@everyone 🐔🥚 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙬𝙞𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧'𝙨 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙤𝙭: 𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙁𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙠𝙚 𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚?

We all know the classic riddle: the chicken or the egg? In the world of swimming technique, we face a similar, frustrating paradox. It's not about poultry; it's about propulsion vs. posture, and figuring out which link in the chain needs fixing first.

If you've ever felt like improving one part of your stroke immediately breaks another, you're not alone. Welcome to the swimming 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗴𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝘂𝗺!

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗔𝗻 𝗘𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 - 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗼 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗗𝗼𝗱𝗴𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆

We have a swimmer whose primary fault seems to be in the arm recovery. They have a strong pulling action over the back to start the recovery which immediately compromises their entire stroke:

1. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗹𝗮𝘄: The aggressive recovery action pulls the trunk and shoulder out of alignment.

2. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁: Balance is instantly compromised. To compensate, the lead arm goes down and the hand entry crosses over the centerline.

3. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲: With balance shot, the underwater pull is defensive. Instead of applying power backward for acceleration, the swimmer instinctively pushes down to regain lift and fight sinking.

4. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲: No effective propulsion, high effort, and low speed.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗽𝘂𝗹𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗼𝘅 (𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗴𝗴?)

Now, here's the other side of the argument. If this swimmer 𝗱𝗶𝗱 have better, consistent forward acceleration and propulsion:

It would generate more momentum and lift.

The improved speed would inherently provide more time to breathe, glide, and effortlessly set up the recovery and catch.

In this light, the poor recovery is merely a symptom of insufficient forward drive, rather than the root cause! So, do we fix the recovery or the propulsion?

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁: 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 "𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲"

The true difficulty of swimming is that it demands a somewhat perfect execution of a series of highly refined movement patterns in a painfully small window of time. You might be able to isolate and perform drills beautifully, like that recovery action is spot on when you slow down but the moment you put it into the context of full swimming speed, the old habits rush back.

The smooth transition from 𝗗𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹 -> 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹 -> 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗱 is the ultimate crucible of swimming improvement.

𝗣𝗿𝗼-𝗧𝗶𝗽: 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗲

To solve this Chicken and Egg riddle, we can to artificially remove one of the major variables: 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀.

This is where 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝘀 become a useful tool.

Using fins removes the immediate necessity of pushing down for lift, providing a stability and forward boost that frees your mind (and muscles) to focus on the key areas needing refinement. It gives you the "propulsion boost" (the Egg) needed to practice the correct recovery pattern (the Chicken) without the fear of sinking.

𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗔𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘄’𝘀 𝗦𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Focus on fixing the biggest cause of the chain reaction, but use tools like fins to ensure the new, correct movement patterns have the time and space to embed themselves into your muscle memory before being challenged by full-speed swimming.

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗲?

If you're looking for personalised direction and guidance on your swimming technique, drop in for a 𝟭:𝟭 𝗦𝘄𝗶𝗺 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝘂𝗰𝗸𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱. 𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘀𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗶𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘄𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲.

➡️ 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 & 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗻𝗼𝘄: www.boostcoaching.co.nz/swim-lessons

@everyone 🌊 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗜𝘀 𝗦𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻 🏊

There's nothing quite like the freedom and exhilaration of open water swimming. The vastness, the challenge of conditions, the connection with nature – it's an experience many triathletes and swimmers wouldn't trade for anything.

However, I often observe a trend: triathletes who only train in open water, while enjoying their sessions immensely, don't always see the same level of consistent improvement as those who incorporate a mix of both pool and open water training.

Why is this? Because the pool, often seen as the "boring" sibling, offers unique advantages that are crucial for stroke refinement and ultimately, faster, more efficient swimming.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗽 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗼𝗹

Open water swimming is fantastic for building endurance, practicing sighting, and adapting to varied conditions. But it lacks the immediate, objective feedback that a controlled environment like a pool provides. Here's what you gain by hitting the lanes:

1. 𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹 & 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀: In the pool, the clock is your best friend. You can swim specific intervals, work on consistent pace, and immediately see if you're hitting your target times. This precision is almost impossible to replicate consistently in open water.

2. 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆: Counting strokes per length is a fundamental metric for efficiency. In the pool, you have clear start and end points to accurately track your stroke count, helping you find that sweet spot between power and glide. Lowering your stroke count while maintaining pace is a clear indicator of improvement.

3. 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Ever wonder if you're swimming straight? In open water, you rely on sighting. In the pool, the lane lines, the black line on the bottom, and even the lane ropes provide instant, undeniable feedback if you're weaving, crossing over, or struggling with your body alignment. This is critical for developing a straight, efficient pull.

4. 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲: It's much easier to focus on specific actions like your catch, hand entry, or body rotation when you're not battling currents or sighting buoys. With goggles on and consistent lighting, you can mentally (and sometimes physically, with underwater cameras or coaches on deck) visualize and refine micro-movements of your stroke.

5. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 = 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: No waves, no currents, no sun glare, no murky water. The predictable environment of the pool allows you to isolate and drill specific aspects of your stroke without external variables getting in the way. It's your laboratory for technique refinement.

𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗗𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝗸𝗲, 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝗱𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗲!

My advice isn't to abandon the open water swims. Far from it! Open water builds mental toughness, race-day simulation, and pure joy. But for consistent technical improvement, measurable progress, and building a truly efficient stroke, the pool is an indispensable tool.

Consider dedicating at least one session a week to structured pool training. You might be surprised at how quickly that refined technique translates into a faster, smoother, and even more enjoyable experience when you're back in the open water.

𝗧𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴? If you're ready to stop swimming crooked and start gaining measurable speed, drop in for a 1:1 Swim Lesson with me in 𝗔𝘂𝗰𝗸𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱. Let's refine your technique together!

➡ 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 & 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗻𝗼𝘄: www.boostcoaching.co.nz/swim-lessons