By tjfry | January 27, 2009
It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been swimming, working on improving your technique is never ending. One of the biggest problems that swimmers of all abilities run into is that they drop their elbow as they pull underwater. If you’ve been swimming for a while you’ve heard about this many times. If you’re relatively new to the pool, the concept of keeping a ‘high elbow’ during your pull isn’t always the easiest thing to get your head around. So let me try and help.
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By tjfry | January 19, 2009
Being a strong swimmer, I’m often asked about wetsuits. They ask about brands, types, price ranges, fit, etc. I think that wetsuits can be one of the most difficult equipment purchases we have to make. The reason is three-fold. Wetsuits all fit differently. I liken them to women’s jeans. Each brand cuts and sizes their suits differently, so a wetsuit that fits me like a glove might not fit you at all. So a glowing recommendation from a friend or training partner may mean nothing, unless you are able to try one on. Which leads us to problem number two.
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By tjfry | January 16, 2009
I’m often asked about how to prepare for an open water swim in a swimming pool. Unfortunately, I don’t have a good answer. They are very different venues. It is sorta like preparing for a mountain bike ride on an indoor trainer. It’s pretty hard to practice certain skills in such a structured environment. There are, however, a few things you can do that can help prepare you for certain aspects of an open water swim.
Bilateral Breathing – Learning how to breathe comfortably on both sides will help you in open water in two ways. First and foremost, bilateral breathing helps to keep your stroke balanced. This means that both arms are pulling with about the same force and one arm isn’t doing anything drastically different than the other arm. Doing this will keep you swimming in a straight (or straighter!) line.One of the biggest problems in open water swimming is trying to stay on course, so the straighter you teach yourself to swim in a pool, the better off you will be in the lake. Bilateral breathing also gives you the ability to switch your breathing to the side that you can sight better from and/or have the fewest obstacles with. Often in ocean swims (or any rough swim for that matter) you will find the need to breathe away from the source of the waves. It gives you a clearer shot at a breath without swallowing water. It will also allow you to switch sides when you have the sun in your face and are unable to see anything. This can be critical for sighting the course. Read More »
By tjfry | January 13, 2009
Alright, so the season has finally come to an end, you had some down time and are starting to think about next year. If you are like most triathletes in this country, you are probably thinking about ways to improve your swim. It is, afterall, the weakest of the three sports for the vast majority of people out there. The great thing about winter training is that it fits perfectly with swimming because the climate never changes in the pool. So now the opportunity is there, but where to begin on your quest for fast swim times next season.
The starting point is the same for the beginner as it is for the Olympic swimmer: technique. Even the best take some time every year to refresh their skills in the pool, so without getting into great detail here are some quick things to remember in terms of your technique. Read More »