Have you spent time in the ' sin bin' at
triathlon for being busted for drafting?? Well this article is for you. I found
this the other day and have to share it I think you will appreciate it as it
details how to draft better and get more out of your race....
draft better by SwimSmooth.com
Drafting is swimming directly behind, or to
the side of and behind, another swimmer. Studies show this saves 18 to 25% of
the energy expenditure of swimming. In a race it makes perfect sense to
capitalize on this source of free speed.
When it comes to drafting technique, once
again practise makes perfect. If you want to become good at drafting then you
need to devote training time to it. Look at drafting either as a way of
swimming faster than normal by sitting on the toes of someone faster than
yourself. Or, by swimming behind someone of the same speed as you, leave
yourself super-fresh for the bike and run.
Effective drafting can be done in one of
two ways:
1) Directly behind someone so that you are
almost touching their toes.
This is the traditional way of drafting. It
requires a bit of 'sneaky' technique, get too close and tap their toes and you
might get a foot in your face as feedback.
Or you could slow them down by disrupting
their rhythm or even sinking their legs with the contact.
When you are drafting someone nicely in a
race it sometimes feels too easy. But be careful, pull out and try and overtake
them and you might notice how much benefit you were getting from the draft.
With experience you will be able to judge this but it's often better to sit in
there, take it easy, and benefit from feeling fresh and fruity on the bike and
run.
2) Swimming to the side of someone but very
close.
You'll be slightly behind so your head is
in line with their chest. Youget a drafting benefit because you are still
swimming in their wake which extends to the side of them. This technique
requires much more skill but can be even more effective than swimming behind.
This is because the biggest part of your body - your torso - is getting much
closer to their body which is making the hole in the water.
We recommend you practise this with a
partner before races. You need to be as close as possible to them so that when
you breathe your head is by their chest. We recommend breathing to one side and
towards them so you can keep a close eye on things. You need to time your
stroke with theirs so that you avoid clashing arms.
Get this technique right and you'll be
zooming along with little effort
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