Swimming is simple; It consists of two parts: shooting and kicking. However, swimming is not just about strength, technique or skill; it also concerns fluid dynamics, drag reduction and body structure. Due to the reduction in resistance, some swimmers will go to extremes to reduce resistance. The efficiency with which a swimmer kicks and pulls is also affected by water viscosity (the thickness of the water). In addition to having strong muscles throughout the body because almost all muscles are used during swimming, there are many variables that affect a swimmer's speed. Various forces slow a swimmer; two examples are friction and resistance. Water is 700 times denser than air, 55 times more viscous (Gibo, 2005, para. 3) and 1,000 times more resistant (Koff, Matkovich, McPhilips, 2004, para. 1). Because of this density, viscosity, drag, drag heavily affects the swimmer's speed. The viscosity of a liquid increases as its temperature decreases (“Viscosity”, n.d., par. 1). The average water temperature for a sports pool is 25.5-27.5 degrees Celsius, giving pool water a relatively high viscosity (“Air and Water Temperature Guidelines,” n.d., par . 21). Friction is caused by the constant contact between the swimmer and water molecules (Gibo, 2005, para. 4), causing the so-called frictional resistance. Frictional resistance comes into play especially when the swimmer is running at race speed. “The pressure around the swimmer increases due to the difference in speed of the water directly around his body” (Gibo, 2005, para. 6). Because drag has such a large impact, swimmers will try to reduce drag as much as possible. There are two ways swimmers can reduce the amount of drag they create: by shaving and using the right equipment... halfway through the paper ......a, MN: Smart Apple Media.Koff, T., Matkovich, E., & McPhillips, K. (2004, April 15). Retrieved November 6, 2013, from http://www.unc.edu/~tarak/Nagel, R. (2002). encyclopedia of science (2nd ed.). Detroit: UXL.Nasr, SL (n.d.). Retrieved November 5, 2013, from http://science.howstuffworks.com/swimsuit-swim-faster3. .htm Nelson, R., & McNeill, A. (Eds.). (1989, October 21). Influence of body hair removal on physiological responses during breaststroke swimming. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2691818Viscosity. (n.d.). Retrieved November 6, 2013, from http://www.chem.purdue.edu/gchelp/liquids/viscosity.html