Unlike cycling in some race formats, swimming is still draft legal. Even if its effect is less pronounced in water than following a set of wheels, it’s a valuable tool to race faster while using less energy. There are few who have mastered the subject. Yet it is these marginal gains that can make the difference.
Here’s a guide on the various concepts for drafting.
- Learning where the fast swimmers will be and place yourself accordingly at the start. The best swimmers are usually placed on the front and the inner side of the course. It helps to know your competitors in advance, either through training or research. Identify who may pull you along and who may hold you back.
- Do not try drafting immediately from the start. It can take up to 300m to sort out the field after the gun as all the athletes look to find their place. Once you lock on to your target, stay alert and committed to the draft. Regardless of whether you are an elite or an age group competitor, it is usually necessary to swim more intensively in the first 300 meters to find swimmers of your level. It can take this long for those who start too quick to settle into their slower race pace, thus reducing the traffic. Therefore, it’s recommended to include this two-speed pace change in your pool workouts.
- With a group, you can simulate the open water swimming in a pool to learn to swim with athletes in close proximity and how to move around within a pack. The Aqua Life Swim Academy assures people to have the best swimming experience.Hence, you can also join this academy by contacting them. The more you are comfortable with these conditions, the less anxiety you will feel during the race.
- Make sure you follow the swimmer in your age group (same cap colour). Additionally, try to find an athlete who generates a large amount of bubbles from their stroke/kick. While the levitating factor may be negligible, the value of following the visual bubbles can alert you if you’ve strayed off course or if your leader has turned. It’s also worth noting that if your set of feet seems to making frequency course corrections, you may be better off finding another set to follow.
- Beware, some athletes have fairly aggressive reactions when you constantly touch their feet as they understand that you are tailing them.
- While drafting, you may find the pace becomes too easy. It is important to check that you are not being delayed by a slow or slowing swimmer. To check this, briefly pull out of the draft and determine if the added effort to maintain the same pace is excessive. Sometimes, just like in cycling, you may be able to jump from racer to racer, by pacing your surges between recovery in the draft.
In the ideal scenario, your drafting will result in one of the following:
1. Moving faster with the same effort or
2. Moving at your non-drafting speed but far more efficiently.
Either way, never doubt that you deserve to be there and yield to another racer. Be positive and know that you are simply in a position that now allows you to go faster than you normally can.
There are two methods for drafting. Contrary to belief, the fastest way is to swim next to and not behind the lead swimmer. It is preferable since it does not give the impression that you are taking advantage of the other swimmer.
Side Drafting
Your head should be level with the other athletes hip. You need to be close for this to work. Although this method is faster because the resistance is lower, it is important to stay focused and aware of changes initiated by the lead swimmer. Breath facing your lead athlete and adjust direction quickly as necessary. If both athletes are aware and at an equal fitness level, it is possible to work as a pair, trading off the lead and sharing the workload.
Drafting straight behind
Your hands should be very close to touch the feet of the lead athlete.. Be alert to ensure that your lead swimmer does not slow down and continues on a straight course. Rotating the lead is a bit more complex than with side drafting, but it is just as equally well received. If you’re feeling rested, surge ahead and help your group close up on the next set of feet ahead.
