5 Ways You Can Improve Your Open Water Swimming In The Pool
You may think that the only way to practice open water swimming is to do just that… swim in open water. However, there are ways in which you can practice your open water swimming techniques in the pool and we have put together 5 top tips to help you out:
The Start
The start of a triathlon can come in many different formats, from a beach start to a dive start, however, the majority of races you do will require you to wait in the water for a least a couple of minutes before the start gun goes off. You will need to be able to tread water for this and the pool is the perfect place for you to to get used to treading water. Head to the deep end! Take a few goes at spending 2-3 minutes trying to tread water without grabbing onto the wall to get used to what it will feel like come race day.
Sighting
In open water there are no lane ropes or black lines at the bottom to guide you so you will need to find a marker to follow in the race to keep you swimming as straight as possible and sighting is important – you don’t want to be swimming 100m more than you need too just from going off course. Taking a look up every few strokes is an easy thing to practice in the pool. It’s also best to try and stick to the same stroke count each time you take a look up so that you don’t disrupt any rhythm that you might have.
The Buoy Turn
Every triathlon event will have a turnaround buoy on the course that you will need to go around, sometimes even up to 5 or 6 times. If you can find the space in the pool, you can practice this with a training partner. One person can act as the buoy whilst treading water as the other swims around without touching the sides or the bottom of the pool and vice-versa.
Bilateral Breathing
If you can breath to both sides in your stroke this will really enhance your open water swimming. Bilateral breathing can help you with your sighting and can help you avoid any oncoming chop in the water whilst allowing you to keep your eyes on your competitors around you on both sides during the race. It may not feel comfortable at first if you are not used to it but if you focus and consistently persist it will eventually feel natural. By being able to breath both sides this also adds in a comfort factor as its can give your neck and shoulders a break from just going to one side every time.
Group Swimming
If you are new to triathlon and open water swimming, being in close proximity with other swimmers can be quite daunting at first. It’s important that you just stay calm. It would be great preparation if you could re-enact what it will be like by swimming in a pack of 5-6 people in the same lane to get used to that ‘washing machine’ feeling when everyone takes off!
