(swooshing music)
- You've probably noticed by now
that Mark and I have different swimming strokes.
I think it's fair to say that mine
is more of a pool based type stroke
and maybe, Mark, yours is a bit more of an
open water triathlon type style.
- All right, I hear you but believe it or not,
I actually used to have quite a nice stroke
having come from a swimming background,
but it has changed quite a lot over the years
due to triathlon, much to my old swim coach's disapproval.
- Well, enough about us.
I think it's time we're going to be comparing
the different styles of front crawl,
as well as working out who's got the best stroke, Mark or I.
(gentle upbeat music)
- Well, it's that over the water recovery phase
that seems to be the most notable difference
between our two swimming styles
and the two different styles of stroke.
- Yeah, well typically, a pool swimming stroke
you'll see a bent arm recovery
with a very smooth entry,
so, actually, the elbow comes out of the water
almost before the hand and then
the hand stays really close to the surface of the water,
almost touching it as it comes through
and then it's fingers first as the hand goes in,
so, basically, it's very sort of
tidy, smooth looking stroke.
- [Mark] Whereas an open water stroke
maybe isn't quite so pretty.
It's a little bit more splash
and that comes about due to
maybe having a slightly straighter arm recovery,
almost like this windmill action
and then actually the hands entering
almost at the same time as the arm,
and, adding to that, we've got also
a slight increase in arm rate
and that just comes about due to
sort of the movement in the water, in other words,
but we'll get into that a little bit more later on.
However, underwater the strokes should,
more or less, be the same.
- As we've already mentioned,
Mark used to have what we call a typical pool stroke,
or so he says, and after years of competing in triathlon
it has changed, but why is that?
- Well, there have been a number of factors
that have contributed to that,
one of which is the fact that we suddenly got
so many more people swimming around us,
so if I still had that low arm recovery,
then there is a chance of us getting tangled
with our arms, and now having that
slightly straighter and windmill arm recovery,
I can get in a little bit closer to other swimmers
and then get a better draft.
If I still had that long nice pool stroke and gliding,
if I lost traction
because of the moving water in open water,
then it is a long time until my next stroke
so having that quicker recovery and arm rate
actually means there is more chance of me
getting traction and purchase on the water.
And then also, there is the fact
that there's just movement of the water,
it's the choppiness of the water,
so having that straighter arm recovery
I'm just making sure my hands don't hit the water.
- Okay, well that all makes sense.
And I guess also, especially in the UK,
cold water plays a part.
'Cause if you do get into cold water,
you're gonna want to swim a bit faster,
make your stroke rate a bit quicker
just to warm up.
And then, you add in a wet suit,
which we would normally have to use in this country,
and that changes your body position
to a certain extent,
so it's gonna change your stroke a little bit.
You're slightly less flexible at your elbows anyway
with a wet suit on.
And then also, obviously,
in a triathlon, you're conscious that you're gonna be
getting on the bike after.
So I guess your leg kick is gonna become
a bit less, and your arm pull's gonna
become a bigger ratio in your stroke.
Mentally, my pool swimming doesn't transfer
to open water triathlon swimming
as well as I'd like it to.
And I do know that I'm strong
on a tumble turn and a push off,
so that plays a part in making me better
in the pool in comparison.
But I think it goes beyond that
and I need to start to look at my stroke
and see how I can change to be more efficient
when it comes to open water.
- Well I do get asked this quite a lot,
and actually I think the starting point
we should go with is that you should have a good technique,
because I mean, the open water technique is somewhat messy,
and there's no point going with that technique
if you haven't got a good technique to start off with.
Which you've got a good pool technique,
so we're good to go.
- Okay.
- Starting point again is with more the cadence,
so our stroke rates.
So what we're focusing on here
is trying to get more strokes in per length,
but we're not going to shorten the stroke in any way.
Since we're looking at taking out those dead spots,
so when we're gliding at the front of the strokes,
for instance, the arm recovery,
so having that straighter arm recovery
is something that happens a little more naturally,
so as you mentioned already,
wearing a wet suit slightly more restrictive
around the elbows.
You probably just find this sort of thing
would happen a little bit more naturally over time.
And with the quicker stroke rate,
if one of those strokes is disrupted by moving water
or a swimmer alongside you,
it's not long until the next stroke comes around.
- True.
Well it's still, I have one other issue
I think for my stroke,
and that's my leg kick.
I came from swimming 200 freestyles
so I've got a strong leg kick.
Take that out and I go backwards in the pool,
and sadly I think I know the answer to that.
I've just got to do more swimming with a pool boy.
- Just to add to that as well,
when you are swimming with a pool boy,
the real big focus there then
is on that initial catch phase.
So just to help give that lift in the water,
and get that propulsion going.
- Okay, I think it's actually time to do
a bit of a comparison.
So Mark, you're gonna go first.
I want you to do 25 meters
of trying to remember your perfect pool stroke.
- Been a long time.
Not sure if I can do this.
- Followed by your normal triathlon style stroke,
and then, you know, give us a little bit of feedback
on how it feels.
- Yeah, this'll be interesting, alright.
Well, now for my perfect technique.
- Let's have a look.
- Okay, here we go.
- Let's see if he's actually real about this.
I've never seen it.
Not quite as tidy as mine is.
He's got finger entry first.
Very much a pool stroke here.
- How'd it look then?
- It looked obviously, much tidier
than your triathlon stroke.
- Right, still not quite there though.
- I feel that you used to have
a slightly prettier stroke than that.
- Yeah, I mean I have to admit
I've definitely gotten used to that straighter arm
and just even the slight amount
I'm even bending my arms.
- Did it feel really exaggerated?
- It felt crazy, and probably wasn't even that much, right?
- You did have finger entry first.
- Okay, well, getting there then.
Alright, now for my open water stroke.
- Into your comfort zone.
- Alright, watch back.
Watch out guys, I might splash.
- He's happy to do this.
There we go, look at that stroke rate straightaway.
Much quicker.
You can see it really well from this angle.
Right arm's got a little bit more of a bend,
but that left arm just swings it's way around,
slaps the water.
I think I'm gonna get wet now.
Back in your comfort zone?
- Looks good doesn't it?
- You look happy swimming it.
You know, it's your stroke.
- Right.
- I mean, and that just feels nice.
- One thing I will say
is with the open water stroke,
you might not look pretty,
but because my hand's going around so quick,
it's going in, I'm just instantly catching,
where as when, and I do remember from when I used to swim
in the pool all the time, nice stroke.
I used to glide, lose the catch at the front
cause my elbow would drop.
So I actually feel like I swim better like that.
- He's selling it.
- Even if it doesn't look pretty.
Well now, your turn Heather.
- Okay, well I'm going to start
with my comfort zone, I think.
I can see if I can look any prettier than you, Mark.
That's my challenge.
- I think you'll probably do that.
- Let's have a go.
- I think mine looked just like that, didn't it?
Yeah, there's not much splash there.
Very nice, very elegant.
Very careful placement of the hand, very little splash.
Nice.
What do you think?
Well, you're used to that, aren't you?
- Yeah.
- You just look like you're gliding through the water.
- It just feels, feels relaxing.
- Okay, now.
- Well, I don't know if I can do this.
So you might.
- Just lots of splash.
- Lots of splash, straight arms, and faster.
- Just make sure the underwater part is still the same.
- Okay.
- So much better.
Look here, it's beautiful.
She's veering off right, so we might need to fix that.
No, I mean it does, obviously
there's a lot more splash there.
Doesn't look quite as nice.
But I'd be interested to hear
what she thinks about the catch.
That was lovely Heather, lovely.
What'd you think?
- What did it look like?
- I mean, there's a lot more splash.
It looked good, it looked good.
- I mean, it felt slightly like
I was maybe taking the mick out of you.
But I wasn't meaning to.
And my problem was my underwater got straighter as a result.
- Right.
- So I think I was
- Just a bit of practice there needed.
- Yeah, I mean, I think my stroke rate
naturally it feels like faster.
And I think weirdly it's hardest doing a pull.
Like I think I'm getting closer to a open water,
but yeah, some practice needed.
- Yeah, bring it.
Right, well, swimming open water is clearly very different
than swimming in the pool.
I think we've made that quite clear,
and then swimming in a triathlon
is even different again.
- Yeah it is, but like we said,
you can't force that.
So make sure you've got a really solid pool stroke
before you start working on it.
And I think something I'm realizing
as well, just from this summer
is it'll happen naturally.
The more open water swimming you do,
the quicker you'll get there.
- Absolutely.
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- Yeah, and if you want some tips
on how to actually practice swimming open water,
and various skills you might need
and you've only got a swimming pool,
we've made a video on that just here.
- Yeah, and if you'd like to see
our wet suit versus trisuit video
you can see that by clicking just down here.