Open Water Swimming Tips for Beginners
Triathlons can be very intimidating events. Often times you are facing runs of several miles and bike rides that are well over twice as long as the run. Couple that with the events being in extreme outdoor conditions (be they hot or cold) and it’s easy to see how a swim of maybe a mile in open water can be over looked. However, it is the swimming leg in open water that can often times make or break a triathlalon. Below are some general tips to help you with your first few ventures in open water swimming.
- 1. Familiarize yourself with the course/layout
One of the most important tips for open water swimming is to get to know the course or layout that you will be swimming in. Showing up a little early for your event and familiarizing yourself will allow you to gather important information that will aid you in your swim. Learning the water temperature will let you know whether you will need a heavy wet suit, a light one or maybe even just a racing suit. Knowing where the sun will be will allow you to decide between a lighter or darker pair of goggles. All of these will be important decisions that will make your open water swim as comfortable as it can be.
- 2. Training is important but open water training is invaluable
Training in a swimming pool has many benefits. It allows you to get splits, set distances and truly know how you are performing pace-wise in the water. However, there is one thing that training in a pool cannot do and that is to get you ready for the open water environment. The water is colder, it is extremely difficult to see anything at all and on top of it all there might be waves or currents to deal with. This drastic difference can unsettle and disrupt even the most experienced swimmers who have not been outside of a pool before. If at all possible try to get a few training sessions before your race in an open water environment. It will allow you to experience how cold water, poor visibility and changing water conditions can affect your pace. This is experience that will prove invaluable for your race.
- 3. Get acquainted with your equipment
Just like the open water environment, your equipment is something you need to have experience with using in your training. If you have several wetsuits, caps and goggles then you should try to use each different piece of equipment in your training. Learning what your equipment does and when to use it will allow you to more easily decide which equipment is best on the day of your event. Open water swimming can be very uncomfortable due to the varying temperatures and poor visibility. You want to be as best prepared to choose equipment that will ease some of that discomfort.
- 4. Spotting where you are in the water
As mentioned in a previous tip, visibility in open water swims can be and very often is poor at best. That is why it is important to learn how to adjust your breathing and incorporate spotting. Spotting is simply lifting your head to raise your eyes out of the water and looking to see what is in front of you. The most appropriate time use spotting is at the beginning of your breath cycle before you turn your head to breath. By placing your spot in this portion of your stroke you are incorporating spotting where it will least alter your stroke. It is important to note that you want to find a happy median between lifting your head too high and not lifting it enough. You don’t want to lift your head too high because it will cause your hips to drop and alter your swimming position. You don’t want to lift your head too little because then you may not get an accurate spot. The best way to find this happy median is of course to practice. Use spotting in your pool training sessions and try drills such as the Tarzan drill to help you train for lifting your head during your stroke.
- 5. Breathing
Because open water swims are typically long distances, breathing is a key element in your swimming stroke. Long distance swimming is a highly aerobic exercise so you will need to maximize the breathing cycle in your stroke. First, you want to establish a breathing rhythm that is comfortable for you. Try not to hold your breath too long. It is ok to breathe every other stroke if need be, just avoid breathing twice in a row (as this is highly inefficient). Second, be able to breathe bilaterally, or breathe to both sides. In open water, there can and will be waves during your swims. By breathing on the side away from the waves you can avoid getting a mouthful of water every time you take a breath. Finally, try to adopt a spotting rhythm as well. This will all be dependent on your ability to swim in a straight line and how quickly you can orient and adjust yourself in the open water. You want to minimize the amount of spotting you do and get the maximum amount of strokes between each spot that you can. By spotting every 8th or 10th stroke instead of every 2nd stroke you will make your swimming more efficient and will increase the speed at which you are a swimming.
- 6. Starting the race
At the start of open water swim thing can get very hectic and very physical. When several people are jammed in a tight pack and all of them are swinging their arms and kicking their legs, people are going to get hit. There are two different strategies to deal with the start. First, if you know you are going to be ahead of the majority of the racers, start your race off fast. Try to get out of the pack and get some space between you and the rest of the group. Second, if you are either going to be in the pack or just in the rear, show some patience. The open water swim is going to last several minutes, allow the flurry of arms and legs to fly by and find a spot in the group that matches your pace. In either strategy, spotting will be very important, you want to be very away of who and what is around you so that you can avoid any potential collision.
- 7. Pacing
After the start of the race, when everything has settled down, it is time to establish your pace. Find a rhythm in your breathing, spotting and stroke rate that you feel is comfortable. This pace will be determined by the training you have done prior to the race. A mental key to pacing during a long swim is to think of it as a long build up. As the race goes on, you want to feel as if you are getting faster and attacking your pace. Don’t let yourself feel as if you are wearing down and letting your pace slowly slip away. It is amazing how just a small mental adjustment like that can impact your performance.
- 8. Drifting and group hopping
A great thing about open water swimming is that you are not in a lane by yourself. You will have people in front of you and just like in NASCAR; this affords you the opportunity to drift. If during the race, you find that you are pacing at a similar rate as someone else, don’t be afraid to swim directly behind them on their feet. This will force them to do most of the work and allow you to maintain your pace with less effort. Do not be afraid to do this because there will be many people who will do the same to you. If person in the lead wants to take a break they will often slow down, allow you to pass and then drift off of you.
- 9. Drift Hopping
As the race wears on, you might begin to notice the person that you are drifting off is slowing down and unable to maintain close to your pace. If you want to maintain your pace you have two options. The first is to swim on your own. The second is to “drift hop”. Drift hopping is when you leave your drifting position and move to another that is nearby. You will have to rely on spotting and determine if there is a group/person nearby and what their pace is. If they are swimming at a similar pace, then you will simply sprint from the drifting position you are in to the position behind them. This will allow you to maintain your pace with minimal transition between the two drifting positions.
These are just 9 general tips for open water swimming. Just like any other sport or race, the more comfortable and experienced you are, the better you will perform. Take time to reflect on each race and analyze what you did well and where you need to improve. As you build up experience in open water swimming you will discover tips of your own. Some tips will be specific to you and others will be general tips that everyone can benefit from. Ask fellow swimmers some of their tips and share some of yours. You will always be surprised at how a little tip can make a large impact on your performance. Good luck!
By
Mike Hand
