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2011-08-16 8:29 AM

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Subject: OWS sighting practice/drills help

I went out yesterday for a much needed OWS and I am still struggling with my sighting. A couple issue I have noticed that I have:

1. I tend to breathe 90% of the time to my left, so sighting is easy if there is a shoreline or a swimmer on the left.  I know I need to work on this, so I am guessing drills with 3,5,7 stroke breathing patterns would be good?

2.  I am sinking or slowing my stroke to much when I left my head for forward sighting, I may just have the mechanics wrong here.  Lefting my head/googles forward above the waterline is tough for me.

3.  I feel like my attempts at sighting in general upset my candence and breathing. 

I am looking for some suggestings/drills in the pool to focus on before I go back out for an OWS swim later this week.  In general the OWS was good, part of the swim had heavy chop/waves and part of it was calmer.  I thought is was good to get experience swimming against the current in the waves, helpped me focus on a good roll for breathing. 

  Thanks!



2011-08-16 9:44 AM
in reply to: #3645360

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Subject: RE: OWS sighting practice/drills help
I sight to my left also but I can breath bilaterally w/o any problems at all. My issues were I was literally picking my head up out of the water to sight. When doing this my legs were dropping. I open water swim with my swim coach sometimes and I got him to watch me and help me with it. The main point I got out of his advice was to sight with alligator eyes. It takes practices but I know look ahead with my eyes barely out of the water. I believe I do this while pulling with my right arm. I cant remember exactly b/c it has become second nature to me. I have lakes in my neighborhood so I open water swim alot. I get tired of looking at black lines in my local swimming pool.
2011-08-16 9:53 AM
in reply to: #3645360

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Subject: RE: OWS sighting practice/drills help

I try to breathe every 3 strokes, unless I'm really at a sprint pace or worn down and need more air.

Then I try to breathe on my weak side for a few laps here and there just to be ready for that.  Not for sighting, but in case of sun/waves/elbows.

The aligator eyes I don't really have down yet, but I usually sight by pushing my head up slightly on the downstroke to look, then turn and breathe.

In the pool set up a water bottle, or pick a object on the side and make sure to sight off it 2 or 3 times a lap.  Another pool drill is to swim with your eyes closed except when breathing/sighting.

I did a tri about a month ago that my wife spectated on, I was in the last wave, and the swim was straight with a shore on each side and a hill on the closer side. Every other breath I saw my wife standing on top of the hill shaking her head cause I wasn't kicking enough..... didn't need to sight forward on that race till i was looking for the exit ramp.

2011-08-16 10:02 AM
in reply to: #3645360

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Subject: RE: OWS sighting practice/drills help
thoover74 - 2011-08-16 10:29 PM

I went out yesterday for a much needed OWS and I am still struggling with my sighting. A couple issue I have noticed that I have:

1. I tend to breathe 90% of the time to my left, so sighting is easy if there is a shoreline or a swimmer on the left.  I know I need to work on this, so I am guessing drills with 3,5,7 stroke breathing patterns would be good?

2.  I am sinking or slowing my stroke to much when I left my head for forward sighting, I may just have the mechanics wrong here.  Lefting my head/googles forward above the waterline is tough for me.

3.  I feel like my attempts at sighting in general upset my candence and breathing. 

I am looking for some suggestings/drills in the pool to focus on before I go back out for an OWS swim later this week.  In general the OWS was good, part of the swim had heavy chop/waves and part of it was calmer.  I thought is was good to get experience swimming against the current in the waves, helpped me focus on a good roll for breathing. 

  Thanks!

The good thing about practicing sighting is you usually find out where your stroke imbalances are.

Don't do 3/5/7 breathing patterns unless that's how you naturally breathe and even swimming hard, that's all you need to breathe.

Do sets in practice where you go down the length breathing to your left, and back the length breathing to the right. It's ideal to get to where you are comfortable, and swim straight, breathing to either side.

If you can get a clear lane ... look at the end of the lane or something fixed at the other end of the pool. Take 8-10 strokes and see where you are (do this both for breathing to the left and breathing to the right). You'll find out quickly if you have a tendency to stray in one direction or another. Practice correcting it until you can take 8-10 strokes and still be heading exactly where you want. Then increase the number of strokes.

Practicing this in OWS when (like you did) have chop and currents is trickier and can only be done in open water. You do learn to feel your way around the conditions and sight reasonably well anyway.

Some people don't lift their heads up to sight--in fairly clear/calm conditions it can be done while breathing to the side, but tilting the head forward just a bit. In rougher conditions, you may need to lift your head out of the water.

Practice in a pool by taking, say, 8-10 strokes, then doing a couple strokes of head-up freestyle (the only difference is your head and chest are up a bit, and you rotate a bit less to the sides. You may need to kick a bit more), then going right back into your stroke. The key here is definitely practice. You can do it so it does not change your rhythm or breathing at all.

2011-08-16 11:23 AM
in reply to: #3645360

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Subject: RE: OWS sighting practice/drills help
I went out last night for a swim and tried to work on my alligator eyes. What I found worked for me was to lift my head so my eyes were above the surface, quickly sight, then turn to the side to breathe. I did this every second "breathe" I found that this allowed for an easy rhythm and didnt upset my form much. Im not sure if this is the way to do it but it seemed to keep me on track
2011-08-16 11:26 AM
in reply to: #3645764

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Subject: RE: OWS sighting practice/drills help

DaveL - 2011-08-16 11:23 AM I went out last night for a swim and tried to work on my alligator eyes. What I found worked for me was to lift my head so my eyes were above the surface, quickly sight, then turn to the side to breathe. I did this every second "breathe" I found that this allowed for an easy rhythm and didnt upset my form much. Im not sure if this is the way to do it but it seemed to keep me on track

That is how I do it also except I sight every third or fourth breath.



2011-08-16 11:36 AM
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Subject: RE: OWS sighting practice/drills help
One thing that has helped me tremendously in sighting is try and find a large object in the distance on your line. Things like cell towers, buildings, and antennas are much easier to see than small buoys. I don't have to lift my had as high out of the water to see them either.  
2011-08-16 12:08 PM
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Subject: RE: OWS sighting practice/drills help
If there are simply no outstanding landmarks or you're swimming straight out to sea,  the edge of a cloud line or oddly-shaped cloud can work (if there are clouds). Unless there are very high winds, they won't change enough relative to your line of sight to veer you off-course. Use the buoy as a secondary check.
2011-08-16 1:48 PM
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Subject: RE: OWS sighting practice/drills help

Wow, thanks for all of the tips and suggestions.  I have a few things to go work on!

2011-08-16 1:59 PM
in reply to: #3645770

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Subject: RE: OWS sighting practice/drills help
peewee - 2011-08-16 12:26 PM

DaveL - 2011-08-16 11:23 AM I went out last night for a swim and tried to work on my alligator eyes. What I found worked for me was to lift my head so my eyes were above the surface, quickly sight, then turn to the side to breathe. I did this every second "breathe" I found that this allowed for an easy rhythm and didnt upset my form much. Im not sure if this is the way to do it but it seemed to keep me on track

That is how I do it also except I sight every third or fourth breath.

I found it easier NOT to breath on the sight stroke... just lift your eyes up and then back down and breath on the next stroke...
2011-08-16 2:04 PM
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Subject: RE: OWS sighting practice/drills help

Davisjl - 2011-08-16 2:59 PM I found it easier NOT to breath on the sight stroke... just lift your eyes up and then back down and breath on the next stroke...

That's what I do.  I have a breath stroke and a sight stroke.  Easy to lift my head up and take a peak if I'm not trying to breathe at the same time.  Also like others have said.  pick something bigger behind the bouy that's easier to see if that's an option.


Now swimming straight... whole different story.  lol



2011-08-16 3:20 PM
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Subject: RE: OWS sighting practice/drills help

Hello

 

I try to do my sighting right after breathing. I do this by rolling my head forward, take a peek forward and then back to swimming.  I try to sight every 10 strokes.

 

Kevin

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