Photograph credit score: ©JoKleindl
Because of the non permanent closure of swimming swimming pools attributable to Covid19, open-water swimming has all of a sudden develop into extraordinarily necessary. For the time being, tons of people that normally swim within the pool and in addition to many freshmen are discovering outside swimming. However coaching on this totally different setting poses numerous challenges even for extra skilled swimmers.
We requested Bernd Berkhahn, a German nationwide group coach and coach of the world champion Florian Wellbrock, to provide us some suggestions.
From the pool to open water: what are the technical flaws we have to give attention to most?
My recommendation is to make use of your greatest swim approach in open water, simply as should you have been swimming within the pool. The principle problem in open water is to try to swim the identical manner you swim within the pool, whereas on the similar time elevating your head to see the place you’re going. This implies you have to preserve physique place within the water, so it’s essential to not let your arms or legs sink an excessive amount of. When swimming freestyle you have to rotate correctly alongside the longitudinal axis and recuperate your arms correctly. Your leg kick must be as economical as doable; don’t kick too exhausting or you’ll waste power, however ensure you use your legs to cease the muscle mass from getting chilly.
For anyone who’s used to swimming in a pool and want to attempt open-water swimming: how can we work on our energy and endurance?
My recommendation for enhancing your endurance is to coach extra. Improve your mileage and devise longer coaching classes. You can too work in your endurance out of the water by particular coaching classes, like operating or biking. It’s critical to strengthen your core and work in your arm power, for instance by utilizing a rope, doing push-ups or taking CrossFit/Pilates lessons. It is usually necessary to work on the flexibleness of your higher physique by doing particular workout routines in your hip flexors. There’s all the time a threat of rotating your higher physique too far when swimming in open water, so coaching on dry land will help enhance the soundness of your chest muscle mass.
Respiration rhythm and approach: what are your suggestions for coaching these two facets of open-water swimming?
I might advise all aspiring open-water swimmers to follow respiration within the pool earlier than heading into the open water. I recommend rotating your head to the appropriate and left repeatedly so the place you’re within the water. For instance, three strokes earlier than wanting left after which three strokes earlier than wanting proper. It is very important be capable of change course and alter your tempo and rhythm to the situations it’s important to take care of. In open water you have to be versatile as a result of the wind, waves and environmental elements change on a regular basis. Swimmers should be capable of alter their respiration rhythm and approach to the situations they encounter.
The very fact you do not want to show in open water is one other tough challenge.
You get the prospect to breathe for a second whilst you carry out a tumble flip within the pool: your exertion is momentarily decreased, your coronary heart charge drops, and your physique recovers. Not having to show is a unique sort of problem. This implies it’s essential to give attention to lengthy exercises and step by step improve the length of your open water coaching classes. For instance, “swim for one minute with a brief break, then two minutes with a brief break, then three minutes adopted by a brief break and so forth, so your physique step by step will get used to the fixed effort with out tiring too rapidly.
Coaching aids: what type do you suggest for open-water swimming?
Open-water swimming locations most stress in your arms, so you have to work on the power and endurance of your arm stroke within the pool. One tip is to make use of some sort of gadget that slows you down whereas coaching, comparable to swimsuit with a drag impact or related equipment, however I solely advise utilizing them within the pool as preparatory coaching. Different helpful units are a GPS watch that means that you can measure the precise distance and tempo you swim or a float that may act as a “security buoy” to seize maintain of in emergencies and likewise be used to let boats, water scooters and different potential hazards within the sea/lake know precisely the place you’re. Skilled swimmers can even use hand paddles, however ensure you have labored sufficiently in your arm stroke endurance beforehand.
New to open-water swimming: what suggestions do you have got for freshmen?
As normal recommendation, I might recommend starting as quickly as doable. By which I imply each as younger as doable and as early within the season as doable. The earlier you start swimming in open water all 12 months spherical, the earlier you get used to the water temperatures and power/endurance it takes. Consistently altering the place and situations through which you swim (saltwater, lakes, massive waves, rivers, currents) will make you extra versatile and allow you to deal with any conditions you come throughout.
Security is an important issue
You need to by no means swim alone in open waters. There ought to all the time be anyone watching you out of the water or a swimming associate swimming with us (for instance, utilizing a SUP). And, if doable, it’s best to all the time have a marker buoy with you.
Water temperature: how do you deal with the chilly?
A wetsuit is, after all, an enormous assist when the water is chilly. In any case, it’s best to often swim in an unusual swimsuit. Even when we are able to solely stand the chilly for simply 10 minutes to start with, that’s lengthy sufficient in your physique to get used to those temperatures and educate it to adapt. After swimming in a wetsuit, it will possibly, for instance, be helpful to them swim a brief distance with no wetsuit after which step by step improve the size of time we swim with out one.
Keep in mind that the nationwide junior group started coaching in open waters at temperatures of round 14° on the finish of April. And a few even swam with no wetsuit ?
