SwimmingOpen Water

Open Water Swimming Technique: What Pool Swimmers Get Wrong

The 5 technique adjustments pool swimmers need for open water including sighting, drafting, bilateral breathing, wetsuit swimming, and wave navigation.

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Original Source

Triathlete Magazine Open Water Swimming Guide (archived)

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Key Points

Essential information covered in this guide

•Sighting every 6-8 strokes adds only 2-3% to swim time but prevents major course deviations
•Drafting behind another swimmer reduces energy cost by 20-25%
•Bilateral breathing is essential in open water for navigation and wave management
•Wetsuit swimming requires a higher body position and different kick pattern
•Wave navigation requires timing the breath to the wave cycle
•AI form analysis can identify pool technique habits that need adjustment for open water

Apps & Solutions Compared

Platforms and tools discussed in this guide

SportsReflector

MySwimPro

Garmin Connect

Triathlete Magazine App

Research Findings

Evidence-backed insights

A 2024 analysis of 1,200 triathlon swim splits found that athletes who practiced open water-specific technique were 4.2 minutes faster on a 1.5km swim compared to athletes with equivalent pool fitness who had not practiced open water technique.

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