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Home / Blog / A new swim coach has transformed my diving and stroke technique but will this help me in triathlons?

A new swim coach has transformed my diving and stroke technique but will this help me in triathlons?

In an attempt to escape his old habits, 220 Triathlon columnist Martyn Brunt has brought in the cavalry, in the shape of a new swim coach. Let the battle between athlete and mentor commence…

Coach encouraging swimmers in the pool
Credit: Getty Images

New year, new me! If that sounds suspiciously New Age for an old triathlete, let me clarify – new year, new coach, which means the old me can’t get away with the things that I have been getting away with, and would still like to.

I know it may come as a surprise that I have a coach when you look at my results. But over the years I have had a few brave souls who have taken on the unenviable task of trying to make me go a bit faster, very much against my body’s wishes. 

The most notable ones were coach Dave, who was a British champion cyclist and former national runner who worked hard to make me a bit less ponderous when it came to the bike and run bits of tri, and the ‘Evil Swim Coach’ (who was also called Dave) who was a former paralympic gold medallist and who introduced me to new concepts such as kicking my legs occasionally, and not taking a giant heaving breath every stroke.

Both Daves retired from coaching (they both ended up with repetitive strain injuries in their necks from shaking their heads in disbelief). So I have been coach-less for quite a while now, and have naturally slipped back into all the things I’m most comfortable doing – long, slow, plodding swims which don’t involve my legs, long, slow, plodding runs which don’t involve me lifting my feet more than an inch off the ground, and long, slow, plodding bike rides which do involve several café stops.

Part of this happy tableau has come to a juddering halt though thanks to coach Josh. Strictly speaking he is not ‘my’ coach and is in fact our new swimming club coach. But considering I do club swims three times a week his arrival has made a significant impact on my previous plodding regime. Josh, you see, is a proper coach, which means not only has he introduced new concepts like “technique” and “trying”, but he is far too shrewd to stand for any of my nonsense and is wise to all my old tricks (pulling on the lane rope, using a pull buoy all the time etc, you know the sort of thing).

Learning to dive properly

In the few weeks since coach Josh arrived I have done more dive starts than I have in the past 10 years. Previously I used to dive twice a year at most (off pontoons at open water starts, in a style that was more akin to the kind of “bombing” I used to get in trouble for at the local baths when I was a kid). Now though we’re doing actual dive practice sessions, with drills which involve me scissoring my legs in mid air and actually pushing off the blocks than just toppling in like a felled tree. 

“Practice makes vaguely capable”

Man squatting beside swimmers by pool
Brunty is learning several strokes but will that help him in open water? (Credit: British Triathlon)

We’ve also done butterfly and backstroke technique training (my attempts at the “Biondi” fly drill had to be seen to be believed), IM training (which distressingly means Individual Medley rather than Ironman) and turn drills too – not just freestyle tumble turns but fly to back turns, back to breaststroke turns etc, several of which have resulted in me variously nutting the wall, crashing into the bottom of the pool, getting tangled in the lane rope, or emerging spluttering and facing the wrong way.

Still, “practice makes perfect” so they say. Although to be honest I’ll settle for “practice makes vaguely capable”.

What’s the point for triathlon?

Person swimming in the sea wearing a wetsuit and cap
Brunty thinks his new skills will make open water less stressfull.

You’re probably reading this and thinking “Yes, but what’s the point of all this, we’re triathletes, we don’t need all this fandango”. And you’d be right – up to a point. It’s true that a lot of this doesn’t come into play during a 3.8km open-water swim when your main concern is not getting kicked in the grollies at turn buoys. But there’s no doubt that there are elements of all this which help to make your swim leg a bit better. 

If it’s a pontoon start then a good dive can save you getting tangled in flailing arms as you surface. Backstroke can help with buoy turns (if you’re a roll-over merchant like me). Fly kick is a great way to gain yourself a bit more space when various watery interlopers try to crowd into your space. A freestyle kick is a great way to get those toe-tapping buggers off your feet. 

Best of all though, being able to do other strokes, and being able to do drills which used to half-drown you, give you more strength and confidence in the water, so that when you do get into the inevitable tangles with other swimmers in open water, you’ve got the skills and self-assurance to get out of it without losing loads of time and energy.

I’m not going to pretend all this new training is easy – my shoulders only used to ache this much from holding the back door open waiting for the dogs to decide whether they are coming in from the bloody garden or not – but I am finding it strangely inspiring do new stuff, even if various parts of my body remain unconvinced.

Profile image of Martyn Brunt Martyn Brunt 220's back-page columnist

About

Martyn Brunt is 220's resident Weekend Warrior, and has been writing the popular back-page column for the magazine since 2009 when he was chosen from hundreds of entries for the honour. He's a Nationals-level swimmer, top age-grouper and regularly competes in all manner of single- and multisporting challenges across the UK and globe. Not that he'd agree with any of this. As his self-penned mag bio reads, "Martyn is tri’s foremost average athlete and is living proof that hours of training and endless new kit are no substitute for ability."