Bill Walter’s Swim Advice for Triathletes
Chances are that if you're a triathlete who trains at the Hal Welsh Y in Fayetteville, you've swam with instructor Bill Walter. Bill is a US Masters Certified Swim Coach as well as an Adult Learn To Swim Certified Coach. He offers two group swim sessions every week and offers private lessons additionally. You will also see Bill volunteering at many of the local races such as the YMCA Green Lakes Triathlon and the Cazenovia Triathlon. He is a respected member of the swimming and racing community in Central New York.
You may have heard or seen the phrase "off-season is swim season". These autumn and winter months when most of us triathletes do not have to balance our three sports with the same intensity as the pre-race and race seasons demand, is the perfect time to focus in on one of the more challenging disciplines for most triathletes, the swim. So, the CNY Tri Club is checking in with coach Bill to see what triathletes can be focusing on during the off-season.
-How long have you been swimming? How long have you been coaching?
I learned to swim at a very young age and started swimming competitively at 13 on my high school swim team. I started coaching at the Y in 2018 shortly after I retired.
-What do you love most about coaching?
It is very rewarding to see someone improve their swimming and build their confidence in the water.
-What are some of the biggest mistakes you see triathletes making when they swim at the pool?
Number one mistake is picking their head up out of the water when they breathe. This causes their hips to drop and creates a lot of drag as they pull themselves through the water. Next would be pulling with a straight arm as opposed to bending at the elbow so they can pull with their entire forearm.
-How many times per week should a triathlete be swimming to maintain swim fitness in the off-season?
This depends on the individual. If you are an accomplished swimmer and want to focus on running and biking then you could get away with one day a week in the water but if you are making changes to your stroke or trying to improve your endurance in the water then 2 or 3 times a week would be much better.
-Does a triathlete need to do flip turns at the pool?
A triathlete does not need to do a flip turn in the pool but it would be beneficial to do a flip turn or at least do a better open turn. A lot of triathletes use the wall as an opportunity to rest and get an extra breath or two. In an open water swim, you do not get to hang on to a kayak every 25 yards so in the pool your goal should be to get off the wall quickly and spend your time swimming rather than hanging on the wall.
- How important are fast intervals in swim training for a triathlete?
Swimming is no different than running or biking in this regard. It is important to do long swims at a moderate pace, shorter sets that would be similar to a tempo run, and some sprints. This will get you in shape for the swim leg of your tri and help you to determine the right pace for you in an open water swim.
-Do you think long sets such as 1,000 continuous yards are useful for triathlete training?
Yes, as long as the long swims are combined with shorter distance swims and sprint sets.
- If there was one piece of advice that you would want the triathletes you see at the Y to follow, what would it be?
This was a difficult question because everyone’s needs are a little different but I think my advice would be to spend more time in the water working on stroke technique and endurance.
