Triathlon swim clinic - what to expect?

emilysusana

Hi everyone!
I’m joining a local Tri club with the hopes of maybe attempting one late this summer. I’m currently training for a half marathon, so I thought I could use swimming as my cross training for the next 8 weeks and then swim more after the half.

But I’m brand new to this world and don’t even know what a swim clinic will be like. Has anyone done one before? Can you walk me through what I might expect?

Djproulx

Congrats on making the decision to explore triathlons. Joining a tri club is a great idea, since most tri clubs are very interested in helping new people get started in the sport.

Regarding the swim clinic, my answer is "it depends". Clinic content could vary based on the venue, the number of participants, the length of the session, the skill level of swimmers, etc. Putting all that aside, here's a few thoughts on what you might see if the session is geared to all levels including beginners.

Perhaps it starts with an introductory talk to give athletes an idea of how a triathlon swim is organized: Stuff like the race distances covered, mass starts vs rolling starts, wetsuits vs no wetsuits, open water swimming vs pool swimming, etc. The instructors might then talk about swim strokes used (most often freestyle, but no rule against other strokes, etc.) After that introductory stuff, what happens next probably depends on whether this is a one time clinic, or weekly series. (I just finished an 8 week clinic myself)

If its a multi week clinic, you'll probably be grouped by experience and/or your swim split time (if you know it) so that you participate with others who have a similar skill level. This is a GREAT way for new swimmers to get comfortable in the water and develop good stroke technique. Most clinics then start with a timed swim, so that participants can see how long it takes to complete either a 100, 200 or 300 yd timed swim. This gives coaches and athletes a benchmark to measure improvement at the completion of the series, (say 8 weeks later). Most people I know have really enjoyed this type of clinic and see significant improvement in their swimming after completing a clinic.

As far as the actual swimming, this depends on skill levels. Beginners may spend several weeks at the side of the pool learning basic breathing, balance and stroke work, while the intermediate and advanced swimmers work on some drill work, then do speed and endurance sets during each session.

I've done a number of clinics and I've found the biggest benefits are 1) having coaches watch me swim and make technique suggestions and 2) swimming in a group drives me to keep pace and my endurance really improves as a result.

Best of luck and enjoy the clinic!

emilysusana

Thanks for the thorough and informative response! I really enjoyed the clinic. Most of us there identified as novice swimmers. Only a handful needed to be taught to exhale under water. The rest of us had the basic idea in place, but got talked through ways to refine our strokes. We did some drills and ended with a short workout. I’ll definitely go again! (It was a two hour one-and-done kind of a thing, but they’re offering another in April).

I’m excited about working on my swimming. I can only do once a week for the next 8 weeks, but after that I’ll be able to work on it more consistently.

Djproulx

Sounds like it was worth your time.

My 2 cents: Don't worry about swim endurance yet, just lock in the stroke refinements you learned at the clinic. Endurance comes a lot easier as your form improves and you become more efficient.