By Coach Lindsay Zemba Leigh

‘Tis the season when triathletes can branch out from pool swimming and get into the open water. To be ready for our best race day, learning how to maximize both safety and performance in open water is crucial. 

For many triathletes, the open water is the most anxiety-producing aspect of race day. Others may struggle to produce the same times in open water as they do in the pool. So, in this article, I’ll review 4 key tips for open water, and include drills you can do in the pool or in the open water to increase your skill and proficiency.

Safety First

The first step before taking the plunge is to do a safety check: 

• Wear a brightly colored cap or use a safety buoy for high visibility, especially if there are boats in the water. 
• Swim with at least one other person – always!
• Make sure swimming is allowed in the body of water
• Water temp
  • If the water is below 70 degrees, a wetsuit is strongly recommended. 
  • If it’s under 60 degrees, it’s crucial, and you may also consider wearing a neoprene cap and booties as well as using earplugs to help prevent vertigo. 
  • For cold water, you should also consider a full-sleeve wetsuit. 
  • If the water temp is >80 degrees, it’s easy to overheat in a wetsuit, so we don’t recommend a suit in those temperatures. 

Managing Anxiety

Open water anxiety is extremely common – and it has nothing to do with ability or experience. Our body goes through a series of natural reactions that are mostly out of our control. Our heart rate increases, the muscles contract, and the capillaries in the lungs tighten. So, yes, this absolutely creates a physical sensation, that our brains interpret as a potential threat, which can lead to anxiety or panic.

To minimize the impact of this physical response (and our eventual interpretation of it), take time to acclimate to the water. This process may take 10-15 minutes, so allow for that time to ensure you feel your best when the workout or race begins. 

Getting into the water

First, ease into the water slowly, and stop at the point you feel your breath “catch.” Breathe deeply, and wade a bit at that point to get a feel for the water temperature. Once you regulate your breath and heart rate, move in further still. Stopping each time you feel your breath catch and heart rate accelerate. Get used to each point. 

When you are ready, splash some water on your face and head. Dunk your head underwater to see what the visibility is like. Each time you feel that catch and HR acceleration, do deep abdominal breathing and relax into it. When you are ready start some easy strokes – maybe even a breast stroke. Eventually, get into your freestyle. 

Taking this time can help prevent the initial shock of cold water while you’re swimming and can help ease anxiety.

Dryland Warmup

If you don’t have the option to do this sort of warm-up before a race, bring a bottle or two of water with you (more on that in a second). Then, do a dryland warm-up. This may include a light jog/walk, dynamic stretching, and swim cords. Get the blood flowing and the body primed for action.

 

Dryland dynamic warm-up may include:

• Torso rotation
• Arm swings – forward and backward (don’t throw the arms – control the mobility)
• Dynamic forward bends – bend at the waist, keeping a neutral spine. Bend forward just until you feel a slight tug, and then return to standing posture
• High knee march – either in place or moving (as space allows)
• Body weight squats
• Butt kicks (bend knees, bringing foot directly up under the butt – as much as mobility allows)
• any other functional warm-ups that have worked well for you in training

 

As you are standing in line, waiting to start, take the water bottles and begin to splash your face, and pour it down your wetsuit. This will create the same sensations mentioned above, and will give you the time to acclimate to the initial “shock” of the water, thereby reducing an anxiety trigger. 

 

Once you get underway, anxiety can still happen, especially during races with hundreds of other athletes around you. If this happens, it’s okay. Take a breath. 

Focus on breathing and blowing bubbles steadily, making sure you’re getting a full exhale. Try counting, reciting rhymes, or singing/humming songs. If you still can’t catch your breath, roll onto your back and float for as long as you have to and try to relax, just be sure to move off to the side out of the way of other swimmers so you do not get swam over. This will help get your heart rate under control and calm you down. Once you’re ready to start moving again, start by breaststroking. Then ,when you’re ready, put your head down and resume swimming.

Sighting

Sighting is key to your best open water swim. The shortest distance is between two buoys, so staying straight and on or near the buoy line is crucial. Be sure to sight regularly. In choppy or tidal water, this is especially important as the water will try to knock you off course.

I recommend eyes up at the start of the stroke, looking forward, then turning your head to the side to take a breath before dropping the head back into the water. Don’t lift your head too high, just enough to have a look at the sight buoy or landmark you’re sighting off of. 

This video from Global Triathlon Network provides a useful step-by-step visual of the process. 

Exiting the Water

As you exit the water, especially in a race situation, rather than standing up as soon as possible at the swim exit, swim in as far as you can, which is much more efficient and often faster.  Once your fingers start scraping the bottom, stand up and head for the exit. 

Open Water Swim Drills

Here are a few drills that can help improve open water skills and can be practiced in a pool or open water.

• Swim straight drill

Swim with your eyes closed for 10 to 20 strokes (counting single arm entry). See where you end up and what you need to correct. Bilateral breathing can help with swimming straight, and is also a very good skill to have in case you have a wake or current, the sun, or another swimmer on one side.

• Close Contact

If you have several buddies you swim with, then swim 3-4 people abreast to get used to close contact. You can even do this in a single lane at the pool. 

• Treading and floating

Keep your face out of the water with a back float. Start by breathing in through your mouth and out through your nose, and then lie back in the water. If necessary, use a gentle kick to keep your legs elevated. Keep your hands and arms in the water near your hips and move them in a palms-down, back-and-forth sweeping motion (sculling).

• Alligator Eyes

Practice sighting every 3-4 breaths. Take a quick glance forward with just your eyes out of the water (just as an alligator does), then turn your head to the side to take a breath, then continue swimming. 

To prepare for races that will have choppy waters, you could mix alligator eyes with the tarzan drill, lifting your head more out of the water (as you would have to do to be able to see over chop). When we lift our heads out of the water completely, our legs sink more. So, as you lift the head to sight, focus on a strong kick and core to keep the body more parallel to the surface. 

• Drafting

Partner with a slightly faster swimmer and don’t let that athlete get away. Move into position either directly behind the swimmer’s feet, giving just enough space that your hands are not touching the person’s toes with every stroke, or just off the athlete’s hip (easier in open water). Again, this can be done in a single lane in the pool. 

• Swim golf

The choppier the water, the faster the stroke cadence should be because wind, waves, and chop can halt your forward progress, catch your arm during the recovery phase, or lead to a face full of water while sighting or breathing. By taking more strokes, you can recover more quickly. 

Swim golf is a way to sample different stroke rates and effort levels while comparing time and effort. Use a set like 8×50 to find your lowest “score” (after each 50, add the number of strokes you took plus the number of seconds the 50 took). Experiment with cadence ranges to find your optimum efficiency.

When training in open water, you can swim continuously for a long distance to build endurance. But, open water can have sets too! You can also do speed, tempo, or strength intervals using time, stroke count, a fixed distance, or landmarks. 

Hopefully, these tips and drills will help your open water swim training and racing. Be safe and swim happy! 

👉 Ready to swim smarter, faster, and stronger?
Learn more and book your analysis here.