Tag: getting faster in open water

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C26 Swim Camp in Nashville

Today was Day One at the Crushing Iron (C26) Triathlon Swim Camp in Nashville. We were greeted with a perfect morning for instruction, friendship, and good ole fashion work.

Coach Robbie starts with dry land instruction of the proper stroke technique. Then everyone swims short distances back and forth while others watch and give feedback. Everything is positive and by the end of this exercise everyone usually finds a couple things that will help them be a better swimmer.

After instruction, we hit the lake for some longer swimming and relays to implement what everyone has learned. At the end we recap and practice swim techniques while executing pack swims and cornering buoys.

All told campers spent about 4 hours and 30 minutes at the lake learning:

  • Swimming purposeful and powerful in open water
  • Staying square
  • Reducing Anxiety
  • Putting on and taking off wetsuits
  • Swimming Straight
  • Sighting
  • Cornering Buoys
  • Drafting
  • Race Contact Simulation
  • Proper breathing
  • Staying High in the water
  • Executing a Strong Catch

Camp continues tomorrow with a deeper diver into swim mechanics and practice under Coach Robbie’s supervision. We’re supplying videos of their swim stroke and on-site analysis in a positive learning environment.

Our June Triathlon Camp is sold out but we have one or two openings for August at the time of this writing. For more information, see our Camps page or email Coach Robbie at [email protected].

Check out our first Podcast on Swimming

Custom Swim Analysis – Get Faster By Video

 

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Open Water Swim Clinics – New Video!

We are doing a ton of work within Ironman training and the more I think about it, the more I believe the weekly open water swims could be the most valuable.  I think of the Ironman swim in two ways:

1.  It may be the shortest “time section” of the race, but it can absolutely wreck you if you’re not comfortable and ready.  I’m on a continuum between insatiable and utter fear.
2.  The faster you get out of the water, the fewer people you’ll have ahead of you on the bike course.  You’ll also be with faster people who will naturally raise your game.

So, our Coach, Robbie Bruce and his swim clinics, have been a major gift.  He’s there four days a week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday) ready to show us everything he knows about swimming in open water.   Sundays are at 4 pm, all other days 6 am.  He teaches mass starts, sighting, drafting, and anything else that will take your pool training to a completely different level.  I’ve been in open water 5 times this year and it has given me unbelievable confidence, along with transforming my comfort and abilities.  If you live in Nashville, I can’t recommend it enough.  Here’s a video I made as part of the Crushing Iron series that gives you more information.