Swimming in open water is being comfortable in an uncontrolled environment
At Swim4fun we receive many people who already cycle, run, go to the gym, train in different sports and swim… in a pool… when races or holidays approach, they decide to swim in open water and are faced with an uncontrolled environment, often with cold water, fish or jellyfish. If we are talking about triathlon or open water events, we also have the impact of matches with many people, foam in front, bumping, intertwining arms, punches, claws, foot pulling, pushing... the heart rate that was already accelerated by anxiety, it increases even more and obviously breathing control literally goes down the drain. What was supposed to be an open water race or the first part of a triathlon turns into emotional torment just thinking about starting.
But don’t worry, everything is trainable, as are the techniques. Of course, technique can make a lot of difference in terms of swimming efficiency, but if there is not a minimum of comfort in the environment I described above, I'm sorry, it will always be a pain to participate in these events. Being comfortable in open waters doesn't mean that you have to love swimming in this environment, it just means that you should be able to be there and enjoy the environment and not just a matter of survival (as I've heard). It's being able to control your breathing, just like we control it in running, even in the discomfort of endless series of 400m we know we'll be able to breathe.
The first step, as in other modalities, is to understand that this can take time, to remember and remember that adaptation in the beginning can be more difficult and not to rage against the failed breaths that will definitely happen or the several times that you will have to stop to catch your breath again! This generates frustration and can worsen the “feeling” when practicing this modality. Maybe some people who swim many meters in a pool won't be able to do more than 10 strokes in a row in the sea the first few times... believe me, it's normal. It's a new environment (even if you've been to the beach since you were a child)!!!
Everything is new, different, many variants, so lowering expectations in many cases is the key to success, because if they are too high, swimming in open waters can become frustrating.
If you find yourself in any of the situations above, I can tell you that breathing techniques help a lot, being in a safe environment (with feet) as well, having the support of someone you trust and/or a professional in the field, using the correct equipment and paying attention to what the instructor says (and not simply listening but doing what you saw on social media because you think it's best for you) will make your experience much, much better and more enjoyable.
Trust! The important thing is to be calm, patient and be accompanied by someone who gives you security, as I usually tell students… stroke by stroke goes far, without rushing.
Kisses and good strokes ;)
Bibiana Farias
Swim4fun Founder and Coach
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