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Beginner Triathlon

Ali
Ali Sendmail

Want to tri, but need help on the swim

posted 5 months ago | Report

I can keep from drowning and get myself from point A to point B, but I need help swimming. I am not comfortable in the water when trying to do a serious swim; it's the stroke/breathe transition that gets me! Does anyone have any tips or online sources for help?

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  • Tami W.
    Tami W. Sendmail

    HI! That's exactly how I was when I first started getting into tri's. Fortunately, I had a coach who helped me through it.
    In addition though, I did a lot of research during that time on how to get more efficient. Do you live near a YMCA? They usually do swimming program. Also, you could join a triathlon club. They aren't expensive to join and they welcome everyone from newbies to seasoned triathletes. The one I belong to was only 35 bucks to join. It's a great place to meet other people who are into the things you are into. Also, they usually have weekly group or coached swims, bikes and runs, to help people improve on everything.
    I also used to watch videos on YouTube of swimming instruction and people swimming. Visually seeing things helps me understand them.

    Good luck with your goal!!! Let me know if I can help!!!

    posted 5 months ago

  • Ryan
    Ryan Sendmail

    Two words - Total Immersion.

    Here is a series of video's from a presentation that goes over the general idea of what Total Immersion is:
    Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97b6XIntfcc
    Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8YDoF-9juo
    Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X51-9Unn0jc
    Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpwhzTCWh8Y
    Part 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRg34sKcadE
    Part 6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46GghWnOKYA

    The whole idea with total immersion is to reduce drag and improve your streamlining in the water. It is less about using things like bouys and paddles and trying to 'build the engine' and more about getting your body in as efficient a position as possible to move through the water. In running or biking, you can build an engine - but in water, it doesn't work the same way because you are moving through a fluid 1000x more dense than air.

    Here and example of what it looks like - note how the guy is more relaxed than most people are lying on the beach, yet he's cruising along.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJpFVvho0o4

    When I started doing triathlons, I grabbed a TI book and DVD and pretty much taught myself, but I did hire a TI coach for a couple sessions when I'd hit a plateau and needed help identifying things to do to tweak my form. I went from not being able to swim for more than a few minutes before being totally out of breath to being able to swim a mile and a half without interruption in 45 minutes, and only needing to stop because the pool was closing up for the day. I never once used bouys or paddles, nor done any 'speedwork' sessions. I spent every pool session working on form and improving streamlining.

    However I have always been fairly comfortable in the water - so if you are not as comfortable, I'd highly suggest finding a local TI coach and signing up for a few sessions with him/her - the beginning lessons and drills in TI are all about getting yourself comfortable in the water and learning how to r-e-l-a-x, which you end up learning is one of the most important things.

    Having never joined anything like a tri club or masters swim group, I can't comment much on those, but my major question about something like a masters swim group would be whether their instructed style of swimming is suited to triathlons - especially the longer distance ones.

    posted 5 months ago

  • Nicole J.
    Nicole J. Sendmail

    I recommend taking some swimming lessons (lots of places offer private ones for a reasonable amount). My mom teaches lessons and she's helped lots of people in your situation get more comfortable with their strokes and feel better during the swimming portion. Just make sure that you tell them what your ultimate goal is, so they can find the best approach.

    posted 5 months ago

  • Joe H.
    Joe H. Sendmail

    drills like http://www.trinewbies.com/tno_swim/tno_swimarticle_08.asp
    and also check for a US masters swim team usms.org in your area they can help you out

    posted 5 months ago

  • Rob J.
    Rob J. Sendmail

    I have done one sprint distance tri a few years back, but am very much in the same boat as you when it comes to open water swimming. These seem like good resources though, I am glad I read this post!

    posted 5 months ago

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