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Group Swimming for Open Water Race Practice

Open water swimming is probably triathlon's most technical discipline. With most of your senses being diminished in open water, it can at first seem an uncomfortable place to be. However, more and more open water swimming venues are opening up for training and group practice is now more accessible than ever. This is helping to transform open water swimming into triathlon's most enjoyable discipline.

The following suggestions apply, in turn to the beginner, the intermediate and to the advanced open water swimmer. Perhaps the easiest way to start open water swimming is to turn up to one of the many venues available around the country which provide group training. Training as a group has many benefits including sharing the apprehension of a first visit to open water. Safety is of upmost importance. Therefore check that your training venue has adequate safety measures in place, such as a life guard, buoyancy aids and a safety boat.

Group training enables very specific race simulation from mass start practice to drafting and from sighting to tactical swimming.

Sighting and Pacing - Beginner

If you are new to open water swimming it is important to familiarise yourself with your surroundings. Training in a group can help speed up this process. The majority of people are apprehensive when entering open water. Swimming with others can lessen this apprehension and encourage you to conquer your fears. Triathletes often complain of hyperventilation or panic attacks after about 200m of swimming in open water. This can be due to several factors: water temperature, nerves, the unfamiliarity of wearing a wetsuit and a lack of pacing. It is important to enter the water slowly and to put your face in the water before commencing swimming to adjust your body to the temperature of the water especially in early season when the water is cold. Understanding that everybody is apprehensive can help reduce nerves as can controlling your breathing. As you start to swim you can count "one" as you breathe out into the water and "two" as you breathe in with your head turned to the side. Ask other members of your group to help you put on your wetsuit making sure it fits correctly - it should feel like a second skin. It may feel restrictive at first but the more often you wear it the more comfortable you will feel. Once in the water it is important not to start swimming too quickly, especially when racing but also in training. Pacing is the key to a good swim leg. Practising this in a group can ensure that you do not get drawn into swimming too fast once the gun goes. Wearing a watch on your wrist and timing your swim laps whilst experimenting with pace (i.e. starting slow and finishing fast) in a group is the quickest way to developing pace judgement in the swim leg. Find out whether starting fast or slow gives you your fastest lap. The shortest distance between two buoys is a straight line. Sighting regularly will ensure a straight line swim and maintaining sighting during group swimming and not being drawn in to following others blindly creates excellent open water skills.

Turning around buoys -Beginner to intermediate

There are several techniques for turning around a buoy but more important than technique is your position in relation to the buoy. The shortest line around the buoy is the inside line. If possible always be as close to the buoy as you can to ensure you swim the shortest line. However, in a large field of several hundred, this is not always possible so try to keep moving and sight regularly to ensure a smooth path around the turn buoy. It is worth noting that there is often a small gap around the inside line of a buoy even in a large field as for some reason large groups of swimmers tend to swim wide around the course. See figure 1. This technique of swimming the inside line can only be practised in a group. The group can practise turning around a buoy together and rotate the swimmer on the inside around the buoy each time they practise a turn. The fastest turn technique in a group is often to just swim around the buoy, sighting regularly. The advanced roll turn technique is often best used when not in a crowd.

Drafting - Intermediate to advanced

Drafting in open water swimming, as on the bike, can save you energy. The technique required is to swim close to the person in front of you, almost tapping their feet on every stroke. This can allow you to lengthen and slow down your stroke, thus lowering your heart rate and increasing efficiency. It is important that you keep sighting through the swimmer in front to ensure you are swimming the correct line. Drafting is pointless if you are swimming further than you have to. As a group this can be practised by swimming around a course in a long line, rotating the lead swimmer on each lap. A more advanced technique is to swim on someone's wake (wave created by swimming) beside them and is easily practised by swimming side by side. To ensure these techniques are being performed correctly, time your laps with drafting and non-drafting and relate them to your perceived effort. This should show a faster and easier lap with drafting.

Mass start - Intermediate to advanced

The mass start is possibly the most daunting aspect of open water swimming. It is important to try to experience this before your first race. Many open water swimming venues will practise mass starts but if you swim as a group you can practise these yourself by lining up together and having someone start the "race".

Utilising all the techniques already discussed from pacing to counting your breathing to drafting and sighting can ease you though the early part of the race. The most important piece of advice I can give is to not start too fast. To help in this you should start from a position according to your ability. Within your training group the advanced swimmers should start on the front line, intermediates in the middle, and beginners at the back and sides.

In conclusion, training as a group can be very motivating and great fun. Open water swimming, although daunting at first, when shared as a group activity can rapidly become one of the most enjoyable sessions in training for triathlon. Let's face it, the black line at the bottom of a pool can become quite tedious after a while. Enjoy your training!

Join one of the world's best open water swimmers in triathlon for coaching in triathlon's most technical discipline. Ten-time winner of the swim leg of the London Triathlon and Double World Aquathlon Champion, Richard Stannard can offer you exclusive tuition in the art of open water swimming. Contact Richard here.