Contemplating what is going on for the time being, plenty of swimmers are contemplating coaching extra (or beginning to prepare) in open water. Listed here are some ideas from Fabrizio Antonelli, Gregorio Paltrinieri’s coach.
What are crucial technical elements of long-distance swimming?
What fundamentals do it’s essential grasp and prepare?
From the perspective of approach, freestyle is the popular stroke because of the easy indisputable fact that it’s much less vitality consuming to swim freestyle at any given pace in comparison with different strokes, so it’s essential focus in your freestyle swim stroke.
As regards any changes in comparison with swimming within the pool, I believe probably the most fascinating factor is how to adapt our swim stroke to the circumstances we encounter.
This can be a key issue each for top-level swimmers and amateurs taking to the open waters for the primary time, as a result of the climate/water circumstances can change at any second: this implies you need to work arduous in your proprioceptive expertise so you possibly can grasp and management your swim stroke correctly each by way of making “technical changes” to strengthen or lengthen your stroke and from a coordination viewpoint. That’s as a result of it will be helpful to have the ability to advertapt your stroke to the ocean/open water circumstances by which you might be racing or coaching.
So, despite the fact that you might be nonetheless swimming freestyle, altering your coordination, rushing up/slowing down your leg kick or altering your stroke charge are crucial elements that may make an actual distinction.
What are crucial psychological elements?
What’s the problem you need to tackle?
Going again to what we now have simply stated, I believe crucial issue even from a psychological viewpoint is to learn to adapt to totally different conditions: this can enable you to manage extra successfully with totally different climate, sea and wind circumstances or totally different currents throughout races.
The higher ready we’re from this viewpoint, the higher we can adapt to the circumstances we now have to take care of.
Swimming is a “efficiency sport” within the pool, as a result of race circumstances are at all times the identical and so you possibly can prepare in these similar circumstances. In contrast to swimming in a pool, long-distance open water swimming is a “state of affairs” in addition to a “efficiency” sport, so I believe its very important to be mentally versatile in addition to with the ability to undergo (anyone getting concerned within the sport should like struggling!) and so, as soon as once more, it’s essential to have the ability to adapt to totally different conditions.
Coaching alone versus coaching with a pal/teammate
How essential is to have the ability to depend on someone else in this sort of coaching?
I’d strongly advise in opposition to coaching alone in open water. Aside from the truth that it’s extra performance-enhancing to coach with a companion, it’s primarily a query of security. After all, I can’t ban coaching alone, however no person must be allowed to coach alone: the ocean, a lake or different open water settings can at all times conceal hidden perils, and it’s at all times a good suggestion to have firm or, in different phrases, no less than one coaching companion.
From a aggressive viewpoint, it’s way more performance-enhancing: you don’t really feel the trouble as a lot once you prepare with someone else, and so that you can provide a bit bit extra, even simply by staying within the slipstream. From this viewpoint, you’ll discover there’s tons to be taught!
Coaching can also be simpler as a result of you possibly can simulate race circumstances extra precisely. However aside from that, I want to emphasise as soon as once more that security is an important think about open waters, so don’t beneath any circumstances swim alone.
Swimming in a wetsuit versus swimming in an atypical swimsuit
What’s the distinction (if any) by way of your really feel for the water, notion of motion, swim approach? What recommendation would you give to anyone attempting open water swimming for the primary time?
There’s a giant distinction between swimming in a standard swimsuit and a wetsuit; certainly, I’d say there’s a enormous distinction. After all, folks adapt in a different way to this sort of swimsuit. Going again once more to what we stated earlier, having the ability to adapt your swim stroke to a wetsuit can provide a swimmer a aggressive edge.
A great way of studying the best way to prepare in a wetsuit is to work in your shoulders to try to keep away from strains as a consequence of carrying a wetsuit: the restoration part is nearly easy when carrying a standard swimsuit, however it’s an energetic a part of the swim stroke when carrying a wetsuit, since it’s essential overcome the resistance posed by the wetsuit itself. Many of the work is completed by your shoulders, so it’s essential prepare them correctly.
My recommendation is to at all times take it simple at first; in different phrases, start slowly and patiently after which step by step construct up your coaching. Don’t overdo it at your first periods, it’s essential prepare in a form of “pyramid” trend beginning on the base. The bottom of this pyramid is most actually good approach and good common coaching, which is able to then help you make extra particular variations for long-distance swimming, most notably studying first the best way to swim after which the best way to race in a wetsuit, which, as I’ve already stated, is nearly a special sport!
