3 Pool Skills Every Triathlete Needs to Master
/If you want to compete with the best swimmers, you need to train like one. Mastering key pool skills will not only make you faster but will also improve your efficiency and confidence in the water. As a swim coach with years of experience working with triathletes, I’ve seen firsthand how refining these skills can make a significant difference in both training and competition.
Here are the three essential pool skills triathletes often overlook—and why mastering them will elevate your performance.
1. Streamlining: The Foundation of Speed
Streamlining is the cornerstone of swimming efficiency. It’s the most fundamental skill for minimizing drag and maximizing speed in the water. Whether you’re pushing off the wall or launching from a dive, a streamlined position ensures you’re moving through the water with the least resistance possible.
Why is this critical for triathletes? Streamlining sets the tone for every lap, interval, or race. It teaches you to be mindful of the drag forces slowing you down and helps you continually refine your body position to maximize propulsion.
Key Tips for Better Streamlining:
Extend your arms fully, stacking your hands one over the other with a tight seal.
Engage your core and point your toes to reduce drag.
Practice streamlining off every wall during swim workouts for triathletes to develop consistency.
Streamline Push Offs: How to Master Efficiency in the Water.
2. Diving: Amplify Your Speed
Diving is essentially streamlining in motion—an explosive start that propels you into the water. Mastering the different types of diving in swimming, such as block starts or standing dives, is a crucial skill for triathletes, especially for pool-based races or training sessions.
Pool swimmers use dives to practice high-speed starts, often incorporating tools like bands, fins, and paddles for resistance swimming drills. For triathletes, a strong start can save valuable seconds in a race, and honing this skill in practice builds confidence under pressure.
Key Tips for Effective Dives:
Focus on entering the water at a sharp angle to maintain momentum.
Practice swimming starts off blocks to replicate race conditions.
Work on diving styles in swimming to find the technique that suits you best.
A perfect swim start by Coach Dan Daly
3. Flip Turns: The Secret Weapon for Faster Training
Many triathletes shy away from flip turns, opting for open turns instead. While open turns might be acceptable in open water, mastering flip turns in swimming is essential for pool training. They allow you to maintain speed and rhythm, keeping you in sync with faster swimmers during group workouts.
Flip turns are also a fantastic movement for your body. They introduce spinal flexion, engaging your core and hips in ways that complement your overall swim training. Plus, flip turns help you build the agility needed for quick directional changes around buoys during open-water swims.
Flip Turns: Why They’re Essential for Triathletes.
Key Tips for Better Flip Turns:
Practice how to improve flip turns by focusing on tight tucks and quick rotations.
Integrate resistance swimming pool drills to strengthen your push-offs.
Always aim to reestablish a streamlined position immediately after the turn.
Do Flip Turns Make You Faster? Absolutely. Flip turns reduce drag and keep your momentum consistent, which translates to more efficient laps and better endurance.
Swim Coaching
Train Daly offers a range of programs and swim coaching for triathlon and open water, competitive swimming
Why These Skills Matter for Triathletes
Olympic triathletes and top triathletes alike know the importance of efficient pool skills. While open-water races might not include pool walls or diving blocks, the strength, speed, and technique gained from mastering these skills transfer directly to open-water performance. These drills aren’t just about looking good in the pool; they’re about becoming a more powerful, efficient swimmer.
Level Up Your Swimming Skills Today
Are you ready to refine your pool skills and take your triathlon training to the next level? Let’s get started!
Schedule a Consultation: Work with me directly to develop a customized swimming and strength training plan tailored to your goals.
Explore My Swimming Programs: Check out my Strength Training Programs for Triathletes and Swimming Workouts for Triathletes programs designed to improve your performance in the pool and beyond.
Subscribe to ➡️ YouTube Channel: Get free access to video tutorials, including tips on flip turns, streamlining, and resistance swimming drills.
Don’t let overlooked pool skills hold you back. With focused training, you can unlock your full potential as a triathlete.
Looking to level up your pool skills? Check out the Improve Your 100 Freestyle in 10 Days! program by Coach Abbie Fish and me.
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Even though open-water races don’t involve diving off blocks, practicing dives in the pool improves your technique, speed, and confidence. A strong dive helps build explosive power and better streamlining, which translates to more efficient swimming overall.
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Yes, flip turns are a game-changer in pool workouts. They let you maintain momentum and rhythm, making your training sessions more effective. Plus, they help you keep pace with faster swimmers in group training.
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Definitely. Resistance swimming, like using paddles, fins, or bands, builds strength and improves your power in the water. It’s a great way to prepare for the physical demands of open-water swimming.
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Absolutely. Learning various diving techniques, such as block starts or standing dives, helps you adapt to different training scenarios. It also boosts your ability to execute fast, efficient starts in pool-based triathlon races.
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Triathletes should focus on workouts that develop endurance, technique, and speed. Drills for streamlining, flip turns, and resistance swimming are especially effective for improving overall performance.
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Even though you won’t use flip turns in open water, they’re essential for pool training. Flip turns let you keep up with faster swimmers in group workouts and prepare you for quick turns, like those around buoys during a race.
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Start by practicing tight tucks and quick rotations. Focus on pushing off the wall in a streamlined position, and use resistance drills to strengthen your push-offs.
What pool skill do you want to master first? Let me know in the comments, or schedule a consultation to start improving today!