Swimming
is a very technical sport. You can have the aerobics
fitness of a sub 3-hour marathon runner and the strength
of a pro football player and still sink like a ton of
bricks in the water.
The key to being an accomplished swimmer is skill, efficiency
and practice!
There are three basic principles to remember when swimming:
balance, extension and rotation.
Frequently, new swimmers lift their head to breath rather
than roll from side to side. This lack of balance (and inability
to keep the body in a straight line) causes the feet and
legs to sink and generates more drag. This added drag wastes
energy and creates extra work for your upper body. Another
common problem in new swimmers is that they take too many
short, choppy strokes thinking it will make them faster.
Shortened strokes only reduce the length of your glide through
the water. After hand entry, extend your arm out in front
of you before the ‘pull’
portion of your stroke. Lastly, you want to swim “streamline”
like a yacht not “flat” like a barge. In order
to do this you need to rotate from side to side; this position
lengthens your body allowing you to glide faster and farther
with each stroke. Often, learning to breath bilaterally can
facilitate a better body roll although it’s not necessary.
Below are a few drills that will help you improve your technique:
#1
Kick and Roll (for balance and rotation) – start
by pushing off the wall on your side with your
bottom arm extended straight over your head and
your top arm at your side (your top shoulder
should be visible above water). Your face is
in the water (looking towards side wall or down),
rotate to your back to breath then resume side
balance position. Kick on your side for 5-8 seconds
and then take one stroke with top arm (the arm
which is above water) rotating your body until
you are in a balanced position on the other side.
Remember to keep your body in a straight line
and use a relaxed but steady kick.
#2
Catch-Up Freestyle (for extension) - while
swimming, keep your lead arm out in front
of your body until your recovery hand
catches up and enters the water. Once
your recovery arm enters the water, start
the pull portion of your swim stroke.
While performing this drill think, “extend
and glide”
every time you take a stroke.
#3 One-Arm
Freestyle (for balance and extension) – stroke
with only one arm for an entire length of the
pool then repeat using the opposite arm. Your
non-swimming arm stays extended out in front
of the body (weightless and relaxed) or for
more advanced swimmers, the non-swimming arm
remains at your side. Make sure you extend
your swimming arm and rotate towards your side
before your next stroke.
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Now that we’ve covered the technical side of swimming,
we can focus on navigating through open-water. Staying
calm and swimming effortlessly amongst dozens of flailing
arms and bodies is not the easiest thing to do. Here
are a few more tips to help prepare for open-water come
race day:
Navigating – staying
on course is often a challenge in open-water swimming
because there are no lane lines to guide you. Practice
swimming with your head out of the water for half a
length in the pool; repeat for a total of 4-8 lengths.
This will help you get comfortable lifting your head
out of the water without throwing off your rhythm and
body position.
Visibility
- often the visibility
in open-water is no more than a few feet
so while your swimming, it’s hard
to see who’s in front of you. In
order to boost your confidence and comfort
level, try swimming a length or two with
your eyes closed. This may cause you to
veer to one side. In addition to knowing
that you can counteract this tendency by
swimming slightly in the opposite direction,
you will feel more secure about not being
able to see in front of you when your head
is in the water.
Sighting – the
swim course will likely be marked by large orange or
yellow buoys and many athletes will swim from buoy to
buoy to stay on course. This strategy is okay, but often
the buoys can be hard to spot because of the waves, wind
or number of bodies in front of you. Before entering
the water take a good look at the course from land. Check
for landmarks (trees, buildings, mountains, etc.) that
line up with the course markers that you can spot easily
and without lifting your head too high. This way you
only intermittently have to check for the buoys to make
sure you are still on course.
Wetsuits – a
wetsuit will assist your buoyancy but can also cause
your stroke to feel different. If you plan on wearing
one, make sure it fits properly (it’s best to have
it fitted by a coach or a reputable triathlon store)
and it’s a wetsuit specifically designed for triathlon
use rather than water skiing or scuba diving. Purchase
your wetsuit several weeks or months prior to your race
so you can wear it for a few practice swims.
Swim Start – position
yourself in the appropriate spot for the swim start.
Stronger swimmers to the front, weaker swimmers to the
back. The swim can be nerve-racking enough without worrying
about someone swimming right over you.
So
what are you waiting for? Get out there and start swimming!
-Coach
Lara
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