I have taken up swimming this year as I quite enjoy duathlons and that type of stuff and really want to tick off a proper triathlon. The thing is, I'm pretty terrible at it.
After a very patchy 11 months of on-off again minimal "training" I am slowly getting (very slightly) better at Freestyle after almost starting from scratch. Now, if I go to the pool I aim to swim a kilometre in each session- this is with fairly regular breaks though.
I wonder if there is a kind of standard first objective people aim for in swimming?
For running, I suppose people might aim to tick-off a 5k run as their first benchmark. Is there an equivalent for swimming and what would it be?
I think I am just aiming to try and swim 400m continuously next (just with good form and not at any particular pace) but I wonder if there is a generally recognised first benchmark I should aim for?
Being able to swim continuously without getting too out of breath is a good start I reckon.
Some tips I found useful:
- Count strokes per length, and work on getting this down as low as possible.
- Work on getting your body flat as possible, get someone else to watch you if possible.
- Put your running shoes on and do 400m intervals, this increases your cardiovascular capacity and for me it made swimming far easier despite having been a cyclist since forever. Running uses more muscles and is a quicker way to increase VO2 max I think.
- Since you're looking at triathlons you'll probably be doing open water swimming in a wetsuit. This means your legs will float and you won't be kicking. To simulate this you can use a "pull bouy" which is one of those floats that goes between your thighs. I found that because my legs are far more muscly and fit than the rest of me trying to kick even gently used up so much oxygen that I ran out of puff after about 4 lengths. However, with the pull buoy I was able to swim nice and smoothly indefinitely, and since this matches what you'll do in a tri where you won't kick, it's considered legit training not cheating.
A constant 400m swim is a good first objective.
Then probably an 800 after that.
I know that some pool based triathlons are a 750m swim.
Make sure you have strategy for counting your laps, bloody been back at swimming for years now and still struggle with it!
Swimming- what is the first tiny objective to aim for?
Survival.
good advice as above: I'd also get a swim watch or similar as it counts the laps for me and gives me an indication of how efficiently I'm swimming. I was also in a club until it disbanded and that really helped with form.
I do 1kms swims 3 times a week in an 20 metre outdoor pool - maybe that's why I've got the cold for hell at the moment.
Elbows high, both on pull and return. It's what your arm does under water that really matters. Aim to be always pulling or pushing yourself through the water. Beginners tend to push down on the water to lift their heads to breathe and their legs sink so it gets hard and a vicious circle. So elbows high, don't push down initially but pull yourself through the water and rotate enough so you don't have to lift your head to breathe. When you get that distance will only be a question of how long before you're bored out of your mind and crashing into the ends of the pool because you were making the shopping list in your head and forgot to turn.
I'm crap at it but still managed reasonable triathlon results. 🙂
Off to a 50m outdoor pool heated with refuse to 27°C all year round in a few minutes.
Have you achieved swimming down in the deep end dressed in your pyjamas for a rubber brick yet!?
Look up Swim Smooth as a technique, I was barely able to manage a couple of lengths freestyle and got taught this and then worked on refining my technique with weekly swim sessions with a local tri club. Don’t be embarrassed about getting lessons either, it’ll short cut your improvement massively.
As others have said, try and be flat, avoid sinky legs and head down. Learn bilateral breathing. At first I try I seem to remember the coach saying it’ll feel like you’re swimming downhill if doing it right. Also, high elbows and imagine you’re putting them in over a barrel in the water. Oh and pull all the way to your hip. Your non stroke arm, imagine you’re pulling a zip up the side of your torso as you bring it forward for the next stroke. And finally, pointy toes.
Anyway, lots of random coaching tips (sorry) but get some lessons!
A bit of decent technique (esp. if you're a 'head out of the water' swimmer) is the start point. It was for me - I went and got a few private lessons when I wanted to go from 'head out' to 'head in' in order to have a fighting chance at triathlon aged c. 40. This went right back to the beginning pretty much and built technique. I never got good though, only as far as 'OK' - I reckon the decent swimmers all got that technique stuff nailed as kids.
Joining your local tri club (if not already) might help - most will have coached sessions, though often that's about smashing out reps and sets. Better clubs should be able to take newbies.
Look up Swim Smooth as a technique
Was going to say this.
In general - it's not like running (or biking). There is no time/distance benchmark as such to pass through to go from non-swimmer to swimmer - it's far more about establishing the right technique, getting it into the muscle memory and then worrying about times and/or distances.
Swimming is bloody frustrating until you do it properly. I'm not sure there is another sport that does not reward blunt force hard graft quite like swimming. When you appreciate the swimmer next to you is faster than you and still using less than half the energy you are because of a (relatively) tiny difference in their feet position it's even more frustrating. And they are not just working half as hard but can do it many many times longer than you because they are not in oxygen debt the whole time because their breathing stroke is more effective. Working harder and putting more energy in is rarely the answer.
Can you get yourself filmed? It's amazing seeing yourself swimming to appreciate what you are doing is not what you think you are doing.
Could you join a masters or triathlon club swim? There will be a slow lane.
But as a start would be reading some of the swim smooth material and watching a few videos.
I would say OP that 1km is a good bench mark to aim for.
I see you say that you can do it with lots of rest and will give 400 metres a go next. I would suggest doing 400m with no stopping once or twice, then do 2 x 250m or 300m a few times, once happy there do 500 or 600 based on if you did 250 or 300, once happy doing that distance no stops, again do 2 intervals but around 350 or 400 and once happy do 700m or 800m and then you should be at 1km continuous.
This is what I did by working up and now 1km is my min I do when I hit the pool.
Thanks all, these are all great tips and much appreciated.
Yes, I have just started lessons locally- they are 30mins of drills on a Tuesday evening so I try and then do another session myself after that but can only really do 2 x per week at the moment which I know is not ideal.
Funnily enough I am already a member of the local tri club and they were very encouraging about their own swim session but even in the slow lane I found it a struggle. I survived (just) but I don't think I learned much as I was just too overstretched trying to keep up/out of people's way. It was mildly traumatic so I decided to keep trying to improve separately and then hopefully I can rejoin them later. This was a while ago though so I could think about trying again.
I am definitely 100% recognising all the comments about technique- it feels a bit like I am always on the verge of "getting it" and finally becoming more natural/relaxed but there has not been any eureka moment where it all sort of clicks into place at once. I knew it would be harder than it looks (I mean, isn't everything) but yeah its pretty humbling stuff 😂
I will look up Swimsmooth tonight, cheers 👍
I went through similar, ooh, probably 15 years ago now for a triathlon I did. A pal starting teaching me Total Immersion technique - I didn't look too hard but here's what got me from barely swimming 2 lengths of crawl to managing 00's of meters (when I feel like it...).
1. Think about how streamlined you are in the water. Or, as others are saying - being flat. Head looking directly down at the floor is key, not "45deg ahead of you" down.
2. Moving on from that, imagine how the water is sliding over you - if your legs are hanging down, or bent at all, they're causing drag.
3. Imagine you're reacing something from a shelf just out of reach - twist sideways, engage your back muscles, don't just windmill your arms from the shoulder.
4. Breathe OUT under water. Don't try and breathe out and in when your head is up (when I "up", I mean sideways - while you're reaching the top shelf).
When it clicks, its amazing the feeling of gliding through the water, but I am still no expert.
Paddles and flippers can help by building up the muscles you need. They also tend to amplify bad technique. And tumble turns are free distance and speed.
The first goal is to not get caught. The second is to catch someone 🤣
I thought about this thread when swimming today (rather than doing the shopping list) and watched a few other swimmers most of whom were really good. It reminded me of a few points.
1/ kicking uses up air, I'm 65 and swim so as to keep consumption of air down. I only do one lazy kick as I start the pull on the same side (two beat), some swimmers were doing a four beat and some youngsters doing sprints were on six. If you wear a wet suit in triathlon you'll hardly need to kick at all - watch some under water shots from Hawaii and you'll find that even with no suit some of the best swimmers are only using a two beat. I swam with David Stacey the UK 1500m swimmer in LA, he lives locally, his advice was not to worry about the legs, they look after themselves - but his arm technique = perfection.
2/ My view on the pool bouy is that it is a substitute for good technique, if you need one to swim you're doing something wrong. Paddles give old men tendinitis.
3/ Somone mentioned alternate breathing. I suggest being able to breathe as and when you feel like it is good. If the waves are coming from the right you'll need to breathe on the left every stroke. If some arsehole (many triathletes are aresholes on the swim) is trying to knock your glasses off breathe on the other side while getting out of his way. If it's choppy you might want to alternate but two on the right then two on the left so the odd time when you can't take a breath doesn't matter. Be flexible.
4/Practice sighting, I've noted some triathletes almost stop every time they look at where they're going.
Paddles ......can help by building up the muscles you need.
I'd go the other way - swimming with fists can be very insightful.
Survive the boredom?
(Sorry swimmers but your chosen sport might be fantastic for the body but it's terrible for the mind)
I wonder if there is a kind of standard first objective people aim for in swimming?
Not drowning? 🤷🏼♂️
I think if you can get to 400m without stopping you'll have relatively cracked it. If you've not blown by that point your technique is probably not so bad so if you take it easy should mean you can keep going until boredom sets in.
I'd be looking at getting some lessons though. I'm a fair swimmer and I see so many mainly older people flailing around in the pool going nowhere fast. Must be very difficult learning to swim properly as an adult. I had technique brutalised into me as a kid. Thanks 1970s school system!
Survive the boredom?
(Sorry swimmers but your chosen sport might be fantastic for the body but it's terrible for the mind)
Its ace for the mind. The only other sport I have ever done where minor adjustments in technique can have such an impact is rowing. When thats the case you can focus on perfecting technique and feel the changes in realtime.
I can zone out and only focus what i am doing. Effectively its meditation and a full body workout combined 🤣
get some lessons if you want to get better quicker. technique ones. just a few pointers from teh wife (whos had lots of training - done some decent swims) made 1k crawl easy.
look at the floor directly under you being the best.
dont go too fast being another.
3 strokes per breath - bubble bubble bubble breath.
I`ve not been swimming in ages. its really dull. In the sea is better but its baltic now. i cant be doing with busy lane swimming
get some lessons if you want to get better quicker. technique ones. just a few pointers from teh wife (whos had lots of training - done some decent swims) made 1k crawl easy.
look at the floor directly under you being the best.
dont go too fast being another.
3 strokes per breath - bubble bubble bubble breath.
I`ve not been swimming in ages. its really dull. In the sea is better but its baltic now. i cant be doing with busy lane swimming
3 strokes per breath - bubble bubble bubble breath.
Thats old school. Its what i default to but the logic as i understand it is breathe more. A breathe every 2 strokes increase your oxygen by 50%
3 strokes per breath - bubble bubble bubble breath.
Thats old school. Its what i default to but the logic as i understand it is breathe more. A breathe every 2 strokes increase your oxygen by 50%
not sure i can breathe that fast! its about keeping in teh rythm for me. i might do less in teh sea where the waves are one side and you cant really breathe both sides.
I breathe every stroke on my right unless I'm flat out sprinting. Never managed to perfect bilateral breathing so struggle a bit in the sea.
The key to freestyle is definitely the breathing which makes me think the one swim aid that might benefit the OP is the mask and snorkel (swim specific obviously). I've never used one, but watched a video (could have been a GCN one) that recommended them for nailing body position and stroke. Definitely looked like it could help. It's tricky tying everything together.
I tried different breathing patterns on today's swim whilst being regularly overtaken by a lady in her 30s demonstrating how it should be done. I'd have liked to watch more but the pool in BSM is not a place where an old bloke watches a young woman for too long. She wasn't looking straight down, slightly ahead - reassured me there's nowt wrong with that and it means you catch a glimps of swimmers ahead before you run into them.
Anyhow. I cruised along lazily to warm up alternate breathing. Then upped the pace (relatively, I'm an old man) and after a few lengths (only 25m in this pool) got that short of air feeling, started two on the right and one on the left (or visa versa) and felt OK again till muscular fatigue forced a slow down.
Surely you need to collect the badges and sew them on your towel?
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSlUNHnZnNzvDuAWMflO_DBT9QMyQDpWkHRjQ&s
Also, it sounds stupid but look up the aussi docu-drama called 'Bondi rescue'.
It's like a crash course in what NOT to do when swimming!
Been swimming 2.5km every week now for... almost 20 years (since I broke my collar bone in 2006) and most of the advice above is good, especially trying to visualise the Swim Smooth / Total Immersion techniques while you swim. I like to think of myself as a long, torpedo-shaped slippery fish, while swimming, but I'm weird like that. As I reach out to start the next stroke, the body rolls and twists *from the hips* (not the shoulders!), using the kick to body-rotate from. I imagine I am standing and twisting on tippy-toes to reach a lightbulb on a high ceiling with one arm, while reaching out to start the next stroke.... Long, torpedo-shaped slippery fish
Anyhooo... so how to reach the magic 400, or 1km goal? Well... casting my mind back to when I first started swimming. I used to alternate between front crawl laps, using breaststroke laps as a recovery/rest). A ratio of something like 2 lengths front crawl / 2 breastroke to start off with, then as I got stronger, say 4 front / 2 breastroke, etc. Until eventually, I found myself doing 1km front crawl and 4 breaststroke laps before another 1km front crawl.
The other mental trick I found was to not bother counting laps! Lap counting can drive one absolutely bonkers. I used to do everything by time, say... 20 minutes swimming, with 5 minutes rest, followed by another 20 mins. It was only one morning during one of these sessions (me, completely oblivious to distance) that a keen lady swimmer in the same lane said to me at the end - "Do you know, you've swum 1km?" - that I realised I was actually becoming a proper swimmer.
It takes time. 6 months regular practice - and you'll be there.
3 strokes per breath - bubble bubble bubble breath.
Thats old school. Its what i default to but the logic as i understand it is breathe more. A breathe every 2 strokes increase your oxygen by 50%
not sure i can breathe that fast! its about keeping in teh rythm for me. i might do less in teh sea where the waves are one side and you cant really breathe both sides.
Itsvweird watching it. I was drilled in 1 every 3 but watch the olympics and stuff now and they actually have a galloping style and breathe to one side. I find it uncomfortable to watch 🤣
What the blind deer says.
Watch some videos and then really think what you are doing. I learnt primarily by watching a work colleague. He was part fish.
Swim smooth and TI both very good. I went with swim smooth.
Get some lessons. Organised pool reps might not be actual lessons on technique.
As the deer says it's all about rotation from the hips so your head and shoulders don't rotate much relative to each other, rather your whole trunk rotates. Keep the kick very light and don't cross your feet, trying to avoid that snaking body you see people do.
Watching and thinking is key.
I do 1 or 2 sessions a week, 2.5k each, all front crawl, essentially total immersion method. I don’t really kick at all as have hyper mobile knees which don’t like kicking in the pool. Pro swimmers only get 25% of their propulsion from their legs in front crawl.