Swimming in triathlon involves a little adroitness and the right way to save energy for the event ahead. Check out this article to get an idea on what it is all about.
Triathlon is an athletic event which has endurance sports comprising swimming, cycling, and running. All these three have to be done back-to-back, over different distances, with time transitions between them. Swimming, as mentioned, is a major component of a triathlon. The core aim and objective of a triathlon athlete, while he or she is swimming, is to conserve as much energy as possible. That is done by not using the legs as vigorously as swimmers do in normal swimming events. Moreover, here, they need to save energy for a longer swim.
The Proper Technique
Hand Entry
The entry refers to how the swimmer's hand comes in front upon entering the water. The correct technique, is that the hand has to be at a 45-degree angle when entering the water. Moreover, the body should ideally roll side to side partially.
Catch
This is a very important aspect for the right entry into the water, known as catch. In this, the swimmer gets hold of the water, ready to pull and push the water back. Eventually, he will go ahead.
Pull
Using a high elbow, your hand and forearm begins to pull the water. The pulling propels you forward. You need to make sure that you have a high elbow. Though, this technique will seem awkward at first.
Push
This refers to getting all the water mass gathered after you have pulled, and then push it back. This will propel you ahead.
Recovery
Finally, recovery is the way a swimmer's arm gets from the last action of pulling back to entry. This is based on trial and error, as it depends on an individual swimmer. It can either be a high elbow and relaxed forearm entry, or a huge circle.
Useful Tips
- You should preferably keep looking straight down when swimming freestyle.
- When it comes to swimming strokes, minimizing your kick and conserving your energy is very crucial.
- A horizontal body position is important for swimming well.
- Learn the drills and practice for improving on your swimming skills.
- To reduce the drag, tone your body into being long and thin.
- Balance, as usual, is the core in reducing drag and effort as well.
- An aspiring triathlon swimmer should keep in mind, that he needs to keep his arm from crossing over.
- Rotation of the torso is necessary for remaining streamlined and horizontal.
The crux of swimming in a triathlon lies in saving energy, and keeping the resistance of water to the minimum. Only then would you finish the lap faster, and at the same time save energy for the next event.
