What to expect at an open water club

All swimming clubs no matter if the session is taking place in the pool of open water will follow the same basic principles. You will be allocated to a group of swimmers who are about the same ability and giving a ‘set’ or ‘session’ to complete.

You will be supervised by a coach or coaching assistant who will be there to support and guide you through the session.

If the club is small the group may be informal and you may be completely under the direction of the venue and their safety systems.

In this case it is important to make sure you adhere to their procedures and you may only receive minimal coaching input.

However it is always important to make sure your coach is aware of your swimming goals so they can understand your needs and motivations.

Without this they cannot plan your sessions effectively and link your pool sessions to your open water sessions.

What are the benefits of swimming in an open water club?

If you are an open water swimmer and want to improve the only way to do this is through good qualified coaches.

All Swim England Open Water Clubs use coaches that are qualified to at least Level 2 in open water.

• You will receive sessions which are planned to your training needs, well thought out and professional.
• Clubs are run safely and where they have the Swim Mark meet our minimum expected standards.

1. You can socialise with like-minded swimmers and talk open water swimming all day if you wanted to, as well as share experiences with each other.
2. If you’re a parent you can get tips from each other and negotiate your way through those cold sessions sat on lake sides as well as the nice times sat in cafes drinking cups of hot chocolate.

Open Water swimmers are a gregarious bunch and love getting together out of the water so the benefits are very much around shared support.