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Archive for February, 2012
Triathlon-Specific Swimming: Getting Away from Masters
February 14, 2012
by Mark Van Akkeren
Swimming Masters not necessarily good for a triathlete? Whoa! Hang on a second! Where does one get off coming to that conclusion? Well, having swum, and coached, in and out of Masters groups, I can say with certainty that in getting ready for your big event, it’s best to do what you need to do. But in general, while Masters Swimming can be a useful tool, in the interest of preparing specifically for the longer durations you’ll face in triathlon racing, it’s best to branch outside the box and focus on specificity.
Read the whole article here!
Hey Newbies! How Many Races Should You Do?
February 10, 2012
By Gale Bernhardt for Active.com
It may have been a resolution, a significant birthday milestone or perhaps urging from a friend; in any case, you’ve decided to do your first triathlon this season. As you shop the event selections from your comfy chair or couch, you may begin to wonder if you can do more than one. Maybe you should capitalize on that great fitness you’ll be earning. The question is, how many can—or should—you do?
Read the whole article here!
Swim Survival in Triathlon 101
February 3, 2012
Mastering the Top Five Challenges to Breathing in Freestyle
by Valerie Ellsworth Gattis
The most common question I hear in the triathlon world about the mysteries of swimming efficiently usually involves something with breathing. In freestyle, it is the first step to get your body position right. Then, for many, you throw in breathing and everything goes haywire! This has to do with lack of balance, using your head instead of your core to breath, and a few other factors.
The top five challenges and their remedies are:
1. Not Getting Enough Air
There are two reasons why this typically happens when swimming freestyle. First, make sure you breathe out all of your air before you rotate to take a breath. When learning, some people try to exhale and inhale while they are rolling to the side for air. There simply is not enough time for this! Your exhalations should only be in the water in the form of bubbles. Initially the timing may seem difficult, but eventually you will get used to it. Second, you may be sinking as you breathe. Make sure you are rolling to the side to breathe, and not rotating your head and looking straight up. Practicing the side kicking drills.
2. Extended arm sinks while taking a breath
This is mainly a balance issue. While you breathe to one side, your other arm should be extending. For many swimmers, this extended arm pushes down into the water (elbow drops) and they are sinking while trying to inhale. The side kicking will also help to improve this. Another drill which will help with this challenge, is the fist drill, which forces you not to use your hands, therefore improves your balance in the water.
3. Speed is sacrificed because of a “pause” while breathing
A typical scenario is that you feel like you are cruising along just fine and then you take a breath and it feels like you havejust lost all your momentum. To remedy this, when you breathe, concentrate first on breathing to the side (as in #1), then on having your mouth parallel to the water, instead of over the water. The latter will take a while to master, but once you do, it will take care of the pause, and improve your speed overall.
4. Difficulty breathing while navigating in a race
You need to look up to see where you are going, and at the same time grab a breath. How can you do both? Start with bilateral breathing (breathing on both sides every three strokes). This will help you to see where you are without lifting your head up as much. When you need to lift your head up to sight, try not to look straight ahead ‐ this will make your hips sink and throw you off balance. Instead, take a quick peek at your target, roll to the side to breath, and bring your head right back down into position.
5. Sucking in water while taking a breath
In practice, this will sometimes occur because of #1 and #2 above. In a race, the waves may cause the inhalation of water instead of air (bilateral breathing will help here as well). The drills to practice to improve balance and avoid this unpleasant occurrence are the side kicking and shark fin drills, as well as the one‐arm drill. To perform the one‐arm drill, swim a full stroke with one arm while your other arm rests at your side. Breathe on the opposite side of the stroking arm. This is a difficult drill and takes some practice, but it will pay off!
For more information about triathlon swimming, visit www.victorysedge.com.
