Finding the Virtual Black Line – in open water swimming
photo by Steve Goodman
In order to swim in a straight line in open water, you need to sight off of objects in line with the direction you are moving. When you are in the water, your ability to see and your awareness of your surroundings is diminished, so it takes a concerted effort to gain vision. Many swimmers have an imbalance in their swim stroke, which may cause them to veer to one side when they don’t have a black line to reference. Some triathletes swim in circles due to pulling stronger with one side of their body. If you notice this in your open water experience, have a coach assess your swim stroke to work on balancing out your stroke. In addition, learn to sight consistently in open water to keep yourself on track.
Sighting requires you to know what object you are moving toward—a buoy, boat, or something on shore that is in line with your swim direction. Once you know what you are heading toward, you can count—ten or more strokes—and then pop your head up for a peek, or swim one or two head-up strokes to lock eyes on your desired destination. When you see your objective, count another cycle of strokes before you peek again. Some need to sight after just a few strokes in order to keep their line. Practice in open water to determine what works best to keep you going straight.
Once you get your count-and-peek technique down, you’ll execute it without disrupting the timing of your stroke. While swimming in swell or chop, you may need to take your quick peek a couple times in a row before you spot your objective.
If you are swimming in a group or drafting another swimmer, do not assume that your swim companions are going in the correct direction. Continue to sight as you would if you were swimming solo. If the swimmer giving you a really great draft starts to head off in the wrong direction, abort your draft partner and move toward your objective. Sight in this manner with regularity, and you will always swim straight.
I’ll be hosting a 5-Week Open Water Swim Clinic starting on July 24th. We’ll be covering MANY topics relevant to open water and ocean swimming including sighting. You can get more information on this clinic HERE
