Swim tip - don't push hard off the wall

Hmmmm, wonder who's log you are looking at .........

For the record, I do open turns, which slows me down on the wall, then basically make it up with a moderate push off.

As for the breathing?  I've never gotten that argument.  If you look at the flip turn as a whole versus open swimming, you take a breath, then a stroke or two, turn, glide for a little and then stroke and breath.  You are actually holding your breath LONGER than if you were just swimming normally.  My opinion is that taking a breath on the wall in open turns is actually more realistic to what you do with OWS when you are constantly stroking and breathing.

The reason I think my pool swims don't translate over??  Part of it is that every swim this year I've participated in other than LP has been drastically mis-measured according to everyone that also did them comparing their other times.  That and my usually lack of solid sighting.  But I've worked on that a lot over the last year in events and have gotten better.

What, like the Clif Bar commercial?

That's why I don't do them, they actually mess my breathing up more.

I push off the wall a little but nothing like Phelps. If I'm going all out I can swim sets of 100M in the low 1:20's. If I'm going at a moderate effort I'm in the high 1:20's to mid 1:30's. My TT pace is mush slower but still faster then my OW split. Now, in my last two races I've swam 1000M OW at 1:46/100M and 750m at 1:57/100M. Neither race was wet suit legal. IDK what my problem is there. I guess Rick and I are suffering from the same type of thing. Part of my problem is that I've gone out really fast in both my races in an effort to avoid the cage match but then I slow down a bit to control my breathing and heart rate.

I guess I could swim an extra 100M or two in order to compensate for the marginal pushing off that I do while making open turns but I don't think that's my problem. My goal is to get 3-4 month of master's in during the off season which should help correct anything wrong with my stroke.

The only accurate swim I've had this year was LP, and I did that 2 minutes faster than I swam in FL in a more brutal washing machine by far.  But both courses were pretty much dead calm.  If you compare that to the point to point of Chessieman last year (same distance, but in brackish water) which was absolutely brutal choppy waves and zero current helping us, I was almost 20 minutes faster at my IM swims!

I guess that is why I was a little bit disappointed with my tri last weekend that turned into a du.  Yeah, it allowed me to finish top 15 overall because it got rid of my limiter, but it also did not let me get a gauge of where I am in the pack swimming.

Now there is a possibility because of the East Coast weather that my sprint this weekend will ALSO turn into a Du.  Bummer ...... ...... Never thought I'd hear that coming out of me!!  Bummer they cancelled a swim???

Well, not to slam your tip, but a better tip is to train like the triathletes that are good swimmers do.  Sorry, as a swimmer I think your advice is bad advice.  OK, it's sort of a slam.

MacCormack came and swam with our masters, as has Wendy Ingraham.   When they stop doing flip turns and pushing off the wall, I will.  Some with the local AG winners in tris that I swim with.  I can hold 1:12 100s in the pool.  My OW times are usually in the 1:25 range, which includes variables such as sighting, waves, course layout, and running up the beach to T1 timing mat.

If you think you are faster because you are getting more swim time from pushing off the wall.... just swim more   And if you think that a properly performed flip turn is a "rest," I'd venture to say you haven't properly performed one

This is all, of course, just my opinion

me three, but I'm sort of slow compared to the above...

I have found my pool times and OWS times are pretty close.  BECAUSE:

Pool swim with an average push = OWS with a full wetsuit....  But that's me.

I'll admit it I am a swimmer and have done my share of open water swims with serious open water swimmers. I can assure you that they all do flip turns in practice. Among the many arguments that have been made in various threads on flip turns and push offs one thing is missing. Everytime I push off the most important thing I focus on is streamlining. This is an essential skill in swimming fast. I also kick harder and focus on a balanced stroke as I surface. These stengths are all important in open water racing. I will admit that if I am racing all out in a race I surface at about the flags. In my practice warmup, I focus more on streamlining and go well beyond the flags.

 As for spending more of your time swimming, my observation is that pushing off the wall I surface at around the same time as swimmers that don't and so I end up just doing more yards. Another important aspect is that I can maintain my tempo and speed and do not have to accelerate as I come off each wall.

In that, we will have to agree to disagree.

Drafting on the bike does not "help" a triathlete either, but it is an important skill to master so you learn to safely ride in groups

As I said, it's all my opinion, if your advice results in slower swimmers in my AG all the better

ETA - For the record, I am a proponent of doing whatever works for you.  Flip turns, no flip turns, pushing off, not pushing off, whatever is best for (the Royal) you, go for it if it works, for you.  Don't presume that if you say that what you do is ideal for others, as in a tip, will not go unchallenged, however. 

I swim in pudding.  Since it has a higher viscosity, it helps me when I get to the open water.

Yes, it's been a long day.....

What flavor (it can be any flavor, just so long as it's chocolate)?

Don't laugh, there was a study, you're probably as fast in molasses as you are in water

http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Midwest/08/19/faster.swimming.ap/

 I would think that is an advantage in the event you swallow some water (oops I meant  pudding) during your swim.

 Strange enough this might be a good alternative to wearing drag suits. :-)