Tactical Fitness Report with Stew Smith Podcast · Stew Smith

CSS - Combat Swimmer Stroke or the Elementary Side Stroke for the Navy PST? Your Choice.

·48 min·3 clips

Stu says the CSS gets an A for efficiency, but the elementary side stroke can still be the better choice for some swimmers.

1. Tactical Fitness Report with Stew Smith Podcast focuses on CSS versus the elementary side stroke for the Navy PST. 2. Stu Smith hosts the live Q&A and speaks from his own coaching experience with SOAS candidates, swimmers, and military trainees. 3. The episode asks which stroke is faster, which is more efficient, and which one leaves a swimmer less exhausted on a 500-yard Navy PST. 4. Stu says the PST requires an underwater recovery stroke, so freestyle recovery does not qualify for the swim test. 5. He names breaststroke, side stroke, and the modified side stroke as valid options for the PST. 6. He says CSS has been nicknamed the combat swimmer stroke over the years, and he places that nickname in the mid-1990s. 7. Stu shows a YouTube short that compares CSS on the top and elementary side stroke on the bottom. 8. He points out that CSS glides with both hands over the head, while elementary side stroke uses a lead-arm, trail-arm glide. 9. He says streamlined body position can make either stroke fast, and he mentions seeing a swimmer glide four yards per kick. 10. Stu describes the fastest elementary side stroke he has seen as a 6:20, but he says that swimmer was a collegiate swimmer and water polo player. 11. He says CSS is usually faster for non-swimming athletes, which is why he tends to teach CSS first. 12. He still teaches elementary side stroke to people with labrum tears, post-surgery shoulders, or tight shoulders that cannot hold a torpedo-like position. 13. He says elementary side stroke can also be useful for recon guys taking a 500-yard or 500-meter swim test in full camis. 14. Stu ranks CSS as an A for efficiency and elementary side stroke as a B, while noting that too much flutter kick reduces CSS efficiency. 15. He says the elementary side stroke usually takes more strokes because the bottom arm moves first and the top arm follows. 16. Stu says he and his team will test both strokes this week and decide which one works best for their PST assessment. 17. The tone is instructional, and the format is a live Monday-morning Q&A with swim demonstrations and viewer questions. 18. Stu also answers questions about running shoes, EMDR, selection age, failure versus fatigue, treading, and PST pacing. 19. Listeners who want Navy PST swim technique and selection prep will get the most value. 20. Listeners wanting a tightly edited story or non-military content will probably skip it.

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