There is a difference between swimming in open water and in a swimming pool. Give yourself a head start and get some great tips on what to look out for before your first open water swim with lifeguard training.
Do you have challenges with the basic skills of swimming; technique, balance and breathing – do not expect it to be easier to get outside. Power, waves and lack of visibility are just three of many challenges. Here are some tips to help you get started with open water swimming for the first time.
It is harder to stay the course in open water
One of the biggest differences between swimming in the swimming pool and outdoor swimming is that it is significantly more difficult to stay the course in open water swimming than in the swimming pool.
You can maintain your rhythm in crawl swimming by synchronizing your head lifts with your breathing, for example by looking up before every 3rd or 5th breath. You may even be able to just lift your goggles over the water surface if the water is relatively calm with lifeguard training.
In crawl, you turn more with your body and there is a greater risk of getting off course. Therefore, make sure that for every third or fifth breath you make a so-called water polo armrest – that is, a crawl armrest, where you keep your head above the water and look straight ahead.
Swimming can feel different with a wetsuit on
Swimming is not fundamentally different because you get a wetsuit on. It’s still about balance, breathing and technique, but it can be a good idea to prepare for outdoor swimming by training with a wetsuit indoors. In this way, you ensure that you become familiar with movement in the water wearing a wetsuit, and you also get the opportunity to feel how balance, breathing, and technique are still experienced a little differently when you have put on a suit with lifeguard training.
Some swimmers find that rotation and mobility in the armpits are reduced with wetsuits on, especially when using the slightly stiffer or thicker wetsuits. Regardless of the type of wetsuit, you will find that the neoprene in the suit provides increased buoyancy, and thus your swimming helps tremendously on the way.
Finally, you should be aware that certain wetsuits can irritate the skin, and Vaseline or the like can be good to apply to the skin especially in the crotch, in the neck, and under the armpits.
Get help getting familiar with open water
If you have a desire to develop your swimming technique, or you want to acquire knowledge about swimming and how you can approach the swimming training on your own, the safest investment is to sign up for the local swimming club’s teaching team.
Many swimming clubs offer adult education and are often based on crawl or open water swimming.
More and more clubs have also added open water swimming to their list of activities. It may well be worth gold for your swimming experience in open water with a few lessons where a trained instructor is in charge of the teaching.
