Swim Technique and Open-Water Training
Domain 3: Swim Technique and Open-Water Training tests stroke mechanics, open-water skills, and swim training design. You must coach efficient front crawl and prepare athletes for mass starts, sighting, drafting, and wetsuit swimming.
Core rules and concepts
- Front crawl efficiency comes from a high-elbow catch, early vertical forearm, body roll, and a streamlined line. Avoid crossing the midline or dropping the elbow.
- Bilateral breathing builds awareness and allows sighting on either side. Sight every 6–10 strokes or before each buoy; lift the eyes, not the whole head.
- Open-water drafting saves energy: swim at the feet or hip of another athlete, but practice contact and buoy turns.
- Wetsuit fit should be snug at the shoulders and torso without restricting breathing. Practice removal before race day.
- Swim training should include CSS intervals, technique sets, and open-water simulations such as sighting and mass-start starts.
Worked example
A swimmer takes 6:00 for 400 m and 2:50 for 200 m. CSS velocity = (400 − 200) ÷ (360 − 170) = 200 ÷ 190 = 1.053 m/s. That is about 95 seconds per 100 m, or 1:35/100 m. Use that pace for 100 m repeats with short rest-not her 200 m sprint pace. The reasoning: CSS estimates sustainable threshold, not maximum speed.
Traps that cost marks
Overgliding and creating dead spots; lifting the head high to sight; swimming only long slow sets; wearing a new wetsuit on race day; ignoring contact skills before a mass start.
Key points
- High-elbow catch and early vertical forearm drive efficiency.
- Sight every 6–10 strokes; lift eyes, not head.
- Draft at feet or hip in open water.
- CSS pace is sustainable threshold, not sprint pace.
- Practice wetsuit removal and mass-start contact.