Pool swimming builds your stroke. Open water swimming builds your race. The two environments demand completely different skills — and the gap between them is bridged not by swimming more laps, but by practising specific open water drills. Here's the toolkit I use.
Why Open Water Drills Are Different
In the pool, every variable is controlled: lane lines, walls, visibility, temperature, stillness. In open water, all of that is gone. You need to navigate, sight, draft, start in a crowd, and manage anxiety simultaneously. These skills don't emerge automatically from pool training — they have to be practised deliberately.
Drill 1: Sighting Every 6 Strokes
Sighting is the foundational open water skill. The technique: after your hand enters the water on a stroke, lift just your eyes above the surface — "crocodile eye" style — to spot your target buoy or landmark. Do this every 6 strokes, without disrupting your stroke rhythm. In training, pick a fixed object across the lake and swim toward it, sighting every 6 strokes. Measure how much you drift. Target: less than 5 metres of deviation per 100m swim.
"The swimmer who sights well arrives at the buoy. The swimmer who doesn't arrive 20 metres away, confused, breathing hard from the detour."
Drill 2: Drafting Behind a Partner
In triathlon, drafting off another swimmer is legal and enormously advantageous — energy savings of 20–30% have been measured. The technique: swim directly behind another swimmer, positioning your head near their feet. You'll feel the turbulence they create propel you forward. Practise with a training partner: take turns leading and drafting in 100m intervals. The drafting swimmer should be able to maintain pace with significantly less effort.
Drill 3: The Mass Start Simulation
Triathlon race starts are chaotic — arms, feet, and bodies everywhere. Many beginners panic in their first mass start. Solution: practise with 4–6 other swimmers starting from the same point simultaneously, swimming close together for the first 100m. Learn to stay relaxed when you're bumped or splashed. Practise moving to the outside to find clear water if needed. This drill alone reduces race day anxiety dramatically.
Drill 4: Bilateral Breathing Adaptation
In pool training, you breathe on a fixed pattern. In open water, waves and sun position may force you to breathe on your non-preferred side. Practise breathing every 3 strokes (alternating sides) in training. Build to the point where both sides feel equally natural. In races, you'll automatically breathe away from waves — which arrives from the right half the time.
Drill 5: The Cold Water Acclimatisation Drill
Submerge your face in cold water (12–18°C) for 30 seconds before entering. This triggers the dive reflex and reduces the gasp response when cold water hits your face mid-stroke. Then do 3 box breaths (4 in, 4 hold, 4 out, 4 hold). Your first strokes will be calmer. This is not psychological — it's a physiological reset you can train.
My 8-Week Open Water Prep Block
- Weeks 1–2: Introduce sighting drill in every session. Goal: 15+ sightings per session without losing stroke timing.
- Weeks 3–4: Add drafting drills with a partner. 4×200m, alternating lead and draft.
- Weeks 5–6: Mass start simulation. Build tolerance for contact and chaos.
- Weeks 7–8: Full open water sessions with all drills integrated. 2×500m with sighting, drafting, and bilateral breathing combined.
• Check conditions: wind, current, water temperature
• Never swim alone — always have a buddy or safety kayak
• Wear a bright swim buoy (visibility + emergency flotation)
• Start every session with the cold water acclimatisation drill
• Sight your first target before your first stroke
Open water proficiency is a learnable skill set, not a talent. Four to eight weeks of deliberate practice at these drills will transform your race experience — from surviving the swim to racing it confidently.