Training and Preparation for Open Water
Open Water Swimming
Open water swimming offers a unique and exhilarating experience that takes you beyond the confines of the pool. Open water swimming presents swimmers with an entirely different set of challenges compared to pool swimming. It often involves unpredictable conditions, varying water temperatures, and the absence of lane lines. At BUDS, most of your swimming will not be in a pool, it will be in the ocean. Every day is different in the open water and the most important thing you must learn is how to swim in a straight line. You can be the fastest swimmer but if you swim an extra half a mile, you’ll surely be the slowest.
The first thing you need to do when you arrive on the beach is assess the situation. Which direction is the wind blowing? Which direction is the current going? What are the tides doing? How big are the waves? The more you know, the better, as you must assimilate with the ocean.
swimming in a straight line
Learning how to swim in a straight line is half natural instinct and half sighting properly. Sighting is simply breathing to the front instead of the side. Though, you don’t really even need to breath if you don’t want to or don’t need to. You can simply sight with your eyes, leaving your mouth and nose submerged. We call these alligator eyes.
Training Strategies for Open Water
Distance Matters: Every week in BUDS you’ve got a 2 mile open water swim. For most guys, this will take about an hour. Make sure you are doing longer swims in the pool with fins on. Do a 3,000 for time or an hour long swim.
Train in Open Water: There is nothing better for training open water than to be training in the open water. I’ve heard multiple guys say the first time they ever got in the ocean was at BUDS. That’s not good. You don’t want that to be you.
Sighting: Practice sighting techniques to maintain your course in open water. This skill is crucial for staying on track. You are better off sighting more and staying in a straight line, then sighting less and falling of course. Yes, you can practice sighting in the pool.
Swim with a Buddy: If possible, join an open water swim group or at the very least swim with a buddy. Many times you will be buddy swimming - swimming about 6 feet apart, face-to-face. This means one person is on their right side and one person is on their left side. This is another reason why you should train and become proficient on both sides.
Train with Fins: You will have fins on nearly every time you get in the ocean. At BUDS, these will be the rocket fins. They are big, heavy, and rigid. Get a pair and train with them. You’ll need booties, too.
What's Next?
Join the Combat Side Stroke Workout Group
To enhance your combat side stroke technique and to make the most of your preparation, the Swimnerd app can be an invaluable tool. Receive custom workouts, upload your stroke technique videos for evaluation, and learn everything there is to know about CSS from a professional swim coach.