Open Water Swimming Clinic

Cody Rasmussen

Dayton Area Sharks

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Basics of Open Water Swimming Uncommon difficulties

Mass start Buoy turns Unique breathing Waves Sighting Drafting

Should practice open water swimming techniques before racing “I’ll figure it out when I get there” does not work First time triathletes always have stories about their

problems in the swim portion of the race

Watch video: Tri training.mpeg

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The Mass Start

3 ways to handle the “Whirlpool” Placement

Place yourself in the pack at your proper ability level Avoid the center of the pack at all costs Advanced: Middle and in front Intermediate: Side and in front or middle and right near the front Beginner: Way outside in back

Do not get in front if you are not a good swimmer (includes beach run) Getting run over will hurt you and anger the person behind you

Awareness/protection Notice other competitors swim level Always know where others are relative to you and notice their skill level

Communication Verbal

Only before start Non-verbal

Lightly touch the feet of those that are slow and in front of you “Nudge” those that keep running into you Kick hard for those that are swimming on top of you

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Buoy Turns

Ways to handle the “segregator” Beginner: stay outside and avoid buoy and others Intermediate: get in comfortable position

Pick out a nice spot between packs Perform sharp turn and avoid kicking others

Advanced: get inside lane over competitor Keep kicking Turn wide after buoy Turn with one or two kicks (pivot at waist) Instant lead gained

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Breathing

Goal: breath forward with minimal change in body position Use downward arm pull to leverage upward head movement

Use opposite arm pull than breathing side Breath forward when you would time a breath to the side anyway Breath quickly Breath to the side to help regain body position (not downward) Keep hips high

Breath on both sides Maintain straight line

Avoid going anaerobic Keep breathing and take it easy even when it’s rough/hectic

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Poor Body Position

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Sighting

Goal: gauge distance and position Avoid zigzagging (don’t waste energy) Develop strategy for drafting and passing

Sight the next buoy as needed Frequent for non-straight swimmers (every third breath) Non-frequent for straight swimmers (every ~eighth breath)

Can use another person for navigation (ensure competency first) Practice sighting frequently at workouts

Side-front-drill (breath ~3 to the side, 1 to the front) Place bright kick board or water bottle at end of lane and practice

“sighting” those items

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Drafting

Can add up to 4% improvement Classic techniques:

Line drafting Right behind person Good for teammates Good for consistent pacers Get as close as you can without touching (don’t annoy) Take turns with the lead

Side drafting To the side and behind (45o back) Good for competitors Good to get inside line Good for inconsistent pacers Get as close as you can without slapping

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Quick Overview

Awareness, placement, communication Drafting techniques Breathing & sighting techniques Buoy techniques