Mini-triathlon Swimming for the Newbie

Article Written By Andrew Murray

Does swimming make you reconsider the whole mini-triathlon thing? Then this article is for you! The swim part of a mini-triathlon can give those, who are not experienced in swim training, the hardest time. This article will take you step by step through workouts and drills that will help you relearn these important, basic swimming skills, and techniques. These drills will make your stroke more efficient and put your body in line with the water instead of against it.

Safety should always be your top training goal. Make sure that you train in a pool or open water facility with a lifeguard on duty. Swimming with a partner is also better for safety, as well as useful for feedback and critiques. You must be able to swim and be comfortable in the water before you can use these workouts.

The workouts below are grouped to provide about a 1-hour training session. They do not include a lot of distance, so they should be done on your brick days. The drills and exercises are purposely short-distances to force you to work on skills and not distance. So put away the pace clock, at least for now. Though the drills may seem too easy and not enough for your workout, stick with them as given, and don't skip any of the parts. Swimming longer distances before you have gotten your body to learn & memorize this new form will put you back to your old habits.

Workout #1

a. Floating - Practice floating on your belly with your whole body flat on top of water. Keep your arms straight by your side. Push shoulders/upper chest down slightly to help bring waist & legs up. Put your head mostly under water with a small (approx. 3") circle of the back of your head out of the water. Your chin is close to your chest and your eyes should see the bottom of the pool.

• 10 minutes of practice floating on your belly in the shallow end - If you feel your feet sinking add a very small kick. Remember the emphasis is on floating not kicking. Stop and stand up to breathe.
  
• 10 widths/ half-lengths of floating on belly with more kick - Stop to breathe if needed. Push off after each stop. Don't worry if you do not get much push from your kick, concentrate on the floating/body position
  
• 5 min floating on back - Same as on belly, but push slightly on shoulder blades and have only a small amount of your face out of the water.
  
• 10 widths/ half-lengths of floating on back with more kick - Should breath regularly since face is out of water. If practicing near wall keep 1 arm out straight in front to protect your head.

b. Float/Gliding on your side - Start by floating on your back and slowly turning your body so you are on your side. Keep your arms straight by your side and your head looking up. Your chin should be close to your shoulder. You want to have a small part of your side from the shoulder to your hip out of the water. Your kick will be side to side instead of the up/down like before. Kick slowly and concentrate on using your body to float & don't think about the power of the kick. If you have trouble getting your shoulder/hips on top of the water try pushing down on your shoulder that is deeper in the water. Always keep your body straight - don't twist or bend at the waist (save that for the dance floor). For these drills continue to stop when you need to breathe.

• 10 widths/half lengths on side with face out of the water - Alternate sides and keep arms straight by your sides.
  
• 10 widths/half lengths on side with face under water - Look at bottom of pool with chin closer to shoulder that is deeper under water.
  
• 5 widths/half lengths on side, face under water & arm out straight - Lower arm out in front of you, alternate sides on each width.
  
• 5 widths/half lengths on side, face out of water and arm out straight - Lower arm out in front of you, alternate sides on each width.

Workout #2

a. Kicking - When kicking, keep your legs from bending too much. Remember you're not on the bike yet! Keep your ankles loose making your foot act like a flipper. The power of the kick should come from your core and upper legs not from your knees.

• 15 widths/half lengths kicking while floating on your stomach - Have your arms out in front of you, slightly squeezing your biceps into your ears. Remember to keep your head low with only a small portion showing above the water. Stop when you need to breathe
• 15 widths/half lengths kicking while floating on one side with both arms by your side - Try turning your head to the surface to breathe. Concentrate on kicking without too much knee bend & floating straight on your side.
  
• 20 widths/half lengths kicking and alternating side - Turn your body so that the shoulder/hip that is on top of water is below the water and the shoulder/hip that is below the water is now on top of water. Keep your head looking at the bottom of the pool, arms by your side. Your belly and side should always be under water. You can try turning your head to your upper shoulder to breathe

b. Arm Stroke - Start out floating on your side with your deeper arm out straight in front of you and the other arm resting on your hip (which should be on top of the water). You will do a regular freestyle arm stroke with just 1 arm, the arm on top of your hip. Arms should start & finish on your hips Your body should roll as your arm does the stroke so that when your stroke arm and other one are together in front, you are on your belly floating with a little bit of your head showing above the water.

• 20 widths/half lengths of 1 arm stroke - Glide momentarily when your hand is back on your hip. Stop when you need to breathe.
  
• 20 widths/half lengths of arm stroke using both arms - The arms alternate when they are in front of you. Remember to glide when each hand reaches your hip for a second and readjust your head if it is lifted or completely under water.
  
• 20 widths/half lengths of arm stroke using both arms with no glide between each stroke - Now work in breathing every third stroke so you are breathing on alternate sides. Use this new breathing pattern even if you don't need the breath as it is will give you greater control over your breathing and keep your muscles balanced on both sides.
  
• 10 widths/half lengths of arms stroke w/ fingertips always under water - Continue to pause when your hands reach your hip. Start arm stroke by dragging thumb & index fingertip up your side and across your face. Once your hand reaches your head start to push hand/arm through the water to the other arm, which is in front of you.