TRAINING

If you have the budget and want to progress quickly, a good swimming coach can create a training plan to suit your needs – and can help in other ways too (see page 10). But if you don’t have the funds or if you would prefer to be your own coach, then this brief guide will help you get started.

n simple terms, becoming a faster open water swimmer involves the following:

• Improving your swimming technique

• Increasing your swimming fitness

• Becoming more comfortable and confident in a range of natural water conditions

• Developing your open water swimming skills All you need to do then is design a training programme that develops all these areas. Easier said than done, I know, but it can be done. Let’s dive right in.

For a casual or recreational swimmer who wants to be in a good position to tackle a range of open water swim challenges next summer, I’d recommend building a plan around three training sessions per week.

SESSION 1 – TECHNIQUE FOCUS, 30 MINUTES TO 1-HOUR

Do this in the pool in winter. After a gentle warm up, do a series of swimming drills or stroke focus exercises. The exact exercises you do will depend on where you are in your swimming journey, and you may need some coaching advice to get started – but see below for some suggestions. Keep the effort level light so you can focus on swimming with great technique. As the water outside warms up in spring, you can take this session outside and work on open water skills (prioritise sighting, navigation and swimming straight).