Swim Success Stories: Technique Sessions to Front of the Pack Swim

Some amazing swims over the last weekend.

I wanted to highlight one of them.

Rob joined our Monday evening technique groups back in February. Like many of us, he wanted to improve his swim so he could compete in triathlons. He had been out of the water for a while and, as often happens, had to start putting his swim technique back together.

The technique sessions that Rob attended regularly, under the watchful eye of Coach Nick, were only thirty minute sessions. But 30 minutes of swimming – regularly and frequently – where you focus purely on technique can have a big impact!

Since February, when the technique sessions started, Rob and the other swimmers in our group have focused on …

• Body position and balance in the water
• Swimming long, tall and narrow
• Developing great rhythm and timing
• Improving propulsion and speed

Rob also attended several open water group sessions to build his confidence and transfer that well-developed technique to wetsuit swimming and the hurly-burly of the open water. Swimming among other swimmers, drafting, sighting, turning, close contact plus some open water technique work saw Rob swimming confidently.

A couple of weeks ago, Rob asked was there anything he needed to focus on ahead of his triathlon.

“Technique is good. Speed is good. All about race execution now. Staying out of trouble, focusing on your own race and not everybody else, conservative pacing early on” was my advice.

Over the weekend, at Castle Howard, Rob raced a triathlon.

“Hi Bryan, Just got the timings through from the race yesterday and I was 15th on the swim out of 74, which I never thought that would happen! Thank you for your help, I’ll definitely be continuing!”

That’s some significant progress … and some race performance!

From rusty technique, little speed and limited endurance to the front end of the triathlon swim.

Now that’s a success story!