Cold Water Swimming Benefits: What the Research Shows, and What It Doesn’t
Cold water swimming benefits, checked against the 2026 research: what it does for mood, sleep and stress, what's still hype, and who should sit it out.
Vlad Paturca
KNZB‑certified swim coach, former Romanian national and international freestyle medalist, and founder of Win and Swim Amsterdam. Passionate about adult‑learners and evidence‑based technique. With bachelor degree in swimming and first aid course, swimming is my element.
How to Swim Breaststroke: A Coach’s Guide for Adults
How to swim breaststroke the right way: a coach explains the pull, breathing, timing and a knee-friendly kick, plus the drills that give you a real glide.
How to Swim Without Getting Tired: A Coach’s Guide to Swimming Longer
Out of breath after one length? Here's how to swim without getting tired, from a coach: fix your body position, breathing, pacing and kick to swim longer.
The Best Swimming Pools in Amsterdam for Adult Lap Swimming
The wrong pool is the fastest way I have seen an adult give up on lap swimming in Amsterdam. Wrong hours, a single shared lane, water so warm you overheat after 400 metres, and within a month the goggles are…
Triathlon Swim Training in Amsterdam: A Coach’s Full Guide
Triathlon swim training in Amsterdam from a local coach: race distances, where to train, the NTB wetsuit rules and a 12-week plan for your first race.
How to Tread Water: A Coach’s 10-Minute Method for Adults
Most adults who struggle in the deep end share the same instinct: kick harder. It feels logical. It is also the fastest way to burn out your legs and slip under. Here’s how to tread water: lean back slightly, as…
How to Swim Properly: A Technique Guide for Adults
“I can get to the other end, so I can swim.” I hear that a lot from adults at our pool in Amsterdam-Noord. Then they push off, fight the water for 25 metres, and grab the wall gasping. Getting across…
Cold Water Shock: How to Safely Get Into Open Water Without Panicking
“I’m a strong swimmer, the cold won’t bother me.” That’s the sentence I hear right before someone gasps, grabs the dock, and climbs straight back out. The thing that catches confident swimmers off guard in a Dutch lake isn’t distance…
Outdoor Swimming in Amsterdam: A Local Coach’s Guide to the Best Spots
You’d think a city built on water would make outdoor swimming in Amsterdam easy. It doesn’t. Most of Amsterdam’s canals are off-limits, half the “beaches” you see on Instagram aren’t officially swimmable, and the rules change every season. So where…
How to Prepare for Open Water Swimming as an Adult
“I can swim laps just fine; how hard can a lake be?” That’s the line we hear most often from confident pool swimmers right before their first open water session humbles them. The truth is, open water swimming is a…