For many triathletes, swimming is the most frustrating discipline. It can feel like it’s the hardest to improve, or the one athletes are “just trying to survive”. Unfortunately, working harder and pushing to go faster doesn’t mean you’ll get faster. Working on your swim technique, on the other hand, will get you faster. And the best time of year for triathletes to fix their swim technique is during their off-season.
Improving your swim technique when there’s less pressure to get in more miles, work on speed, or improve racing strategy gives you the time to make meaningful changes that actually stick.
Swimming is a Skill
One of the biggest misconceptions in triathlon training is treating swimming like running or cycling. While more time on the saddle or more niles on the road will lead to improvement, more laps won’t necessarily improve your swim.
Of the three, swimming is the most technical, followed by running. And while running does require good form and technique, swimming requires it even more. Swimming is a highly technical and skill dependent sport with the added effects of hydrodynamics. Small inefficiencies, such as poor body position, a badly positioned stroke, or mistimed breathing can dramatically increase drag and energy cost. So regardless of how hard you try, you can’t out-swim poor technique.
Poor swim technique is why triathletes:
- Swim hard, but not fast
- Improve cycling or running fitness while swimming is stagnant
- Feel exhausted after short swims
- Get constant injuries
If your goal is to swim faster with less effort, technique is what matters most.
Why the Off-Season?
Swim technique should be worked on year round, just like run technique. Making slight adjustments and keeping good overall form is done by including drills in your workouts. It’s a time for maintenance of good form.
But focusing a solid block of training to form improvement is best done when you have the time and energy to focus on it. During the off-season, there’s generally more time, lower intensity, reduced fatigue, and better mental focus. Once race season approaches and blocks of training focus on different physiological adaptations needed for your race, workouts become harder and the more time.
Can swimming technique be improved other times of year? Definitely. It just has to be worked around and incorporated into your training and racing. That’s where your coach can help integrate what’s needed and when.
Common Mistakes Triathletes Make This Time of Year
Even motivated triathletes might miss the opportunity this season provides. The most common are:
- Chasing yards instead of quality
- more meters don’t always equal better swimming if technique deteriorates.
- Overusing equipment
- Paddles and pull buoys are tools, use them accordingly and don’t rely on them
- Ignoring breathing patterns
- Breathing issues can lead to poor alignment and make swimming feel harder
- Expecting immediate speed gains
- Technique improvement might feel awkward before it feels faster. Don’t abandon changes too soon.
What Triathletes Should Focus On
Rather than swimming harder, early swim training can focus on efficiency and repeatability. Key priorities include:
- Body Position & Balance
- Breathing Patterns and Relaxation
- Stroke Timing and Rhythm
- Frequent Sessions
If swimming has felt like the discipline that holds you back, the solution is to address the real issue at the right time.
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