POOL BASED TRAINING
Open-Water Swim Special 2019 / / 901
Get comfortable
swimming close
to other swimmers
In a busy open-water swim,
it’s impossible to find clear
water - plus you’d miss out on
the benefits of drafting. To get
comfortable swimming close
to others, grab an empty lane
with some friends and swim
together in a tight pack two or
three abreast. You might get
knocked every now and then,
or splashed in the face, but
you’ll soon get used to it.
02
Breathe bilaterally
to swim straighter
If you have a balanced,
symmetrical stroke then you
will naturally swim straighter.
The key to stroke symmetry
is to breathe every three
strokes (bilateral breathing)
during the majority of your
swimming training. If you
struggle with this then make
sure you are breathing out
continuously underwater
when you aren’t breathing - it
makes bilateral much easier.06
Arrowheaddrafting
Thisis a moreadvanced
formofdraftingthatrequires
a littlemoreskill.Instead
ofswimmingbehindthe
swimmerinfront,swimtothe
sideofthemsothatyourhead
is aboutlevelwiththeirbelly
button.Getascloseaspossible
andsynchroniseyourarm
turnoverwiththeirstoavoid
clashingandmakesureyou
breatheintowardsthem.
You’llsoonbesweptalong
intheirbowwave!05
Learntosight
effectively
Tonavigateroundthebuoys
ona swimcourseyouneedto
lookforwardtoseewhereyou
aregoingeverythreeto 12
strokes(dependingon
conditionsandhowstraight
younaturallyswim).Tosight
effectively,keepyourheadlow
asyoulookforwardwithjust
youreyesabovethesurface
(notyourmouth).Geta quick
lookandthenrotateyourhead
tothesidetobreathe.03
Develop versatility in your breathing
The ability to breathe easily to both sides and to be
able to swap at will is invaluable. If a big swell is coming from
your left then you need to be able to breathe to your right. Or
perhaps you have a key competitor on your left you need to
keep an eye on! Practise breathing to both sides regularly in
training, ideally breathing every three strokes if you can (as in
the previous tip on bilateral breathing).04
Accelerate out of turns
A fun exercise is to swim normal laps of the pool but
instead of turning and pushing off the wall, turn two metres
short when you’re above the black ‘T’ on the bottom, as there
is no wall in open water. You can do this by performing a
somersault (a tumble turn away from the wall) or by quickly
dropping your legs and swivelling on the spot. The key is to get
back up to speed as quickly as possible afterwards.
“Grab an empty lane
with two friends and swim
together in a tight pack”