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Many of the issues around drifting off line in open water swimming are caused by how you swim, what is important is that you always enter the water in line with your shoulder. As soon as you start to enter with a wide stroke or crossover the centre line of the body, you will have a tendency to drift offline. Practice and make sure your coach is helping you with the correct hand entry position.
One of the most difficult and important things to do in open water swimming, so what are the tricks to keep on track.
A common problem in triathlons is the dizziness you feel when you exit after a long swim and are running or walking into transition. This is caused by the rush of blood away from the head, when standing after being horizontal in the swim for a long period. Sometimes called benign positional vertigo (BPV). It is short term and will go away, but it never helps you with a fast transition time.
So here are some simple steps that you can try, which may help you reduce the occurrence
Take some time to try out the ideas above until you find the one’s that work for you Kick Boards The use of a kick board can;
Pull Buoy Using a pull buoy raises the hip position in the water, this gives extra support. Extra support allows; - The swimmer to focus on their head position, breathing and arms. - Not using your legs with a pull buoy means your upper body gets a work out. - By positioning the pull buoy between their feet the swimmer will experience the swimming downhill sensation and allows them to relax and improve their balance. Flipper / Fins The use of fins have many benefits; - Improving body position with the addition of speed. - Lowering stroke rate allows for more time to focus on technique. - Adding fins adds resistance in the water increasing load on the swimmer. - Improves ankle flexibility. Over use of fins can lead to cramp, in the lower calves. If swimmers suffer from this a larger more flexible fin may help. In my 20 years of coaching swimmers, there has always been the debate on what is the correct hand entry and position throughout the front crawl stroke. I hope with this article we can simplify things and show you how you can use a simple piece of equipment to take away the worry of the hand entry, allowing you to focus on other things. Let’s break down the issues into smaller steps so we can get a better picture of all the complications. Coaches too often teach hand entry and catch the same way for all swimmers, but everyone is different and have a different experience in the water. This requires a difference in how and what coaches should be doing in their training
CATCH-it can do this and it’s so simple to use! CATCH-it can be worn throughout your training session and will put your hand in the natural relaxed cupped position and if you have a tendency to flatten the hand will give you the feedback to change and relax. Wear it for a few sessions to get the feel of the relaxed hand before then trying sessions without it, once you have that feel. Using it now and then the remind yourself how it feels, maybe in the warm up of a training session. Simple! If its been a while since you last swam, nw is the time to check out your kit and perhaps update it ready for when we start. Here is a reminder of what to check and a list of kit you will need. Goggles Ensure the pair you have been using (and love) are still fit for use. Check the strap for any splits, the eye seals for nicks and replace them if they show signs of damage. You don’t want them letting you down in the middle of a session. You do have a spare pair, don’t you? So you are prepared for anything? Make sure you adjust them before arriving at the pool, just in case. Fins For training in the pool, we recommend a short fin (the Speedo BIOFUSE design is our preferred fin). These aren’t the cheapest, but have been proven to last longer than some of the cheaper brands that tend to split quite quickly. Bargains are out there with Speedo advertising these today at 50% off. If you already have fins, check that they still fit your feet. Fins should fit snugly; if you can fit multiple fingers in the space between fin and skin they are too big! If fins are loose they will cause chaffing and likely painful blisters in the long run. We recommend 1 shoe size up when selecting a fin, as your feet will swell slightly during training. Look for any splits in the rubber, especially around the back of the fin. Replace them if you find any. Paddles You need a good general-purpose paddle that is easy to fit. There are many paddles out there designed to correct specific swimming issues, which work well, but are of little use for general swim training. We recommend the Finis AGILITY paddle. They can be fitted quickly and come in different sizes to suit your hands. Plus they have the added advantage of reminding you that the hand entry should be flat and not thumb first. Shop around as these vary in price a lot and you will be surprised how cheap you can get them if you look. Snorkel Snorkels in swim training allow you to focus on your drills without worrying about breathing. They help to ensure body alignment, stroke efficiency and to build aerobic capacity. The guidelines from Swim England recommend rotation in the lanes so that everyone is breathing away from each other. This will be helped further by the use of a snorkel. Our recommendation for a good quality, general purpose centre mounted snorkel is the Finis Swimmers Snorkel. Remember that these should be cleaned on a regular basis, which can be easily done by running the snorkel through a wash cycle on the top rack of the dishwasher (without the head bracket). When looked after properly these snorkels will last a long time. Make sure to check the head band and the mouth piece for any damage regularly. Replace it if you find anything wrong. Nose clip Not used by all swimmers, but some find them useful, especially when tumble turning and swimming backstroke. Various designs exist and all need regular checking for damage, especially the ones with a metal strap, to ensure there are no sharp edges that might cut you in use. It’s always a good idea to use a nose clip strap, that either attaches to the bridge of the goggles or has a longer neck strap. These are used to prevent the nose clip from being lost in use. This is especially useful in open water swimming, where it would be impossible to find the clip if it falls off. Check the strap and replace it if you find any damage. Remember to regularly clean these as they tend to get stored damp in plastic cases, which can mean they are prone to bug growth. Which nose clip strap do Tri-Trained recommend? Why, our own brand-new Keep – it of course! It’s a very neat and secure nose clip strap at a modest price if you are looking for one. Swim hat An important part of your training kit, especially if you have long hair, which I am guessing most of us have from the lock down. Give yours a look over, as they do split after a while. Finding out on the pool deck is a frustration. Tri-Trained can supply you with a long-life silicone swim hat at a very reasonable price. If you like, you can have your name added. Kickboard There isn’t much that can go wrong with a kickboard, other than a good clean if its been standing around in a damp kit bag. If you are looking to buy your first kickboard, we recommend a large, standard one such as the Speedo universal kickboard. It’s a good quality board and will last for years. If you want to reduce the number of pieces of kit you carry around, then consider a kickboard/pull buoy combination, these are foam boards that can be used for either role. Pull Buoy The same goes for pull buoys. They will last you ages and there is very little that can go wrong. If you are looking for your first, or replacing yours, then make sure you get the size that’s appropriate for you. Adults will generally need the larger size. Children and petite adults should consider the smaller size. Prices vary and there is little difference, other than size and colours, but we recommend the TYR pull for most people. Also consider the combo kickboard/pull buoys explained in the kickboard section above. Flip flops / pool shoes A ‘must have’ if you are planning on doing any open water swimming and a real bonus if you enjoy swimming in an outdoor pool in the colder months. They will protect your feet from sharp objects and will keep you warmer on cold surfaces. Check for any splits and give them a good clean, if they have been sitting in your bag for a while. Changing robe Very useful when open water swimming. Ideal for changing out of your clothing, or wetsuits, outdoors in any weather. Most of them have a waterproof & windproof exterior nylon fabric and a lining that dries you and keeps you warm. With the recommendation from Swim England to arrive at the pool ‘ready to swim’ and to change on the pool deck these become almost another ‘must have’ item.
Use Catch-it during the warm up to remind you of the correct feel of the stroke. And throughout your training session, to ensure you get that hand entry right. Think of it as your own personal coach, gently reminding you. Keep it in your swim bag and use it regularly to keep things going well What are nose clips? A small device, designed to keep your nose closed, whilst swimming. Made from various materials, such as metal, plastics and silicon or rubber. When placed on the nose they hold the nostrils closed. These will prevent breathing through the nose. Why use a nose clip Commonly used to help all levels of swimmers, some swimmers can have allergic reactions or irritations after swimming. Allegies to the chemicals used in some pools and bacteria of fungus in open water venues. A nose clip can help prevent these reactions. Also useful when learning to swim, when water entering the nose is a frequent occurance, preventing the early swimmer gaining confidence in the water. Also useful when kayaking, rafting or surfing and often used with a nose clip strap to prevent the loss of the nose clip. What to look for in a nose clip
Videoing your swim is an excellent way to look at what you are doing and to use the video to identify any corrections. Using specific drills to help address any issues found. Tri-trained will analyse your stroke for you and supply you example drills, along with details of where you should focus. Where do I start ? The starting point is the videoing and getting the right shots to get the most from an analysis. This article has been written with this in mind and will allow you to get the best shots. If you then want to send this into Tri-trained and have one of our coaches give you feedback or to analyse the video yourself, I am sure this article will help. The best place to get the right video shots is down at your local pool. Make sure you have permission to video before you start and then ask a friend to record around 10 seconds of your stroke from these angles. From above Follow the swimmer with the camera directly above the swimmer looking directly down, as in the image. The best way to do this is by mounting the camera on a pole and holding it above the swimmer following them along the side of the pool From the side above the water As in the image follow the swimmer along the side of the pool and record several strokes, try and keep the camera nice and steady and to keep all of the swimmer in the frame. Try and keep the camera as close to the water surface as is possible. From the front underwater This one requires you to use a camera that can record underwater, something such as a GroPro would be perfect. Here we are looking for a front shot through several strokes, underwater. As per the image. From the side underwater As above this video will require a camera that can be placed underwater, As before record the swimmer from the side, but this time with the camera just under the surface. Remember to try and keep the whole of the swimmer in the frame and to record several strokes. Summary You will need…
And don’t change your swim stroke ‘just for the camera’. Swim like you do when nobody is watching. Now I have the video what should I do?
Once you have the four videos, please check you are happy with them and that you have included if you can all the four angles. You now have what you need to allow a coach to perform an analysis of your stroke. |