In this video we give you tips to improve your swimming techniques.
Smart swim strategies are important and will help you think about how to better plan your race.
A good swimmer is constantly evaluating, tweaking and planning.
So we came up with a list of swimming tips for triathletes.
Stay tuned to the end of the video to find out…
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As technical as the sport of swimming can be, it is tough to narrow down the answer
to the often-asked question;
How do I improve my swimming?
Swimming is the first part of a triathlon, it is crucial to have a strong start because
your start could influence the rest of the race in a negative or positive way.
Having a bad start could ruin your race mentally but also physically.
Overusing energy to try and make up for the lost time is not always the best thing to
do, definitely not during the first part of the race.
Your stamina is the most important aspect of the race, without stamina you will not
be able to finish the race, and you certainly won’t win.
It doesn’t matter how long you have been training or how fast you are, you still need
to save your energy during the race to prevent you from running out in the end.
Do a 10 minute warm-up in the water
make sure you have been in the water for at least 10 minutes before the match starts.
Your muscles will thank you for getting blood flowing through them before the mad dash of
a mass triathlon start.
You can shake out the tightness, get a feel for the water temperature, fiddle with your
cap and goggles, and pee.
Trust me, You don’t want to pee during the swim
A good, short warm-up can make a huge difference in that initial push, and will help you settle
in once you get rolling.
Warm-ups help prevent cramps as well, because you don't want a cramp 300 yards in to a 1600-yard swim.
Glide through the water
When you are swimming try to glide as much through the water as possible, this costs
no energy and doing this over a long distance will save you a lot of energy for the rest
of the race.
It also helps you to keep your momentum in between your strokes, which makes it a lot
easier to swim forward.
Another benefit is that it keeps your heart rate low, which is something that will help
you during the whole race.
Practice Getting Bumped
One of the biggest issues during the swim of a triathlon is the sensation of getting
bumped in the water.
It also happens along the swim course when someone passes you or you pass another swimmer.
Body checks happen at buoy turn traffic jams and even in the final dash to the shoreline.
So it’s best to prepare for bumpy swim.
You can do this during a group swim session or alternately with a racer friend.
Swimmers drafting behind can intentionally tap your feet and bump your body, but sometimes
the swimmers in front of you can knock your goggles off.
So practice putting your goggles back on while treading water.
Some triathletes even put on two swimming caps with their goggles securely in between.
Tip #4
Focus on your breathing
Your breathing makes sure to practice your breathing patterns.
Swimming in open water can be under pretty rough conditions, especially at the start
with all the other people around you.
So make sure you are confident in your breathing and breath somewhere it is comfortable for
you to do so.
You should take multiple factors into account while deciding how and where you are going
to breathe.
Foremost it depends on the swimming technique that you are using.
If you are doing front crawl, you should be breathing after every 2 or 3 strokes on your
left or right.
Whether you breathe to your left or right is a personal decision, but if the sun is
shining very bright or if it is raining, you might want to look the other side since it
will prevent you from being blinded.
You could also swim into waves or choppy water, which might make it uncomfortable to inhale
on that side.
You should be able to switch your inhaling side, so make sure to practice inhaling on
both sides because you never know the exact circumstances you are going to race in.
Use your legs Your legs are the biggest and strongest muscle
of the body, try to use this to your advantage.
Make sure you focus on your legs just as much as you do on your arms.
The most speed comes from the legs, not the arms.
Keep your legs as straight as possible and use your hips and core to kick yourself through
the water.
Saving energy by kicking your legs and providing some propulsion is very important.
It’ll make you faster and make your swimming feel easier.
Focus your kick from the hip to your knee should be almost straight, and keep your kicks
smooth and calm.
A relaxed and easy movement is best.
Doing this with the right technique will save you a lot of time.
But don’t overuse your feet because this will make it difficult to keep your balance
underwater and this can cost a lot of unnecessary energy
Make sure your head placement is good
Your head placement is crucial for an efficient swim.
This has to do with your head being at the front of your body, so having your head at
a correct position makes you more dynamic and allows you to glide through the water
more efficiently.
Make sure your head and neck are in a neutral position during the swim.
You should be looking down and forward.
Your head has to be in line with the rest of your body, try not to raise or lower your
head during the swim since this will only cause drag and slow your momentum.
The water level should be in between your hairline and eyebrows.
Make sure to try out what feels best for you, or maybe ask an expert to coach you.
During an open water race you need to have strong neck muscles since the current or waves
could surprise you and disorient your head and neck placement.
Keep your body levelled
You want to save as much energy during your swim, one way you can do this is by keeping
your body leveled so that there is minimal water resistance.
The most common problem people run into during the swim is that their legs start sinking.
This is one of the worst mistakes people make, and it will cost you a lot of time if your
legs sink.
You can prevent your legs from sinking by doing these 3 things:
Exhale your breath underwater, keeping your breath in your lungs seems very harmless but
is actually a very bad thing to do.
This is because the air in your lungs will lift your chest up, causing your legs to go down.
While your legs sink, you lose your streamline position, causing you to slow down even more.
By exhaling underwater, you also lower your heart rate, and that will help you to relax
and swim more controlled.
Kick from your hips not your knee, a common mistake is that people bend their knees and
swim with stiff ankles.
Bending your knees creates drag and causes you to lose your horizontal body position.
This causes you to slow down and at the same time will make your legs sink.
At the same time, you should make sure that your ankles are straight and not pointing
down because that also creates less drag.
Make sure to bend your elbow right after hitting the water, this will cause you to
push the water backwards instead of downwards.
You want to push the water backwards because this makes you go forward.
A common mistake is that people push the water downwards, this will only cause your upper
body to go up instead of forward and causes your legs to start sinking.
Make sure to practice all of these tips and I promise you that the first results will
be noticeable within a week.
Let us know if these tips helped you with your swimming performance and tell us what
your favourite tip is!''
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