Open Water Workshop
The purpose of this camp is to introduce pool swimmers to open water, whether you are preparing for your first triathlon or wanting to swim in the open water for fitness and fun.
We guarantee you'll leave our Open Water Workshop with a much better stroke than you arrived with and you’ll much more comfortable in the open water.
This Workshop is ideal for you if you:
- Have little or no open water experience
- Want to learn how to practice in an environment without walls or lane lines
- Are preparing for your first triathlon or open water event
- Had an unpleasant/unsuccessful prior experience in a tri or open water swim
- Would simply like to fully enjoy open water swimming
- Want to improve racing performance for open water
We will offer three basic concepts at this workshop:
1. Perpetual Motion Freestyle
We'll teach you techniques focused on key stroke habits for tireless swimming that:
- help you adapt your pool stroke to waves, chop and currents
- allow you to swim long distances without walls or flip turns
- show you how to use longer stretches of uninterrupted stroking
2. Swim With Friends
The best part of open water - and a key to safe swimming - is practicing with friends. Rather than swimming in endless circles as you must in the pool, in open water, you can practice a wide range of formations and patterns.
We’ll introduce you to five ways of swimming with others. These are not only hugely enjoyable, but also teach you how to save energy by drafting, how to navigate effectively without lanes or lines, and how to keep your "cool" when swimming in close quarters with others.
3. Simulated Racing Experience
If you are interested in a low-pressure way to test your swim skills at work, our camp will offer realistic, low-pressure simulations of open water racing. In this part of the camp you will:
- learn to thrive in – or avoid -- the "controlled chaos" of race starts
- learn to swim around turn-arounds/buoys effectively
- save energy by drafting
- get your bearings and learn to navigate without “zig-zagging”
- learn how to enjoy the experience so thoroughly you’ll be anxious to enter more races!
- have a chance to practice your new skills in a low-key fun race and review your results and video afterwards
The Open Water Technique:
4 key skills guaranteed to save you energy and help you swim a consistent pace for a long distance without tiring. This will include video analysis.
Swim Calmly in a Crowd:
Learn to be comfortable, relaxed, and efficient and develop a “cocoon of calm” in a crowd of jostling swimmers.
Learn to achieve and maintain good position with the least energy cost, approach and round turn buoys, and improve position by passing other swimmers effectively.
Swim the Shortest Distance:
Learn to sight and navigate expertly and to draft off other swimmers to save energy and reduce your need to look for landmarks.
Smart Speed
Learn to use a Tempo Trainer in open water to find the optimal stroke length and rate for any distance or speed and to develop mental stamina and powerful focus.
Are wetsuits welcome?
Yes, if it will help you be more comfortable and to learn how to adapt the Open Water Technique for wetsuit swimming. The water may a bit warm, however, you will get as much time in the water to swim with your wetsuit. We will also show you the best techniques to don your wetsuit and to strip it off in the transition area.
Tuition: $395
Open Water Workshop Schedule
Our schedule will be as follows (subject to minor revision):
Saturday
6:45 am Check-in
7:00 – 8:45 1st Open water videotaping and group instruction
9:00 – 11:00 Classroom & video review of 1st video taping
11:00 – 12:00 Lunch Break (bring sack lunch)
12:00 – 1:45 Group instruction & 2nd video taping
2:00 – 3:30 Classroom & video review 2nd tape wrap-up
4:00 Classroom wrap-up
6:00 pm Group Dinner & Social (Dutch Treat) - Optional
Sunday
7:30 am Check-in and prepare for swimming
7:45 – 9:00 Simulated Race Swim & 3rd video taping
9:15 – 10:45 Classroom workshop & video review 3rd tape
11:00 Classroom wrap-up & Departure
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