Cool Swim ‘Stuff’
In the north … summer is upon us. In the south you will need dreams of Fun Swims to get you through the winter months. Wherever you are we’ve compiled a little list of ‘cool swim stuff’ that we love and we think you may too:...
The Case
One of the most regular expressions we use when coaching is “the fastest way to the finish line is a straight line and it is also one of the hardest things to do in the open water. It’s certainly a lot easier to achieve if you can see where you are going” This is going to sound simplistic however, so many get it wrong; an appropriate set of goggles that gives you quality clear vision are a vital component of straight line open water swimming. As part of a normal progression in open water swimming a person will naturally figure out (by advice and trial...
Our Top Ten for the Open Water
Preparation is key; get your swim technique refined and rehearse it often enough before you hit the open water. In the open water all you want to concentrate on is open water skills and having fun not what your arms and legs are doing. Swim with others/Buddy up; it’s more fun, you’ll have more confidence and reassurance Self-talk is everything. If you say it often enough you’ll believe it… “The water is refreshing, invigorating and exciting” versus “The water is freezing and I’m scared” Do some research or ask a local; measure the distance on a map (Judging distance over water is difficult), check the tides, ask about...
Swim Family
I have been reading a number negative media posts this week about swimming, specifically the big kahuna of swimming administrators - FINA. Some serious and important questions are being asked about where their priorities lay http://www.swimvortex.com/specials/fina-future/ I care a lot about the outcome of such issues. Also I don’t care at all. Why? Because swimming is swimming. And even if one organisation is influenced more by money than the true spirit of the sport, the true spirit of the sport will continue to live on. ...
Layering
The four seasons, they come and they go. We hope for the spring water to warm up. We rejoice when summer heats up the open water. We pray that summer temperatures remain in autumn and we pine as autumnal lows slowly rob the open water of the summer heat. We at FitandAbel.com swim coaching work with the many different open water groups: triathletes, open water racers, open water enthusiasts, sportive swimmers, neoprene addicts, the open water purest. Some groups overlap extremely well. Some groups remain clear of each other. Regardless of differences … we all have one conversation in common; The water temperature. How do we get...
Local Race Series
FitandAbel swim coaches Dan Abel and Ollie Hansen are pleased to announce the launch of RealSwim Race Series Christchurch in 2015. “The Realswim Race Series creates excitement and adventure through the medium of swimming. It is a community and family orientated event aimed at giving everyone an exciting, affordable and well-structured way to get active in the open water. Family and friends can enjoy a picnic on Corsair Beach while cheering and supporting participants in the RealSwim Race.” It will be following a very similar format to previous swim series held at Corsair on Wednesday nights with 500m, 1000m, and 2000m races. The 500m race involves one...
The Wetsuit Journey
My personal opinion is that swimming in normal swimsuit/bathers; the freedom of shoulders, the feel of the water, is the best form of open water swimming on earth. It’s a personal thing....
The Athletes Goggle Guide
As a swim coach I get asked regularly ; “Can you name a brand of goggles that fit comfortably, don’t fog and don’t leak?” No I cannot . We all have different shaped faces. What works for me might not work for you. A good set of goggles should … be comfortable , not leak, be appropriate for the conditions (tints for sunshine or clear/blue/orange for cloudy days) . All goggles will fog eventually. The only way to find a good pair for you is to try them on. There are so many options. I looked around our swim squad a while back and realised...
Swimmable
As a an open water swim instructor and guide I would like to sing the praises of New Zealands clean green practices … but I can’t. Unfortunately New Zealand is excellent at watching the mistakes the rest of the world makes … and then copying them. My local river … too polluted to swim in. My local river flows into our largest catchment area river which Silver Fern Farms believes is a viable option for dumping waste http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/north-canterbury/9970873/Silver-Fern-Farms-dump-waste-in-river and http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/10029940/Works-filth-poured-in-river In this next article (below) Patrick Smellie asks if New Zealanders should expect rivers and lakes to be swimmable as standard or if having only some...
The Purple Duck
How regularly do I need to practice swim technique? Read on ...