Swim like The BEST.
Over the past few months, the coaches at The BEST Centre in Mallorca have been sharing some skills and drills with the triathlon community.
Broken into three videos, the BEST centre training aids will help you develop swim skills and technique for both pool swims and open water.
Video #1
Drills included in this video:
- In and Out Drill: Entering a race with an Australian exit? Practicing exiting the water, running around a cone and jumping back in could come in useful!
- Under the lane Drill: It’s really helpful to practice turning around buoys ahead of your race. This is a great adaptation to try in the pool.
- Head up Drill: In open water, you have to be able to see where you’re going! This drill is a good way to improve your sighting.
- Vertical arm Drill: Good drill to practice a straight arm recover which is good for clearance in open water. We recommend trying this with fins.
- Rainbow Drill: A progression from the vertical arm drill — again we recommend fins to start!
How the drills look in the water:
Video #2
Drills included in this video:
- Sighting — By Jack Burnell (GB OW 10km Swim): An ideal drill for anyone who will be racing in open water.
- Pipe Drill — By Christopher Bryan (Irish OW Team): Top drill focusing on the front end of the stroke, working on a high elbow recovery and entry.
Here they are in action:
Video #3
Straight or bent arm recovery?
There are a wide variety of recovery arm positions in freestyle. Some athletes bend the elbow, with the hand sweeping just above the water line in the more traditional way. Others keep the arm straight or nearly straight as it leaves the water and moves back to the front for another stroke. Neither one is best, but here is a video from The BEST Centre to give you some drills and see if you prefer a straight or bent arm recovery.
Good luck with your swimming, let us know how you get on!
Videos originally shared with Triathlete Europe. Read more here.
