Posted in: Technique

The Tactics of Open Water Swimming

18.Feb.10   |  posted by: steve munatones  |   filed under: Technique   |  (0) comments

The TRIFEST Conference is a free two-day event in Tucson, Arizona on March 6th - 7th that will cover a wide range of topics to benefit multisport athletes, coaches and race directors. The free conference is open to the general public.

TRIFEST offers running, cycling and swimming information and kicks off three weekends in March to provide opportunities to learn information from the world of running, cycling and swimming from a multitude of coaches, athletes, manufacturers and training experts.

Steven Munatones, a coach at the 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007 World Swimming Championships and coach at the 2004 World Open Water Swim Championships, will give a presentation on The Tactics of Open Water Swimming where attendees can learn what the world’s best open water swimmers look for, think about and do during races and its implications for triathletes as well as the latest trends, techniques and training methodologies of the top open water swimmers around the world.

Pool and open water swimmers, endurance athletes, multi-sport athletes and interested fans will see videos of world championship races and observe specific racing tactics of Olympic medalists and world champions. They will also hear how these tactics are practiced in a pool (via POW or Pool Open Water Training) so the tactics can be easily and quickly utilized during a race.

Talk on Tactics of Open Water Swimming

14.Feb.10   |  posted by: steve munatones  |   filed under: Technique   |  (0) comments

John Anthony, CEO of Swim Sense said, "the Multisport World Conference and Expos are well-organized, top-tier events." Held in Cambridge, Massachusetts on March 20th, North Bethesda, Maryland on March 27th and New York City on April 18th, MultiSport World is free to the public with seminars, training clinics, competitive events and vendor expo featuring race directors, certified coaches, multisport clubs and retailers and manufacturers of the latest apparel, gear and nutritional products.

At Multisport World in North Bethesda on March 27th, Steven Munatones, a coach at the 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007 World Swimming Championships and coach at the 2004 World Open Water Swim Championships, will give a presentation on The Tactics of Open Water Swimming where he will describe what the the world's best open water swimmers look for, think about and do during major international open water races and its implications for triathletes looking to improve the swim leg of their race.

Steven will show videos from recent world championship races while pointing out specific racing tactics of Olympic medalists and world champions. He will provide a detailed underwater analysis of their navigational, sighting and drafting techniques - information that is typically only shared with elite athletes.

Attendees will learn how these open water swimming tactics can be practiced in the pool and then utilized when racing in any form of multi-sport event involving the open water - plus, it's free and it's hard to get a better bargain than that.

The Brickells, Superstars on the Channel

27.Jan.10   |  posted by: steve munatones  |   filed under: Technique   |  (1) comments

The International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame honored the offspring of Reg Brickell Senior in its 2009 Class, Reg Brickell Jr. and Ray Brickell.

While the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame has honored husband-and-wife (Roger and Valerie Parsons and Ray and Audrey Scott), twins (Carole and Sarah Hunt), father-and-daughter (Robert and Christine Cossette), father-and-son (Ted and Jon Erikson), brother-and-sister (Sid and Marian Cassidy), mother-and-daughter (Freda and Alison Streeter), it is a first to have three members of the same family in the prestigious Hall of Fame.

Reg and Ray started acting as English Channel pilots with their father Reg over 40 years ago. Reg started work with his father at the age of 16 in 1967 and his brother also started at the age of 16 years 3 years later. In 1981, they took over the running of the boat from their father.

On average, they take up to 30 swimmers each season across the English Channel, including escorts of several world record swims. Like their father, they remain very involved with the Channel Swimming Association.

As they say, the apples didn't fall too far away from the tree.

Their passion for the sport, their care for the athletes and their roots in the English Channel run deep.

The Proper Tying of a Swimsuit

20.Jan.10   |  posted by: steve munatones  |   filed under: Technique   |  (0) comments

As the new textile swimsuits are now the rule in competitive pool swimming and will be mandatory in open water swimming in June 2010, the need for male swimmers to properly tie their swimsuits returns.

It is a rare event and almost never discussed, but the untying of a swimsuit in the water does occasionally happen to young swimmers.

This Runner’s World video explains and shows in detail how to properly tie a shoelace and the difference between a reef knot (also known as a square knot) and a granny knot (also known as a binding knot.).

The Runner’s World video explains how runners - and swimmers - can and should tie a reef knot because (a) it will not become untied on its own, (b) it will become more secure as you move, and (c) it is and looks for balanced. The granny knot, in contrast, can become untied and sits crookedly across the shoe (or torso in a swimsuit).

The three-step process explains the differences between a reef knot and a granny knot.

Swim Fast, Swim Far and Watch the Rocks

2.Jan.10   |  posted by: steve munatones  |   filed under: Technique   |  (0) comments

Ron Collins, founder of the 24-mile Tampa Bay Marathon Swim commented on our previous story on the Greatest Fears of Open Water Swimming.

Ron asked about the bottom and how many injuries are caused by open water swimmers cutting themselves on a sharp rock or on coral as they get in or out of the water?

He observed on how people fear events that have no - or little - chance of happening versus at common injury in the real world.

He has a point.

How many people have successfully completed the English Channel or the Catalina Channel - fighting currents, ocean swells and hypothermia hour after hour, occasionally surrounded by sharks and frequently stung by jellyfish, pushing themselves to the outer limits of human endurance in the water...only to safely arrive to the distant shore - and they get cut or hurt on the rocks at the very end of their swim?

We have seen cuts, bruises and, on one extreme occasion, broken ribs as the athlete was navigating between the rocks.

According to the rules of the Catalina Channel Swimming Federation, "For a swim to be officially recognized, a swimmer must cross the channel from the natural connecting shore, touch the opposite natural connecting shore and clear the water."

According to the English Channel governing body, the Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation, "For a swim to be officially recognised, the swimmer must walk into the sea from the shore of departure, swim across the English Channel (i) to finish on dry land, or (ii) to touch steep cliffs of the opposite coast with no sea-water beyond. Swimmers may finish in harbour water provided they land as in (i)."

According to the English Channel governing body, the Channel Swimming Association, "For a Swim to be officially recognised, the swimmer must enter the sea from the shore of departure, swim across the English Channel and finish on dry land, or touch steep cliffs of the opposite coast with no seawater beyond. Swimmers may finish in harbour water provided they land as noted above."

According to the Gilbraltar Strait Swimming Association (Asociación Para El Cruce A Nado Del Estrecho De Gibraltar), "The crossing starts from the boat located at Tarifa Island and the swimmer must touch the rocks. The crossing will end at a natural point on the Morroccan coast or, in the case where that may be a difficult point to access by the boats, when the event is considered to have been sufficiently carried out, touching morrocan land or entering in a natural bay."

The Tsugaru Channel, the Cook Strait, swims in the Great Lakes of North America, the North (Irish) Channel, the Molokai Channel and other channels in the Hawaiian Islands follow the English Channel rules - whether the swimmers have to navigate around rocks, jetties, cliffs and/or large surf.

So for channel swimmers to successfully and safely achieve their goals, it is always best to "clear the water" with the same mindset of care onshore as is utilized between shores.

Upper photo shows Laurin Weisenthal finishing on the French shore after an English Channel swim of 8:33. Lower photo shows Mackenzie Miller finishing up on the Oahu shore after a Molokai Channel swim of 14:52.

Conquering Fears in the Open Water

1.Jan.10   |  posted by: steve munatones  |   filed under: Technique   |  (0) comments

In an online poll conducted by The Daily News of Open Water Swimming, 208 experienced swimmers from around the world expressed their greatest fears of the open water.

Despite the hoards who are entering the open bodies of water around the world, fear still plays a factor in the minds of many. Here is what scares some people:

Sharks - 39% of total votes casted
Jellyfish/stingrays - 27%
Pollution - 24%
Things that cannot be seen - 21%
Cold water - 18%
Waves/currents/tides - 17%
Going off-course - 12%
Not finishing - 12%
Marine life other than sharks/jellyfish/stingrays - 11%
Nothing - 9%
Goggles coming off - 8%
Other - 7%
Physical contact by competitors - 7%
Not seeing the bottom - 4%
Seaweed/kelp - 4%
Everything - 2%
Vaseline/lanolin getting on goggles - 1%

You gotta respect those athletes who said, "Nothing." Shelley Taylor-Smith, seven-time world professional champion and fearless solo marathon swimming adventurer, was one of those intrepid swimmer. "Absolutely nothing I fear," which was understandable because she swam frequently in the company of sharks and was the first person to swim in a bikini in world swimming championship event. Why?

"I wore this bikini suit because of the jellyfish that were everywhere [in Perth's Swan River]. I wanted to be able to let them out [of my suit]…or get them out with easy access and not disturb my mental focus and mindset which they are renowned for doing," recalled Shelley with a smile.

"I won the race and gritted my teeth as I got stung."

Upper photo shows Shelley Taylor-Smith fighting the waves, winds, currents, jellyfish and cold in the 22.5-mile Atlantic City Around-the-Island Marathon Swim.

Post-Swim Afterdrop Concerns

31.Dec.09   |  posted by: steve munatones  |   filed under: Technique   |  (39) comments

arry Scroggins of the Dolphin Club of San Francisco informed us of an educational study conducted by Thomas J. Nuckton MD, David M. Claman MD, Daniel Goldreich PhD, Frederick C. Wendt MD and John G. Nuckton MD published in The American Journal of Emergency Medicine (Volume 18, Issue 6, October 2000, Pages 703-707) entitled Hypothermia and afterdrop following open water swimming: The Alcatraz/San Francisco Swim Study.

The medical researchers aimed to determine whether or not participants in cold-water open water swimming experience hypothermia and afterdrop.

Afterdrop is the continued fall of one's core body temperatures during rewarming after an experience with hypothermia. afterdrop is thought to endanger the heart by further cooling due to the cold blood returning from the periphery.

The researchers used a rectal temperature for up to 45 minutes in 11 subjects following the 2000 New Year's Day Alcatraz Swim where the water was 11.7°C (53°F) in the San Francisco Bay. The swimmers did not wear wetsuits. Biophysical parameters, including surface/volume ratio, body mass index, and percent body fat were measured before the swim. Statistical analysis was done to determine predictors of temperature decrease and afterdrop duration.

Applying the American Heart Association definition of hypothermia (lower than 36°C or 96.8°F), hypothermia was seen in 5 of the 11 subjects. Using a more rigorous and traditional definition (lower than 35°C or 95°F), hypothermia was seen in only one subject. However, afterdrop was observed in 10 of the 11 subjects.

The researcheres concluded that hypothermia and afterdrop can occur commonly after recreational open water swimming and that participants should be observed for signs of temperature decrease following removal from the cold.

Important advice for swimmers and race directors to understand as many individuals are now pushing the limits of extreme cold-water swimming.

Photo of Josh Davis in San Francisco Bay by Susanne Friedrich.

Surf Living Saving Australia Annual Report

28.Dec.09   |  posted by: steve munatones  |   filed under: Technique   |  (0) comments

The Surf Living Saving Australia recently published its annual National Coastal Safety Report. The report included a heavily researched and well-documented 2009 Life Saving Report with an abundance of startling information. Similar to life-saving research in America, the Surf Living Saving Australia found most drownings of individuals over the age of 15 occur in the open water rather than a pool.

But unlike the findings in America, Australian men are nearly NINE times more likely to drown at the beach than women. Men accounted for 83 of the 94 (88%) coastal drowning deaths in Australia with those between 30 and 39 recording the highest number of deaths.

"Men just never seem to learn when it comes to surf safety," observed Matt Thompson of Surf Life Saving Australia. "Arrogance, bravado and an inflated sense of their surf swimming ability are a lethal combination and the statistics speak for themselves. Men need to learn the limits of their ability. We hope these figures will shock them in to changing their behavior at the beach. Safely negotiating rips is a major area that we hope to educate the public in and you will see this throughout the summer."

But the world-famous and fantastically brave Australian life savers continue to do their best to help keep their coastlines safe. Over the 12-month period of the report, 23,075 rescues, 1,322,212 preventions occurred, first aid was administered 69,013 times with 87 resuscitations and 20 reported shark-related incidents.

The Pleasures of Avantouinti

28.Dec.09   |  posted by: steve munatones  |   filed under: Technique   |  (0) comments

Ice hole swimming or 'avantouinti' (Finnish) has its own enthusiasts and Avantouinti Society. Ice swimming requires cutting a hole in the ice where the water temperature hovers around 0°C (32°F).

Avanto swimmers say ice swimming makes them feel fresh throughout the day and helps build resistance to the common flu.

With thousands of enthusiasts preparing for the 2010 Winter Swimming Championships in Bled, Slovenia between January 22nd - 24th and similar ice swimming events, enthusiasts and groups popping up around the world, Avanto swimmers are becoming a global phenomenon.

Suijutsu - Combative Swimming from Japan

27.Dec.09   |  posted by: steve munatones  |   filed under: Technique   |  (0) comments

Suijutsu (or Suiei-jutsu) (水術 in Japanese) is the Japanese martial art of combative swimming. Iwasaki Hisashi-sensei, Soke (Headmaster) of Kobori Ryu suiei-jutsu in Kyoto, teaches and preserves this rare form of ancient martial art.

Swimming was often part of a samurai's training.

In a country surrounded by the ocean and dotted with lakes and rivers flowing from mountain ranges and volcanos, it was natural for the samurai to be able to handle himself well in the water. Swimming and combat skills in the water were combined and elevated to a high level with some samurai. Depending on their specific topographic area, suijutsu focused on skills ranging from swimming underwater and swimming in fast-moving rapids to fighting one-on-one in the water and using a bow and arrow while partly submerged.

Being an expert in suijutsu enabled a samurai to silently sneak up on an opposing force and to float down a river for a long time while wearing armor, weapons and other gear, sometimes in near freezing water.

Although suijutsu is seldom taught in contemporary Japan, a select few continue the tradition as a means of recreation, maintaining their health and disciplining their minds and bodies.

A Japanese-language video of suijutsu can be seen here.

It’s Your Reaction That Counts

22.Dec.09   |  posted by: steve munatones  |   filed under: Technique   |  (0) comments

In a competitive open water race with a mass start, sometimes swimmers get boxed in swimming within a pack.

In the words of national champion Eney Jones, "Poise is power."

That is, stay cool, calm and collected. Understand the situation and resolve it.

When describing what to do when one gets boxed in swimming within a pack, Eney explains, "Sometimes no matter what preparation you have done, you can get boxed in rounding a buoy in a race. It is your reaction that counts, not the situation."

"Your training should include working "power catches" with a halo machine or head-up water polo drills or 0-60 acceleration drills. You can also work on mermaid turns where you flip at the flags, or in open water, do an actual flip turn and work on acceleration at the beginning of the stroke to initiate forward propulsion. Power towers or baskets also help increase strength. Sometimes, proper placement entering the turn will not result in what you intend because you have no control of the others rounding the buoys. Just deal with your placement, but resolve it with the correct mental control, power and finesse."

Photo shows Eney racing against Olympic gold medalist Brendan Hansen in this year's Race for the Oceans in Ft. Myers, Florida.

Thinking Straight

11.Dec.09   |  posted by: steve munatones  |   filed under: Technique   |  (0) comments

The Daily News of Open Water Swimming is currently running a public online poll on what people do or think about while open water swimming (both in training and in competition).

Besides the choices at the online poll on left at The Daily News of Open Water Swimming, readers sent in the following activities:

"I do think non-stop about my catch, pull through and back end finish every stroke."
"I think about my stroke — one at a time, in the moment I’m taking it, until I’m finished. My stroke thoughts are primary, conscious and explicit. Anything else that passes through my consciousness is momentary and mostly implicit.
"When I swim I think about ALL those things, except pray."
"I sing my favourite songs."
"I recite some poems I know by heart."
"I fantasize about competition, winning for example, or I imagine I'm swimming the English Channel and am about to arrive in France soon."
"I count my strokes in a foreign language (Spanish or Chinese)."
"Sometimes I think about family or friends or everyday issues that cross my mind."
"When I am swimming in competition (triathlon), I usually only think about the race, checking the position of my competitors, trying to stay on course and keeping up the pace."
"I also think about the landscape around me, as usually I swim in freshwater, and how lucky I am to be out there swimming."

Swimming on a Kona Day

26.Nov.09   |  posted by: steve munatones  |   filed under: Technique   |  (0) comments

We spoke about winds on marathon swims yesterday.

So we asked channel swimmer Anne Cleveland and Triple Crown swimmer Michael Miller of Honolulu (English Channel + Molokai Channel + Catalina Channel + Manhattan Island) how they faced the winds, currents and tides on their marathon swims.

"I completely agree that surface conditions can destroy a channel crossing much more than tides, currents, up to a certain point. [But] swimming into a 4-knot current can also destroy a swim, and being pushed out of direction by a current can also destroy a swim," said Michael.

"However, being pushed with a current, but swimming into waves or whitecaps is demoralizing. You are hit, over and over and over, and pretty soon, the fact you are with the current is totally irrelevant. Being smacked in the face thousands of times requires much more mental stamina."

"In 1979, Ian Emberson [founder of the Maui Channel Swim] and I successfully crossed the Molokai Channel. Ian had previously attempted the [26-mile] crossing [between the islands of Oahu and Molokai in Hawaii] twice before, but a moderate-to- heavy trade wind swell and chop took their toll and he came up short."

"We decided we would pay NO attention to tides, currents, but we [waited and] wanted a Kona day (glassy conditions) because we were in great shape and knew that we could swim a long time, even against challenging currents. BUT, we could not handle getting pounded by a heavy surface chop for 12-16 hours or more."

"The conditions [on our chosen day] were glassy, but at the onset at 2 am, we swam into a vicious current against us. But because it was dark, we didn't know and our crew didn't say anything to us. At sunrise, about 6 am, we could see Molokai right behind us - knowing we had gone maybe 2 miles in 4 hours. This didn't phase us because once the currents switched, we had very glassy conditions and swam right across."

Anne Cleveland, a five-time English and Catalina Channel swimmer, said a variety of factors present obstacles, "I have done all of my English Channel swims (one two-way and two one-way) on the spring tides. I was unable to tell the strength of the tides down in the water, however my escort pilots were very aware of the tidal flow as they charted my course. Several hours of being pounded by white caps does take its toll on a swimmer. Wind chop takes a lot of core strength to power through as I found out on my swims. [But] there is another factor which I have seen slow swimmers down: cold. Loss of fine motor control makes feeding difficult, which can lead to dehydration, often a precursor to hypothermia. I have seen swimmers deal with hours of wind chop, but once the cold sets in it is often the beginning of the end of the swim."

Winds, whitecaps, cold water, tides or currents. Marathon swimmers never get to pick their poison and sometimes have to deal with it all.

I Still Would Have Gone In

18.Nov.09   |  posted by: steve munatones  |   filed under: Technique   |  (0) comments

Robert Kent of the Lake Ontario Swim Team in Canada brought us some open water swimming television news to us about Cronulla Beach in Australia: Sharks Close In On Swimming Race.

It certainly caused a bit of worry for those on shore, but the very capable and experienced Australian lifesavers had everything under control.

But, it is known that the nine different species of hammerhead sharks have disproportionately small mouths and reportedly do a lot of bottom-hunting (as opposed to man-hunting). The hammerheads are also known to form schools during the day, sometimes in groups in the hundreds. We have had the unique thrill to have personally swum around the island of Yonaguni Island, a small gorgeous tropical island between Taiwan and Okinawa, which is known as a hammerhead mecca.

While the hammerhead has an usual shape and is frequently purported by the media as a feared predator, according to the authoritative International Shark Attack File, the hammerhead shark has been attributed with a total of 41 recorded attacks since 1580 with no deaths (17 unprovoked attacks + 11 provoked attacks + 6 non-assigned + 7 boat attacks).

So as the female swimmer said to the television reporter in the news clip above, "I don't know, I think I still would have gone in," sounds like a reasonable, yet courageous, statement from a hardy Australian open water swimmer.

For those who wish to know more, the International Shark Attack File has an abundance of information on sharks and what swimmers can and should do in the open water.

Charting The Waterways Around New York

13.Nov.09   |  posted by: steve munatones  |   filed under: Technique   |  (0) comments

Richard Clifford, an attorney in private practice, was interviewed earlier this year due to his impressive experience as a kayaker of marathon swimmers.

During the 2010 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, Richard will kayak for Lynne Smith, a 9:50 English Channel swimmer and Naval Academy graduate who has done two tours of duty in Iraq.

According to Richard, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has placed its BookletCharts online for free for the public.

These charts can help boaters, including pilots and support crew for marathon swimmers, help locate their position on the water. The charts has been reduced in scale and divided into pages for convenience, but contains all the information of the full-scale nautical charts.

Richard, in the spirit of fairness and support of all the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim participants, provided information the Atlantic Coast charts that include Manhattan Island and its surrounding rivers.

"This gives swimmers access to the same Manhattan Island charts that I have been using for years to plan a route for the annual race. My theory always has been that faster water flows faster through deeper channels. So, if you have a choice between swimming faster or slower, the choice should be obvious," said Richard who gave additional detailed information on the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim course.

For New York Harbor on pages 6-7. For Hudson and East Rivers, Governor's Island, up to 67th Street on pages 11 and 15. For East River at Hell's Gate (Mill Rock) and lower Harlem River on pages 5, 6, 10, 11 and 16. For the Harlem River on pages 4, 5, 6, 8 and 10. For Hudson Rivers, George Washington Bridge to 66th Street on pages 7, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 17 and 18. For East River at Hell's Gate (Mill Rock) and lower Harlem River on pages 5, 6, 10, 11 and 16. For the Harlem River on pages 4, 5, 6, 8 and 10. For the Hudson River, George Washington Bridge to 66th Street on pages 7, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 17 and 18.

If there is anyone who knows these water around New York City, it is surely Richard who are guided many swimmers safely and successfully around the island, including the last two year's winner of the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, John Van Wisse of Australia.