76 Swimming for Fitness
" Getting the best possible fit; try on fins with booties or other foot gear that
you’ll be using with the fins.Face Masks
A face-mask is required for swimming as prolonged
exposure to salt water and/or stinging marine organisms
may cause eye irritation or injury.For open water swimming, you
should
use your face masks.Open Water Training
There is no substitute for ocean or lake swimming. Training in open water will force
you to swim straight and develop a cycle of breathing that allows you to look forward in
order to navigate. This is an essential skill for operational swimming. Group swims in open
water are an excellent way to maintain fitness and should be used extensively in SEAL
training programs. Open water training will maximize the training effect of using fins.For operational open water swimming,
the sidestroke with a flutterkick
is superior to freestyle.
In rough open water and under operational circumstances you may want to combine
a scissor kick with a sidestroke pulling technique to maximize your navigational ability and
watch for breaking waves. However, sculling is as important in the sidestroke as it is in
freestyle. Both arms should be used to incorporate sculling motions and to stabilize the
swimmer's trunk while the kick provides the main thrust. There are stroke efficiency issues
with the sidestroke just as there are in other swimming strokes. Stroke coaching is
invaluable in developing good technique.Water Temperature Issues