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Don't panic, try and stay relaxed.
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Get
in the water early if possible to get used to the water temperature
and carry out your warm up.
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Don't start on the front row or in mid pack if you are not a strong
swimmer. Although you might have a slightly shorter distance to
swim, it is often quite a rough and tumble at the front and in mid
pack, so if you have little experience with open water racing
consider avoiding the chaos by starting further back and to the
side. The only potential trouble with that is as people begin to
tire from the initial sprint, you may have to navigate through them
(or over them).
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Don’t set off too fast and end up paying for it later as you tire.
Remember there are two more disciplines to go. Don't go mad kicking
you’ll need your legs for the next two bits.
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Try
to concentrate on your form; it can be tricky with lots of other
racers round you and trying to navigate as well. With practice it
gets easier.
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Drafting takes a bit of practice but try it anyway. It’s hard to
keep your form and pace as you concentrate on swimming close to
someone’s feet without getting kicked in the face. If you can manage
it, there is a large energy saving to be had.
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To
get a bit more room use a bigger, more forceful kick for a few
strokes. The extra splash discourages those around you and even if
they are not bothered about getting kicked, not many like to breathe
whilst getting splashed in the face. Pulling a little wider with
your forearm near to vertical allows you to use your forearm to keep
other swimmers to your side at a greater distance
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Learn to breathe to both sides. If waves or splash is coming from
the right, it’s easier to breathe to the left and vice versa.
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If
you’re not a strong swimmer, be prepared for the next wave of
swimmers catching up. If you swim on the shortest route and there
are more waves to come, it is more than likely you will end up in
another pack of swimmers. It’s easier swim a little to the side and
not get swum over.
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Be
prepared to use more than one stroke; breaststroke, backstroke and
side stroke all have there uses, both as a rest and to help
navigate.
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At
turns, swimmers tend to bunch up close to the buoy. If you are on
the inside close to the buoy you end up fighting your way round the
turn. If you are slightly further out from the buoy you get a much
easier passage, whilst everybody else fights to get round within
touching distance of the buoy.
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In
choppy water, keeping your fingers just above the water surface can
prove difficult, you need to have a much higher recovery with your
hand to get a decent stroke. Get your hand out of the water quickly.
Then get it quickly from being well above the water surface to being
in the water. The less time your hand spends close to the water
surface, the less likely it will be affected by waves breaking over
it and spoiling your style.
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Navigation:-
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Learn the course. Look at the swim route map and the water. Then try
to work out which direction you will need to swim and when.
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Looking up, tires you out and slows you down – practice swimming 20
strokes in a straight line with your eyes closed, learn to correct
any veering off to one side then use this skill to save time in
races.
Don’t just look for the buoys, trees, bridges, parked cars can all
help keep you on route.
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Know
where to expect to see the buoy, tree or other navigation marker –
they are easier to spot if you’re looking in the right direction in
the first place.
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Don’t look for too long - the buoy may be in a tough in choppy water
or hidden by other near by swimmers. Do a couple more strokes and
look again.
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Follow the others – the pack won’t deliberately swim off route and
it can make it easier to find the route (except when they all go
wrong – Windsor 2003)
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If
your way off course don’t swim back to the pack, swim to the next
turn – it’s the shortest distance. Even if you were 20m to the side
of the best route on each leg of an out and back 1500m course, you’d
only swim an extra 5m at the end of the day.
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You
must be ready to swim a bit further than the distance. Collisions
with other racers, trying to navigate and going off-course will all
add a bit extra to the distance. It’s also not unknown for the
distance to be inaccurately measured anyway.
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Don't practice open water swimming alone. Swim with some else or
swim at an area with a lifeguard.
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