Open Water Swimming Sara McLarty Professional Triathlete Professional Swimmer USAT Level 1 Coach USMS Certified Coach Triathlete Magazine Swim Columnist USMS Open Water Specialist Co-Owner Swim Like A Pro
The Ultimate OWS Training Session
Pool Training for Open Water Majority of training time Cold weather climates Warm weather climates No access to safe open water No training partners Fear of open water Etc.
Pool Training for Open Water Side by side/pack swimming Athletes can get comfortable touching other swimmers 3-wide in one lane Switch positions from outside to inside
Pool Training for Open Water Rotating draft groups, athletes of similar speeds Practice drafting the feet of another swimmer First person is turn buoy then moves to back of group Switch leaders every lap or more (ex: 100y)
Pool Training for Open Water Take out some of the lane ropes Set up small buoys in the pool (waterski buoy, rope, weight/dumbbell) Athletes swim for a set period of time (use whistle to start/stop)
Pool Training for Open Water No Walls Turn at the T Long swims without touching the wall mimics open water swimming Take out the break/rest at every turn
Pool Training for Open Water Start from Zero Mimic in-water starts Start in a horizontal position, sculling and kicking to stay in one place Sprint one length of the pool Can be followed up by longer swim at mid-race pace
Pool Training for Open Water Practice swimming in a straight line Swim with eyes closed, empty lane, push off in the middle of the lane, take 12-15 strokes, see which direction you drift Coaches can look for stroke imbalances on athletes that bump into lane ropes Athlete now aware of direction they tend to drift, useful in open water
Pool Training for Open Water Other ideas: Aquathlon swim 400-800y, quick transition on deck, run 1-2 miles around facility, repeat. Snake Swim start at one end of the pool, swim one length in each lane, duck under lane rope, continue in next lane. Climb out at other end of pool, walk back to start, and repeat. Wetsuit Shorts mimics the body position created by a full wetsuit but doesn t cause overheating in warmer water. BlueSeventy Core Short Roka Sim Shorts
Open Water Safety Never swim alone, use the buddy-system Have a kayaker or paddleboard for group swims Wear bright caps Stay away from boat ramps Use common sense!
Open Water Safety New waterproof tow bags: myfloat The ISHOF SaferSwimmer
Open Water Skills The starts: Dive start Run-in start Deep water start Multiple waves Time-trial
Dolphin Dives What you see from above versus what s actually going on under water! Open Water Skills
Dolphin Dives: In shallow water (waist to knees) Grab the bottom to pull yourself forward Use both feet to push up and forward Tuck chin to dive down Keep hands in front of head/face for safety! Open Water Skills
Open Water Skills Sighting: Minimize head lift Just eyes break the surface Breathe to the side immediately before or after Keep body horizontal, minimize leg drop by kicking & arching back
Open Water Skills Sighting: Practice in the pool Tarzan Drill to strengthen neck muscles Sight your coach
Open Water Skills Buoy Turns: Stay wide, away from chaos, maintain speed, don t get hit & kicked Single arm turn Corkscrew turn
Open Water Skills Corkscrew turn: Roll away from the buoy One stroke on your back Use your legs and arch your back Turns your body 90 degrees
Open Water Skills Open water conditions will sometimes necessitate changing your stroke technique from the perfect pool form. Examples include: choppy water, waves/ocean, cross current, crowded/congested areas, drafting, sighting, etc.
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