Online Open Water Swim Coaching Courses
We offer online open water swim coaching to swimmers of all ages and abilities. Our online swim coaching courses can be a very cost effective way to improve your open water swimming skills and are espcially useful through the winter months when the sea or you local lake gets a bit nippy and when you can access a more controlled environment like a pool to hone your skills.
How Does It Work?
"How can I learn open water swimming online?"
We understand you may be wondering how on Earth you can improve your swimming stroke online.
Well, our Head Coach is also a software consultant and online training expert! We make use of state-of-the-art software and online training skills to conduct online training sessions for swimmers that really do help analyse and improve all elements of your stroke.
"How can you see me swimming if we are meeting online?"
We use video feedback as the basis for our analysis of your stroke, but we can even do it in live, in the session, with a friend filming you in real time!
"What do you cover in an online session?"
We focus on your stroke at that point in time. During the session we produce screen grabs and use real-time image annotations as discussion points to go through each part of your stroke in detail and highlight the good points and the points that need improvement.
"Do the online swimming coaching courses include any long term training / improvement strategy?"
Yes.
Our online swim coaching courses are not one off sessions. One time sessions are not really any good for anyone because although they may highlight the problems of your stroke, they do not allow us to monitor you and help you to improve over time, nor provide much in the way of feedback after subsequent sessions.
We offer a long term solution with multiple online swim coaching courses, including drill recommendations and swim sets, to help you improve over time.
What Are the Steps Involved in an Online Swim Coaching Course?
1. Choose a Suitable Online Course
Select a suitable course from our selection of online swim coaching courses. Remember:
- Choose one that you think you will need.
- There are no quick fixes!
- Give yourself enough time improve.
2. Film Yourself Swimming
Obviously, we need to see you swimming to be able to discuss where you need to improve.
Record a few videos of you swimming. Make sure your videos are close enough and at different angles so we can see your stroke.
Send the video files to us before the online swim coaching session using a file transfer service.
3. Book & Attend the Online Session
Book and attend the online session through our booking area and discuss your stroke with our coach.
You can book multiple sessions in advance if you want, but remember to give yourself time to practise the recommended drills between sessions.
4. Get Live Expert Feedback
Get expert, real-time feedback on your stroke during each online session as well as annotated screen shots for later reference.
Use this to focus on the most important parts of the stroke first. Print the images or keep them on your device, take them to the pool and make use of them to focus on improvements.
We will also send you a written summary of the discussions points as well as the recommended drills and sets; and even a recording of the session.
5. Practise!
Use the feedback to practise, prefereably in a controlled swimming environment like a pool. We recommend printing the annotated images from the session, or keeping them on your phone/device, to refer to them in the practise sessions.
Manage your expectations: you will not instantly improve your swimming but at least you will be aware of what you are doing wrong, then you can address each point as you swim, over and over again, until it becomes muscle memory.
6. Think Long Term & Focus
Use the time between sessions to make improvements on key areas of the stroke then repeat the process: send us an up to date set of videos of your swimming and book the next slot.
Swimming is just like any other sport: perfection of technique takes time. Competitive swimmers spend thousands of hours perfecting their stroke, but when they do, it is a joy to watch how well they move through the water. Welcome to the world of swimming!
TIPS:
How to Record Yourself Swimming!
Pool
The most effective way to film yourself swimming is in a controlled environment such as a public swimming pool. Get a friend or a coach to walk alongside you while you swim up the side of the pool. Each clip should be separate angles - for example from the side, directly above, left and right sides. This may need to be done in a private session or club swimming sessions due to filming in public locations, check with your local swimming pool about this.
Jet Pool / Endless Pool
Another easy method in a controlled environment is to film yourself swimming in a jet pool, or 'endless pool'. These are popping up more and more now and it is relatively easy to book a session and get a friend or a coach to do the same as in a regular pool but this time stand next to you and film you while you swim against the jet current. Try to get different angles in each video clip for example top, side, left, right, front, back. Another good angle is from above.
Kayak, in Open Water
Filming yourself in open water can be tricky but with a bit of imagination it's quite easy. You'll need to ask a friend to accompany you in open water, the easiest way is if they're in a kayak. Make sure they are stationary. They they can film you swimming past them, as close as possible alongside the kayak. Get the various angles: as you approach, as you pass and as you go past. As in the pool methods try to get video angles from the side and also above. Try to get as close as possible. Another option for open water is some lake swimming venues have floating pontoons and you can swim right by the side of one of those while someone films you.
