5 Freestyle Swim Tips For Open Water

Freestyle swimming in open water can be a challenging and exhilarating experience. Unlike swimming in a pool, open water conditions can be unpredictable, with currents, waves, and changing weather. Here are five freestyle swim tips for open water that can help you improve your technique and enjoy your swim.

Practice Your Navigation Skills

In open water, it's essential to know where you're going and stay on course. Practice sighting by lifting your head out of the water every few strokes and looking for landmarks such as buoys, trees, or buildings. You can also use GPS devices or swim watches to help you stay on course.

Learn to Sight Efficiently

Sighting is an essential skill in open water swimming, but it can also be tiring if you do it incorrectly. To sight efficiently, lift your head only slightly out of the water, and keep your eyes focused on the target ahead. Avoid lifting your head too high, which can disrupt your body position and slow you down.

Practice Drafting

Drafting involves swimming behind or alongside another swimmer to reduce the drag caused by water resistance. In open water, drafting can help you conserve energy and swim faster. To practice drafting, find a swimmer who has a similar pace to you and swim behind them, keeping your head down and your body position streamlined.

Improve Your Swimming Technique

Improving your swimming technique can help you swim more efficiently and with less effort in open water. Focus on keeping your body position streamlined, your head down, and your arms relaxed. Use a high elbow catch and a smooth, continuous pull to propel yourself through the water.

Practice Open Water Starts

In open water races, the start can be chaotic and crowded, with swimmers jostling for position. Practice open water starts by swimming with a group of friends or joining an open water swim club. Practice diving off a pier or jumping off a boat and swimming in a pack to simulate race conditions.

Conclusion

Open water swimming can be a challenging and rewarding experience, but it requires different skills than swimming in a pool. Practice your navigation skills, learn to sight efficiently, practice drafting, improve your swimming technique, and practice open water starts to prepare yourself for the challenges of open water swimming. By following these freestyle swim tips for open water, you can improve your technique, swim more efficiently, and enjoy your swim.