Contemplating what is occurring in the intervening time, plenty of swimmers are contemplating coaching extra (or beginning to practice) in open water. Listed here are some ideas from Fabrizio Antonelli, Gregorio Paltrinieri’s coach.
What are an important technical points of long-distance swimming?
What fundamentals do it’s good to grasp and practice?
From the perspective of method, freestyle is the popular stroke as a result of easy indisputable fact that it’s much less power consuming to swim freestyle at any given velocity in comparison with different strokes, so it’s good to focus in your freestyle swim stroke.
As regards any changes in comparison with swimming within the pool, I believe essentially the most fascinating factor is how to adapt our swim stroke to the situations we encounter.
It is a key issue each for top-level swimmers and amateurs taking to the open waters for the primary time, as a result of the climate/water situations can change at any second: this implies it’s a must to work laborious in your proprioceptive abilities so you possibly can grasp and management your swim stroke correctly each when it comes to making “technical changes” to strengthen or lengthen your stroke and from a coordination viewpoint. That’s as a result of it may be helpful to have the ability to advertapt your stroke to the ocean/open water situations through which you’re racing or coaching.
So, although you’re nonetheless swimming freestyle, altering your coordination, rushing up/slowing down your leg kick or altering your stroke price are essential elements that may make an actual distinction.
What are an important psychological elements?
What’s the problem it’s a must to tackle?
Going again to what we’ve simply stated, I believe an important issue even from a psychological viewpoint is to discover ways to adapt to completely different conditions: this may permit you to manage extra successfully with completely different climate, sea and wind situations or completely different currents throughout races.
The higher ready we’re from this viewpoint, the higher we will adapt to the situations we’ve to cope with.
Swimming is a “efficiency sport” within the pool, as a result of race situations are at all times the identical and so you possibly can practice in these identical situations. In contrast to swimming in a pool, long-distance open water swimming is a “scenario” in addition to a “efficiency” sport, so I believe its very important to be mentally versatile in addition to with the ability to undergo (anyone getting concerned within the sport should like struggling!) and so, as soon as once more, it’s essential to have the ability to adapt to completely different conditions.
Coaching alone versus coaching with a pal/teammate
How necessary is to have the ability to depend on any individual else in this sort of coaching?
I’d strongly advise in opposition to coaching alone in open water. Other than the truth that it’s extra performance-enhancing to coach with a associate, it’s primarily a query of security. In fact, I can not ban coaching alone, however no person must be allowed to coach alone: the ocean, a lake or different open water settings can at all times conceal hidden perils, and it’s at all times a good suggestion to have firm or, in different phrases, no less than one coaching associate.
From a aggressive viewpoint, it’s far more performance-enhancing: you don’t really feel the trouble as a lot once you practice with any individual else, and so that you may give slightly bit extra, even simply by staying within the slipstream. From this perspective, you will see there may be heaps to study!
Coaching can also be more practical as a result of you possibly can simulate race situations extra precisely. However other than that, I wish to emphasise as soon as once more that security is a vital think about open waters, so don’t beneath any circumstances swim alone.
Swimming in a wetsuit versus swimming in an peculiar swimsuit
What’s the distinction (if any) when it comes to your really feel for the water, notion of motion, swim method? What recommendation would you give to anyone attempting open water swimming for the primary time?
There’s a giant distinction between swimming in a standard swimsuit and a wetsuit; certainly, I’d say there’s a enormous distinction. In fact, individuals adapt in another way to this sort of swimsuit. Going again once more to what we stated earlier, having the ability to adapt your swim stroke to a wetsuit may give a swimmer a aggressive edge.
A great way of studying the best way to practice in a wetsuit is to work in your shoulders to attempt to keep away from strains as a result of carrying a wetsuit: the restoration section is sort of easy when carrying a standard swimsuit, however it’s an lively a part of the swim stroke when carrying a wetsuit, since it’s good to overcome the resistance posed by the wetsuit itself. A lot of the work is finished by your shoulders, so it’s good to practice them correctly.
My recommendation is to at all times take it straightforward at first; in different phrases, start slowly and patiently after which steadily construct up your coaching. Don’t overdo it at your first classes, it’s good to practice in a kind of “pyramid” vogue beginning on the base. The bottom of this pyramid is most definitely good method and good basic coaching, which can then assist you to make extra particular variations for long-distance swimming, most notably studying first the best way to swim after which the best way to race in a wetsuit, which, as I’ve already stated, is sort of a distinct sport!
