Confident open water swimming comes with competence, and there are three core competencies in open water swimming: sighting, strength and endurance, and sustainability. Let’s explore each component – what it is, when competency is achieved, how to develop skills, and extra tips for success. In this third installation of confident open water swimming tips, we look at sustainability for open water swimming.
Objective: Attain mental and physical stamina to swim long durations in open water conditions.
Key Results: Feel confident swimming uninterrupted intervals of quarter, half, or full mile distances, based on individual goals. Be capable of enduring cold-water immersion for extended periods of time. Utilize techniques that enhance efficiency, reduce anxiety, and conserve energy.
Importance: Since open water swimming offers little rest and starting assistance, with the absence of pool walls, there is higher energy cost, and therefore, greater need to properly meter energy stores. Optimizing the nervous, pulmonary (lungs) and musculoskeletal systems build the stamina and sustainability to go the distance.
Focus: Progressive volume increases by extending practice set distances and adding total distance to workouts.
- Attention During Practice Sets
In each block of a swim practice, choose an important technique to develop, like swimming tall or feeling smooth. Bring awareness of the technique into the body and work on perfecting it in each set.
- Adopt a Mantra to Train the Brain and Body
Using a mantra during each swim stroke cycle attenuates the mind. For instance, reciting calm with entry of left hand, and steady with entry of right hand, the brain repetitively receives the message to move calmly and steadily. This form of self-guidance helps teach the body to switch from a heightened, sympathetic (fight or flight) mode into a manageable, parasympathetic (rest and relaxed) mode, reducing anxiety and allowing easy breathing.
- Practice Long Distance Assist Drills
This is one of the best drills to learn how to lengthen “the vessel” and glide to provide more efficiency, smoothness, and speed. While practicing freestyle, lengthen the front balancing hand, twisting body slightly onto side edge, and bring stroking hand entry in past the goggle to reach out and meet front hand, like passing a baton in a relay. Use “tagged” front hand into stroke, twisting body in the other direction while other arm reaches into glide and balance. This will create long gliding actions with proper body rotation. Add 3 – 5x 100 Catch Up Drill to warm-up.
To increase efficiency and allow the body to last longer amounts of time working, try increasing distance per stroke by reducing stroke count. First, attain baseline count for a 25 yard or meter distance. Then, try to reduce the next 25 by one stroke, and again by one stroke in the next, and again in a fourth 25. The count might be 21 strokes first, then 19, 18, and finally 16. By achieving this stroke reduction, the body is gliding longer, with less effort. Add 2 – 4x 100 Distance Per Stroke to warm-up.
- Tune Self-Care and Logistics
Use solid nutrition and hydration leading up to open water swim practices to assure health and bring athlete nutrition to use during exercise. Attain good gear that affords cold-water immersion, including open water appropriate goggles, triathlon specific wetsuit, neoprene cap, and gloves. Use a sports lubricant under wetsuit at neck and arms. Swim with a bright open water buoy for visibility and safety.
- Extra Confident Open Water Swimming Tips
- Practice other strokes like breaststroke or double arm backstroke as a alternative swim mode.
- Become comfortable treading water, which will assist when starts or breaks are in deep water.
- Practice swimming very intensely and flipping into back float to bring heart rate down quickly. Similar to using a mantra, this trains the body to switch gears from anxious to calm.
- Train with a buddy or group who can already go long distances and would like to help you improve.
Happy Swimming from Coach Cat!
Kuogelea kwa maji ya wazi kunahusisha ujuzi, na kuna ujuzi wa msingi wa tatu katika kuogelea kwa maji ya wazi: kuona, nguvu na uvumilivu, na uendelevu. Hebu kuchunguza kila sehemu <unk> nini ni, wakati uwezo ni mafanikio, jinsi ya kuendeleza ujuzi, na vidokezo vya ziada kwa ajili ya mafanikio. Katika sehemu hii ya tatu ya mafunzo ya kuogelea kwa maji ya wazi, tutaangalia uendelevu wa kuogelea kwa maji ya wazi. Lengo: Kupata nguvu za akili na kimwili kuogelea kwa muda mrefu katika hali ya maji ya wazi. Matokeo muhimu: Kujisikia uhakika kuogelea vipindi vya kutokuwa na usumbufu wa robo, nusu, au umbali kamili wa maili, kulingana na malengo ya mtu binafsi. Kuwa na uwezo wa kuvumilia kuzamishwa katika maji baridi kwa muda mrefu. Tumia mbinu zinazoongeza ufanisi, kupunguza wasiwasi, na kuokoa nishati. Kwa sababu kuogelea katika maji ya wazi hutoa mapumziko kidogo na msaada wa kuanza, kwa kukosekana kwa kuta za dimbwi, kuna gharama ya nishati ya juu, na kwa hivyo, haja kubwa ya kupima kwa usahihi maduka ya nishati. Kuboresha mfumo wa neva, mapafu (pafu) na misuli na mifupa hujenga uvumilivu na uimara wa kwenda umbali. Kuongeza kiasi cha mazoezi kwa kuongeza umbali wa mazoezi na kuongeza umbali wa jumla kwa mazoezi. Katika kila block ya mazoezi ya kuogelea, chagua mbinu muhimu ya kuendeleza, kama kuogelea mrefu au kuhisi laini. Kuleta ufahamu wa mbinu katika mwili na kazi juu ya kukamilisha katika kila seti. - Kuchukua Mantra ya Kufundisha Ubongo na Mwili Kutumia mantra wakati wa kila mzunguko wa kupiga mbizi hupunguza akili. Kwa mfano, ukisoma calm na kuingia kwa mkono wa kushoto, na steady na kuingia kwa mkono wa kulia, ubongo hupokea ujumbe wa mara kwa mara wa kusonga kwa utulivu na utulivu. Njia hii ya kujiongoza husaidia kufundisha mwili kubadili kutoka hali ya kupendeza (kupigana au kukimbia) kwenda hali ya kusimamiwa, parasympathetic (kupumzika na kupumzika), kupunguza wasiwasi na kuruhusu kupumua kwa urahisi. - Mazoezi ya Msaada wa umbali mrefu Hii ni moja ya mazoezi bora ya kujifunza jinsi ya kupanua <unk>meli<unk> na glide kutoa ufanisi zaidi, laini, na kasi. Wakati wa mazoezi ya freestyle, kupanua mbele kusawazisha mkono, twisting mwili kidogo juu ya ukingo upande, na kuleta stroking mkono kuingia katika zamani goggles kufikia nje na kukutana mbele mkono, kama kupita baton katika relay. Tumia <unk>tagged<unk> mkono wa mbele katika stroke, twisting mwili katika mwelekeo mwingine wakati mkono mwingine hufikia katika glide na usawa. Hii itatengeneza hatua ndefu za kuruka kwa mzunguko sahihi wa mwili. Kuongeza 3 <unk> 5x 100 Catch Up Drill kwa joto-up. Ili kuongeza ufanisi na kuruhusu mwili kudumu kwa muda mrefu, jaribu kuongeza umbali kwa kila stroke kwa kupunguza idadi ya stroke. Kwanza, fanya hesabu ya msingi kwa umbali wa mita 25 au mita 25. Kisha jaribu kupunguza 25 kwa stroke moja, na tena kwa stroke moja katika pili, na tena katika 25 ya nne. Mfano wa kwanza ni kuwa na strokes 21, kisha 19, 18 na hatimaye 16. Kwa kupunguza mshtuko huo, mwili unaruka kwa muda mrefu zaidi, kwa jitihada kidogo. Kuongeza 2 <unk> 4x 100 umbali kwa Stroke kwa joto-up. - Tune Self-Care na Logistics Tumia lishe imara na hydration kuongoza kwa mazoezi ya kuogelea maji ya wazi kuhakikisha afya na kuleta lishe ya mwanariadha kutumia wakati wa mazoezi. Kupata vifaa vizuri kwamba inatoa maji baridi kuzamishwa, ikiwa ni pamoja na maji ya wazi sahihi goggles, triathlon maalum wetsuit, neoprene cap, na kinga. Tumia mafuta ya michezo chini ya suti ya kuogelea kwenye shingo na mikono. Kuogelea kwa kutumia boi ya maji yaliyo wazi kwa ajili ya kuonekana na usalama. - Extra Confident Open Water Swimming Tips - Mazoezi mengine ya pigo kama breaststroke au mkono mara mbili backstroke kama mbadala kuogelea mode. - Kuwa na starehe ya kutembea juu ya maji, ambayo itasaidia wakati wa kuanza au kuvunja ni katika maji ya kina. - Zoeza kuogelea kwa bidii sana na kuruka nyuma ili kupunguza msukumo wa moyo haraka. Kama vile kutumia mantra, hii hufundisha mwili kubadili gia kutoka kuwa na wasiwasi hadi kuwa mtulivu. - Jizoeze pamoja na rafiki au kikundi ambacho tayari kinaweza kusafiri umbali mrefu na ambacho kingependa kukusaidia kuboresha. Kuogelea kwa Furaha Kutoka kwa Mkufunzi Cat!