 50M pool...So 24 strokes per 100M. How can I get my stroke rate down and increase my glide.
When Should i do that; when i wake up and before i go to bed? How many days a week?
How long should these workouts last? I hear most students drop from indoc.
Can swim over a mile straight but still trying to break into the 9ms time lol
Awesome! Thanks for your help!
I wonder what my time will be if we did our Pst in a smaller pool
about 20-seconds faster
Hey Stew, I was wondering what I can do to increase my endurance gradually. I am already going to the pool three days a week at about and hour each. Also thank you for sharing all of these videos because I learned this stroke from your channel.
Thanks
YES
I counted and he only did 450m. The instructor jumped from 150 to 250 when counting him. Nonetheless still an excellent video and I learned a lot about good technique
Mike Rellinger 10 laps - you counted wrong
Your time is really good. 500 m under 9 minutes for a thirteen year old isnt bad! Just keep working out, study hard, and take cear of yourself, and one day youll be a seal.
PS. I also have the dream of becoming a navy seal.
I am thirteen and training to be a Navy SEAL i have been working on swimming and i use a 50m pool i got 1minute 45 seconds for 100m is that good i don't know. I hope to join my school swim team to improve my time.