Open Water swim anxiety?
190
Member
1062 days
jmruns430 posted 2 years ago.
Practice, practice, practice . . . the more you swim in the open water, the easier gets. I used to clam up a lot and after a year of even forcing my self out for 10 minutes in the ocean if that's all I had time for, I'm a lot better. I've also found that if I actually get in the water and swim a few strokes before a race, I start much better.
Does open water swim anxiety ever go away? Maybe I just need to go out in the ocean and practice more than the pool, but until I settle into the swim after a couple hundred yards or so....it was a little better when my partner and I decided to swim side by side instead of in a line, but I still wish I had more confidence because I'm feeling good about my pool swims!
I recently finished 6 hours of Total Immersion instruction and am swimming better than ever, but I just can't get rid of the anxiety when I first get started in the open water? Suggestions?