Last December, we conducted an Open Water (OW) camp for 19 adults at the Island School, Eleuthera, the Bahamas. Two-thirds had never swum an OW race and a third had swum only in pools, including a 59-year old woman who had never swum farther than 100 yards non-stop.

On Day Two, we ferried everyone to a sandbar 2.5-miles offshore for an open-ocean swim back to the school. We had five coaches in the water, plus four kayaks and an escort boat for safety and hydration. Though I expected the least-experienced swimmers to swim a portion then ride in, over two hours later the final pair stroked to shore, accompanied by my swim buddy, Dave Barra, one of our coaches at the camp and a USMS champion in the 10K OW event. (Dave is also chairman of Adirondack Masters.)

Afterward, our swimmers while exhilarated, were also curious about how a group of “average” adults had been able to swim such a great distance in open ocean, without endurance training and with relatively modest experience. As we reviewed the swim, they agreed that two factors were instrumental: (1) Stroke adjustments we’d practiced for only a few hours had allowed them to swim “tirelessly;” and (2) Keen concentration on those technique points – i.e. mindfulness – kept them from being distracted by the enormity of the task. In this article I’ll explain those techniques and how to use mindfulness to turn them into habits and to maintain focus when faced with the distractions that stymie many an accomplished pool swimmer when they venture into OW.

I’ve raced avidly in OW since competing in lifeguard tournaments in the early 70s. I always fared better in OW than in the pool, which I initially credited to “natural endurance.” But as I grew older, and remained competitive with swimmers half my age, I realized that something beyond physical capacity was providing an advantage.

Upon turning 50, I began thinking of myself as an “open water specialist,” seeking ways of feeling ever more comfortable in OW, even though – for a while – they appeared to limit my performance in 25-yard pools. Practicing my “open water stroke” required more patience, care and precision. This propelled me to steadily improving results in OW races but put me behind those with faster strokes in shorter repeats at Masters workouts. While I knew I was swimming more economically than most of my competition, it wasn’t until I read an article by Jonty Skinner, the Performance Science Director for USA Swimming, that I realized how uniquely suited for open water these techniques were.

Skinner wrote that swimming can be either cyclical – one activity repeated many times – or serial – several activities alternated or sequenced. A Freestyle race is cyclical. An Individual Medley is serial. But, in the pool, alternating three activities – swimming, turning and underwater gliding/kicking – a Freestyle race is also serial. Among elite swimmers, in a 25-yard pool, the ratio of swimming to non-swimming time is approximately 2.6 to 1. In a 50-meter pool, the swimming to non-swimming ratio rises to nearly 8 to 1.

While this seems unremarkable at first, what grabbed my attention was Skinner’s observation that the most successful “Long-Course” swimmers tend to swim freestyle with a distinctly different technique than those successful in 25-yard pools, employing longer, slower strokes, and a recovery, entry and catch that create a stronger connection between hip drive and armstroke.

As Skinner explained, a faster, more forceful stroke can generate more speed in short bursts, but is too taxing for sustained swimming. A high-speed, high-force stroke may be advantageous in 25-yard pools because top swimmers spend relatively little time swimming. During a minute of Short Course racing, an athlete could spend as little as 43 seconds swimming and 17 seconds “not-swimming” (a ratio of 2.5 to 1 of swimming vs recovering) allowing them time to recover from short bursts of aggressive stroking. In a 50-meter pool, he or she might spend 53 seconds swimming and only seven seconds “not-swimming,” (a ratio of almost 8 to 1 between swimming and recovering) necessitating a more economical way of swimming.

I instantly recognized that what was true for 50-meter pools would become especially compelling in open water, where the swimming-to-recovering ratio rises to infinity. The complication is that most open water competitors do the majority of their training in 25-yard pools and successfully adopting this new technique could require a conscious decision to swim in a way that could slow your pool times…or perhaps not.

The Open Water Technique has four primary hallmarks: (1) “Wide Tracks,” (2) “Marionette Arm” Recovery, (3) “Mail Slot” entry and (4) “Patient Catch” timing:

Wide Tracks

In teaching thousands of swimmers over the years I’ve observed that virtually all cross toward the center as they reach forward. In contrast, elite freestylers virtually all begin the stroke just outside the shoulder line. So as your first focal point, follow a “Track” forward of each shoulder with your arm. Because the crossover habit is likely ingrained from millions of strokes, you should recover, extend, enter and begin stroking with your hand and elbow just outside your shoulder line. This wider position will give you far more stability in swells and chop. It will also help you trap water better with a higher-elbow catch.

Marionette Arm Recovery

Because your arm muscles are “turned on” the entire time you’re stroking, they should be “turned off” the entire time you’re not. The energy you save can be put to better use in stroking. A relaxed recovery is also more likely to follow the Track forward, while a higher-momentum recovery will swing wide – then continue across – on entry. Also, a relaxed recovery will be better positioned to drop into the Mail Slot, your next focal point, rather than over-reaching as happens with a higher-momentum recovery. And finally, if hit by a wave, you’ll be less effected if it hits a “soft” and yielding arm, than if it hits a rigid one. To practice this, imagine that your hand and forearm are suspended like a “Marionette” from your elbow throughout recovery.

Enter the Mail Slot

When your arm enters at full extension – a flat angle – it puts heavy strain on your shoulder. It also places most of the load of propulsion on your arms. To correct, visualize a Mail Slot, just forward of your shoulder. Slip your hand and forearm into that Slot – the hand is easy; the forearm requires care. This steeper, higher-elbow position picks up the power produced by your “high hip” as it drives down. It also puts your hand/forearm into a better position to trap water on the catch. The effortless power this produces should have you feeling like you have a “perpetual motion” stroke. One more tip: When you master this, your entry should be almost silent and splash-free.

Patient Catch

A swimmer’s largest energy-consumer is wave making. Among the best ways to minimize wavemaking is to keep your bodyline longer for more of each stroke. To do this, be “patient” in beginning each stroke after entering the Mail Slot. While imprinting this habit, you should slightly exaggerate the “overlap” between strokes. An additional benefit when swimming in rough water is that a more patient catch allows you to establish a firmer grip where a faster stroke would probably slip.

Seamless Sighting

Accurate navigation helps save energy by saving strokes. But for many swimmers, navigation requires frequent looks, each increasing drag and fatigue for a few strokes. Try these tips instead:

LOOK LESS OFTEN. Most swimmers drift more to one side. If you know you tend to veer left, stay on the right side of the field, when possible, so other swimmers keep you in line.

• Let others look for you. If you see swimmers around you looking forward frequently, you don’t have to. Keep an eye on them with regular side breathing and keep swimming.
• Pick a frequency and stick to it. If you look every 10 strokes, try to stretch to 20. If you’re still on course, go for 30 strokes next time.

LOOK THIS WAY. A common error is to look and breathe at the same time, holding the head aloft for two to four strokes. It’s awkward, exhausting and increases drag. Instead, take a “sweeping snapshot.” Try “surfing” your goggles during recovery, then fall into a normal side breath. Don’t try for a detailed view. Instead, quickly scan the field, then adjust your course as needed after your face is back in.

Mindful Practice…and Racing

None of these stroke adjustments come naturally; indeed each is counter-intuitive. That means you can only adapt them by making a choice to practice them mindfully – narrowing your awareness to the Tracks…or the Marionette…or the Mail Slot…or the Patient Catch, during practice repeats. Attend to only one at a time; if you try to focus on two at once, both will suffer.

At first give 10 or more uninterrupted minutes to one – indeed it may be best to devote yourself to one for a month or two. (I recommend you pursue them in the order listed.) Later, you can shift among them, changing focus as often as every 50 yards, but be very patient about getting there. Also be patient with the idea that you may swim more slowly at first; I swam more slowly in the pool for a couple of years – but last spring, at 55, I swam faster in the 500, 1000 and 1650 than I had in 13 years.

And when racing, spend most of it thinking about the one or two Focal Points that seem to work best. Before long – while intently slipping your arm into a Mail Slot on every stroke – you’ll find yourself passing other swimmers left and right, without even trying. See you at the starting line!

All photos by Dennis O'Clair

Learn these Open Water techniques with the aid of the Freestyle Made Easy DVD and Drill Cards.

Mark your Calendar: We’ll repeat our Eleuthera Open Water Camp Dec 15-19, 2007, offering both introductory and intermediate instruction levels. All who attend must have completed a TI Workshop or Camp before attending. Click here to view a slide show of the 2006 camp.