15/01/2026
3 tips on how triathletes can use much faster and talented swimmers to be faster than they really should be.
1) Get comfortable in chaos.
If there is no way you’re swimming in front of guys who can swim 5-7 seconds per 100m quicker than you without you drafting your butt off then nearly every single swim set you do should include a lot of time ‘on feet and on hips’ learning to intuitively feel for staying close to the swimmer in front minimising time looking up. Every time you look up your hips sink and a small gap opens up as your momentum stalls.
2) Rate up.
The optimal stroke rate for you swimming solo is likely not fast enough to be the optimal stroke rate for swimming in the draft of others. There is no doubt the front part of the catch is what really separates elite swimming technique from less elite. However the bubbles and disturbed water from the person/s in front kicking reduces the amount of water you can get hold of in your initial catch phase so there is more value in the ‘grip, rip and windmill’ technique because it keeps you in the draft more effectively even if it wouldn’t be a good technique for solo swimming.
Work on mixing up your stroke rate/cadence much like would with cycling. You’ll learn when it’s more efficient to slow it down a little and work on form and when you need to really rate up. As an example you can watch plenty of races where the swim pack leader could be mid to high 60s strokes per minute while the swimmers behind him are in the high 80s.
3) Get really fit.
While I still firmly believe every swimmer and triathlete should be constantly working on improving their mobility and technique to improve their catch phase, if you’re on feet and windmilling... you need a very high level of fitness to sustain that which can make up for a lot of your technical deficiencies.