Is the technique for tri swimming different than competitive swimming (other than the obvious-sighting…)?
Yes and no. While you can learn a lot of great things from competitive swimmers (especially the Olympians), you have to keep in mind their goals are different than yours. Most competitive swimmers are training for events between 50-500 yards or meters- much different than a triathlon that can last 2-10 hours! So in triathlon the goal is more to conserve energy for the bike and run, as opposed to grinding out a sprint. Keep your stroke long and don’t “muscle through” the swim! I can only do the forward crawl half of a lap before gasping every stroke, what is the best way to build up some basic endurance? Yes great question….I get this one all the time! First and most importantly is to work on stroke technique. Some basic balance and kicking drills are perfect at the beginning. Start with just kicking on your side, head down. Even using fins is okay! The side kicking will help you improve your balance in the water. When you need air, just roll onto your back and grab a couple of breath
