Going Around Buoys
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1021 days
deepbluex posted 23 weeks ago.
It's a real bottleneck there and there's way more contact at the buoys. I don't go on the outside though. I found that it just slows me down and I end up in traffic longer than just going through the momentary melee. If it slows down enough, I keep my head out of the water most of the time around a buoy.
914
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1072 days
PJT posted 23 weeks ago.
I started off by doing the breaststroke around buoys, but now I just swim freestyle in an arc around them, and breathe on the same side as the buoy so I'm looking at it and correcting my position as I go around. I'll go tight in if it's not too crowded, further out if it's a washing machine. It's really pretty easy after you've tried it. Practice makes perfect--try this in some open water sessions before doing it in a race.
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1281 days
RV posted 23 weeks ago.
You really need to judge and adjust as you come up on it. At IMWI this past summer people came to a complete stop at the buoy - I stayed a bit wide and arc'd around it as described by PJT.
Also things string out as you go, so the later turn buoys are easier as fewer bodies around.
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
2599
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1236 days
Anton posted 23 weeks ago.
I've noticed at a lot of races lately, folks seem to be using the bouys as a chance to stop and catch their breath! At last years IMLP it looked like GI's stacked up behind beach obstructions on D-Day!
People literally gasping for breath and hanging out...
I keep my eye on the bouy and swim wide.
Practice,practice,practice.
"What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?" - Vincent Van Gogh
My Blog: http://anton.trifuel.net
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752 days
tsilcyc posted 23 weeks ago.
This is one of those things that you're going to have to get used to over time. Initially, I would suggest going wide and even doing the breast stroke as suggested. But as time goes by, you'll spot the corner and freestyle right through it. While there are a number of people in that corner, they are usually going slow and you can find a line through them.
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rjkowski posted 23 weeks ago.
There's one thing to be careful when it comes to doing the breast stroke around buoys. With the tendency of people to bunch up at the turn, there is a good chance you will kick somebody, and kick them hard.
I would avoid using the breast stroke near buoys unless absolutely necessary.
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1547 days
DSmith posted 23 weeks ago.
I just go on the inside of them, it's a lot less crowded....... Just Kidding.
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853 days
UFTriGator posted 23 weeks ago.
PJT wrote:
I started off by doing the breaststroke around buoys
Please don't do breastroke...ever...in a triathlon. That's how people get kicked in the face. Last year a lady died at St. Anthony's from getting kicked in the face.
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316 days
Toothless posted 23 weeks ago.
I had no idea somebody died from a kick in the face at St Anthony's.
But as to the question, there's a good technique for getting around buoys where you roll on your back and do one backstroke pull and then with the next pull you roll on your stomach again and keep going. My description is horrible, but it is a 90 degree turn done with a quick flip to your back. I read about it a couple of years ago and it only took one practice to figure it out. It's very fast, but if you are swimming in a pack it might not be the best thing to do.
618
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1021 days
deepbluex posted 23 weeks ago.
I got kicked by someone swimming in the lane next to mine at the pool because he was doing the breastroke and his feet went into my lane. That stuff hurts. I thought he broke my ribs.
When you're doing freestyle, your feet should just flutter up and down so there's no chance of real injury from a kick - just some light contact - but a breastroking kick is a full force extension like a karate kick in the water that has a long reach of up to 3 swimmer widths.
820
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1356 days
catwood posted 23 weeks ago.
If the turn is sharp, then do come one arm pulls to get around it. If the turn is wide, then do a corkscrew stroke...
404
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307 days
Sully800 posted 23 weeks ago.
In an ocean swim, I swam under a bunch of people that were jamming up at the buoy and grabbed onto the buoy's rope, swung myself around it, and then swam up on the other side ahead of everyone else. I'm not entirely sure it was legal, but it was pretty effective at least!
914
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1072 days
PJT posted 23 weeks ago.
UFTriGator wrote:
PJT wrote:I started off by doing the breaststroke around buoys
Please don't do breastroke...ever...in a triathlon. That's how people get kicked in the face. Last year a lady died at St. Anthony's from getting kicked in the face.
I agree. It's been several years since I did this. Same thing apllies to sidestroke--that kick coming sideways can hurt.
I never saw anything definitive on the St. Anthony's drowning--at least one article said there were no injuries consistent with being kicked in the face: http://sptimes.com/2007/05/05/State/Dateline_Florida.shtml
196
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fpugsley posted 23 weeks ago.
Toothless wrote:
But as to the question, there's a good technique for getting around buoys where you roll on your back and do one backstroke pull and then with the next pull you roll on your stomach again and keep going. My description is horrible, but it is a 90 degree turn done with a quick flip to your back.
This is what I do, except I call it the 'windmill'
Basically when you approach the buoy, close along side it, you begin to do a windmill/corkscrew looking stroke by first rolling your back toward the buoy (in the direction you want to turn, so your face is away from the buoy at first. then you keep just spinning in this fashion (no need to do a backstroke stroke in there) until you think you have made the turn and then you do one more revolution because you havent really made the turn. I learned this at an open water swim clinic from some distance swimmer guy. It is really fast and effective. I dont know how it would work in traffic however.
717
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TriSooner posted 23 weeks ago.
PJT wrote:
And be assertive enough to swim over people.
I started off by doing the breaststroke around buoys, but now I just swim freestyle in an arc around them, and breathe on the same side as the buoy so I'm looking at it and correcting my position as I go around. I'll go tight in if it's not too crowded, further out if it's a washing machine. It's really pretty easy after you've tried it. Practice makes perfect--try this in some open water sessions before doing it in a race.
914
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1072 days
Shhhhh. Don't scare the newer folks.
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329 days
Leroy Bonkers posted 23 weeks ago.
I do the backstroke/windmill/corkscrew bit if there is room, and go a bit outside to avoid people doing breast stroke near the bouy.
+1 on avoiding the breaststroke. I got kicked so hard by a breast stroker one time that it burst blood vessels in my eye.
I'm new here so I apologize if this question has been asked before. I'm wondering what technique you all use when going around the buoys in the water? This is always a little awkward for me, so I'd love some feedback. I'm sure the technique varies depending on the length of the race right??