When competing in a triathlon, you need to be proficient in three disciplines: the run, the ride and the swim. Out of the three of these, the most physically demanding would have to be the swim. It incorporates the most muscle groups whilst adding constant resistance (the water obviously).

Most of us learnt to swim at an early age, whether it was from your everyday swim school or whether it was just some uncle who chucked floaties on you and threw you in the deep end. Either way, it is part of the Australian culture to get in the water at some stage. But treading water and swimming with purpose are two completely different things. Thinking just because you are an adequate freestyler you can handle an ocean swim can not only hamper your performance in a triathlon but is also quite dangerous.

Ocean swims are vastly different from swimming in your local pool. You have to deal with currents, swells and the odd sea creature every now and then. Here are some tips to improve your ocean swim and hopefully make you more efficient in the water:

• Keep your kick shallow. One of the biggest mistakes people make while swimming is thinking they need to kick hard and fast. This can not only exhaust you quicker but can also cause some drag in the water. Try pointing your feet like a ballerina and allowing your feet to just break the water. This will produce a more effective kick.
• Straighten your knees. Another pro tip is the ensure you knees are straightened. If you notice you are ‘kicking from the knees’, try focusing on straightening them. This will prevent them from flailing about instead of helping you power forward.
• Check your head position. This is a big thing when it comes to improving your swim. For every inch of lift you have on your head, your feet sink almost a foot, which drops your hips and can also create a fair amount of drag. Keeping you head straight and flat can help reduce this.

The following are more techniques than tips, but ones that should be learned to improve your swim time:

• Sighting behind you. Sighting forward is pretty obvious when it comes to importance. You have to see where you are going. But sighting backwards is just as important. Ensuring you know what is behind can help you monitor the waves when you are coming into shore, possibly catching a wave all the in.
• Arm reach to stand. This is a technique that can become invaluable in the ocean swim. It helps you in avoiding standing too soon and being caught out of your depth. Basically, it requires you stretch your arm out towards the ocean shore every few strokes are you get closer to shore. If you don’t touch the sand, keep on swimming. If you do, it is safe and stand and start dolphin-diving.
• Drafting. This is a technique you should be familiar with if you are an avid cyclist. It is basically the same in the water as it is out of it; you closely follow a faster opponent, moving into their slipstream they are creating as they break through the water and it will feel like you are being pulled along.