SS Coaches are experts in open water / triathlon swimming.
Are you a triathlete or open water swimmer? Swim Smooth coaches are experts in the field of open water swimming and all our coaching in the pool will leave you perfectly prepared for open water swimming. This isn’t true of some schools of swimming which might teach you to ‘Overglide’ – too much glide in your stroke is especially inefficient in open water swimming and will leave you susceptible to being buffeted and stalled by waves and wake from other swimmers.
Steve will:
- Refine your stroke technique so that you are an efficient and fast swimmer in both the pool and open water.
- Develop your sighting and navigation skills so that you swim straight in the open water with minimum energy lost when sighting.
- Practise drafting and swimming in close proximity to other swimmers in the safety of the pool so that you are comfortable doing so in open water races – drafting can save up to 38% of your energy expenditure!
GPS data now lets us see how far swimmers travel off course - in this case swimming 350m too far!
The Importance Of Open Water Skills
If you are frustrated with your open water swimming performances then you need to work on your open water skills. Any swimmer intending to race in open water should be practising these skills all year round, they’re really that important! Drafting can save you up to 38% of your energy expenditure (!) or allow you to swim behind a much faster swimmer. This is the sort of advantage most swimmers would love to gain in terms of their swimming technique but yet are neglecting to practise their drafting skills.
Your ability to swim in a straight line and navigate in open water is just as important. Swim Smooth GPS data (see here) shows that many swimmers track 10% or even 20% over distance by constantly moving off course! Why diligently work on your stroke technique all winter in the pool only to lose all that time and much more by swimming off course on race day?
Swim Smooth’s Three Keys To Swimming Improvement
Swim Smooth’s philosophy is that the three key areas of swimming preparation are equally important, they are worth about the same time and energy expenditure:
- Stroke Technique Improvement
- Swim Specific Fitness
- Open Water Skills
The key to transforming your swimming performances is to work on all three, all year round. This might sound complex but it’s not really and Steve will seamlessly integrate each during your squad sessions #link#. One positive benefit of this approach is that it bring great variety to your sessions and things never get boring!
Practise your drafting skills with other swimmers in our Northants squads.
Open Water Anxiety
All swimmers (no matter how good they are) feel some anxiety when they swim in open water. If you feel anxious – or outright terrified – at the thought of open water swimming don’t worry, it’s quite normal! The open water skills work we do in the pool will greatly improve your confidence levels and will be a big advantage when the temperatures rise in the early summer and you are ready to take to the great outdoors. Steve will also help you develop your mental skills to help overcome that anxiety or panicky feeling when it hits you, for instance during a race start.
Coach open water training in Perth, Australia. All Swim Smooth coaches are experienced open water swimmers in their own right and will prepare you perfectly for great triathlon splits and open water races.