If you’re going to reach your full potential as a triathlete then you'll need a few core skills in your locker, with swim drafting being one of them.
Here, Joe Beer explains how to get it right in a pool session with some training buddies, so by race day you'll be able to conserve valuable energy in the dip and hit T1 running…
Step one
Importantly, take off from the wall close behind the swimmer in front so you don’t have to sprint to catch them. With 2-3 or more people you can set up a chaingang drafting scenario.
Step two
Position yourself on your preferred breathing side of the swimmer-in-front’s feet, entering your hand in the water to just miss their toes. You’ll also miss the full brunt of their kick turbulence this way.
Step three
Though you’re drafting to save energy, still practise looking ahead to check you’re still on the feet of the person in front of you, and that those feet are going in the right direction. You don’t want to add distance unnecessarily.
(Images: Jonny Gawler)
For lots more swim tips head to our Training section