Why Most Triathletes Struggle in the Swim - how to fit it

For many triathletes, the swim is the most frustrating part of the race.

You can spend hours building your fitness on the bike, follow a structured running plan and feel confident about your overall preparation, yet still find yourself losing time in the water. Your breathing feels rushed, your pace seems slower than it should be, and no matter how hard you work, you struggle to keep up with athletes who appear to be swimming effortlessly.

Sound familiar?

The problem is that swimming faster is not simply about working harder. It is about moving through the water more efficiently.

Unlike running and cycling, where you have relatively stable contact with the ground or bike, swimming requires you to coordinate your body position, breathing, balance, catch, pull and kick while minimising resistance.

For triathletes, there is also the added challenge of open water, sighting, crowded starts and managing your effort before the bike and run.

So, why do so many triathletes struggle with swimming, and what can you do to improve?

1. They focus on fitness instead of technique

One of the biggest mistakes triathletes make is assuming that swimming more metres will automatically make them faster.

Although consistent training is important, repeatedly swimming with inefficient technique can make it difficult to improve. You might become better at tolerating the effort without addressing the underlying reasons you are swimming slowly.

Swimming performance depends on both propulsion and drag. You need to generate forward movement while minimising the resistance created by your body moving through the water.

Common technical issues include:

• A low or poorly controlled body position.

• Excessive head movement when breathing.

• Crossing the centre line with the hands during entry or the catch.

• An ineffective catch that fails to engage the water well.

• Kicking excessively or using a kick that creates unnecessary resistance.

• Rushing the stroke without maintaining effective propulsion.

These issues do not affect every swimmer equally, and there is no single perfect stroke for all body types. The important thing is identifying which aspects of your technique are limiting your performance.

What should you do?

Instead of simply adding more distance, include purposeful technique work within your swim sessions. Use drills that address a specific weakness, then return to full-stroke swimming to see whether the change transfers.

Video analysis can be particularly useful because many swimmers cannot accurately feel what their body is doing in the water.

The aim is not to make every stroke look identical. It is to find a technique that is effective, repeatable and appropriate for you.

2. They confuse swimming harder with swimming faster

Swimming can feel deceptively simple: if you are going too slowly, surely you just need to pull harder and kick faster?

Unfortunately, that approach can create more fatigue without producing a meaningful improvement in speed.

If your body position is poor or your catch is ineffective, increasing your effort may simply increase the energy you expend while maintaining the same inefficient movement pattern.

This is particularly frustrating for triathletes who already have strong cardiovascular fitness from cycling and running.

You might be capable of sustaining a high heart rate for a long time, but that does not necessarily mean you can translate that fitness into efficient forward movement in the water.

The solution is to improve the quality of your movement before relying on additional effort.

Try including short, controlled repetitions where the focus is on maintaining technique at a consistent pace. As your control improves, gradually introduce faster efforts while preserving the key technical elements.

You should also learn to distinguish between productive effort and unnecessary tension. Relaxing your breathing and avoiding excessive muscular tension can help you maintain control, particularly over longer distances.

3. Their breathing disrupts their stroke

Breathing is one of the most common challenges for adult swimmers learning or improving front crawl.

Many triathletes lift their head too far out of the water, hold their breath for too long or rush their stroke as soon as they need air.

These habits can affect balance, body position and rhythm. Lifting the head excessively can cause the hips and legs to drop, increasing drag and making forward movement more difficult.

Breathing problems can also create anxiety, especially when swimmers feel they are running out of air.

The result is often a cycle of tension, poor technique and increased effort.

How to improve your breathing

Start by practising a controlled exhalation into the water rather than holding your breath until you turn to inhale.

When breathing to the side, aim for a comfortable rotation of the head in coordination with the body, avoiding an exaggerated lift. You should be able to return your face to the water without disrupting the next stroke.

Useful practice includes:

• Short, relaxed repetitions focusing on continuous exhalation.

• Easy front-crawl swimming with attention to head position.

• Controlled breathing patterns that do not compromise technique.

• Gradually increasing repetition length as confidence improves.

Bilateral breathing can be useful for developing coordination and flexibility, but it is not essential for every swimmer. The priority is finding a breathing pattern that allows you to swim comfortably, efficiently and safely.

If you consistently feel breathless despite swimming slowly, consider whether anxiety, pacing, technique or an underlying health issue may be contributing rather than assuming you simply need more fitness.

4. They have not developed an effective catch

Your catch is the part of the freestyle stroke where you establish contact with the water to begin generating forward propulsion.

An ineffective catch can mean you are moving your arms through the water without producing as much useful forward force as you could.

Common problems include dropping the elbow too early, slipping through the water without establishing a good connection, or rushing into the pull before the hand and forearm are positioned effectively.

For triathletes, improving the catch can be particularly valuable because it helps make each stroke more productive.

However, the objective is not to force an exaggerated high-elbow position or follow a rigid technical model. Effective mechanics vary with anatomy, mobility, speed and individual coordination.

How to work on your catch

Use drills selected to address your specific technique rather than performing drills simply because they are popular.

Depending on your needs, this might include controlled sculling, single-arm swimming or front-crawl repetitions focusing on the hand and forearm establishing pressure on the water.

The key is to transfer the feeling from the drill into normal swimming. A drill is only useful if it helps you improve your overall stroke.

5. They neglect body position and balance

Water resistance has a significant influence on swimming speed. If your body creates unnecessary drag, you have to work harder to maintain your pace.

One common issue is allowing the legs and hips to sit too low in the water. This can increase resistance and make swimming feel much harder than expected.

However, a low body position is not always caused by weak legs. It can be influenced by head position, breathing, balance, body proportions and how you coordinate your movements.

Trying to force your legs upwards by kicking harder can sometimes create additional fatigue without solving the problem.

What can help?

Focus on a comfortable, balanced position in the water, with your head aligned naturally and your body rotating in coordination with your stroke.

Avoid trying to hold your body unnaturally rigid or pressing your head down excessively. Small adjustments can have different effects depending on the swimmer.

This is another area where observation and video analysis can help identify what is happening rather than relying on guesswork.

6. They train in the pool but struggle in open water

You can be a confident pool swimmer and still find the swim leg of a triathlon difficult.

Open-water swimming introduces challenges that are absent or less pronounced in a pool, including:

• No pool markings to guide your direction.

• The need to sight and navigate around buoys.

• Other swimmers creating turbulence and disrupting your rhythm.

• Changing water conditions and visibility.

• Cold water and wetsuit restrictions.

• The psychological pressure of a mass-start swim.

These factors can make it harder to maintain your usual pace and technique.

Some athletes respond by lifting their heads too frequently, changing their breathing pattern or swimming further than necessary because they lose their direction.

Others become tense when surrounded by swimmers, even when their underlying fitness and pool technique are good.

How to improve your open-water swimming

Practise in an appropriate, supervised open-water environment whenever possible, following local safety guidance.

Gradually develop the skills you will need on race day:

Sighting: Practise brief, controlled forward glances to check your direction without unnecessarily lifting your entire head.

Navigation: Learn to choose clear reference points and adjust your line as needed rather than relying entirely on the swimmer ahead.

Group swimming: Where appropriate and supervised, practise swimming near other athletes so you can become more comfortable with the proximity and movement of others.

Wetsuit familiarity: Practise in your race wetsuit before competition so you understand how it affects your buoyancy, mobility and comfort.

Race-specific starts: Once you have the necessary confidence and experience, introduce controlled efforts that replicate the increased intensity of a race start.

The aim is to make race-day conditions feel more familiar, not to expose yourself to unnecessary risk.

7. They start the swim too fast

The opening minutes of a triathlon swim can be intense, particularly when athletes are starting together.

Adrenaline, the desire to find clear water and the pressure of racing can all encourage you to start harder than planned.

If your early effort is too high, breathing and technique may become difficult to control. You may then spend the rest of the swim trying to recover your rhythm.

This is particularly common among athletes who have not practised swimming at race intensity.

A good swim is not necessarily the one where you start fastest. It is the one where you manage your effort effectively and maintain the best pace you can sustain for the distance.

Practise pacing before race day

Include controlled race-pace efforts in your training, allowing yourself to experience the demands of a faster start without losing technical control.

Learn what an appropriate effort feels like and how quickly you can settle into your planned pace.

Your strategy should reflect your ability, the race distance, the conditions and your wider race objectives.

For some athletes, starting slightly away from the busiest part of the field may also help reduce stress while building confidence.

8. They do not structure their swim training effectively

Many triathletes have limited time to train. They may swim two or three times per week, often repeating similar sessions without a clear purpose.

Although consistency matters, every session does not need to look the same.

A structured swim programme should develop the qualities that matter most to your performance.

Depending on your current ability, this may include:

• Technique: Addressing the specific weaknesses that limit your efficiency.

• Aerobic endurance: Building the ability to maintain a controlled effort over longer distances.

• Threshold and pace work: Developing the ability to sustain stronger swimming efforts.

• Speed: Improving your ability to swim faster while maintaining effective mechanics.

• Open-water skills: Developing sighting, navigation and race-specific confidence.

The balance between these elements depends on your training history and goals.

A beginner may need to prioritise technique and confidence before introducing substantial high-intensity work. An experienced swimmer may benefit from more race-specific pace sessions while continuing to address technical weaknesses.

The important point is that your sessions should have a purpose and contribute to your overall development.

9. They underestimate the value of individualised swim coaching

Swimming is a technical sport, and the reasons one athlete struggles can be very different from the reasons another does.

One swimmer might have a good body position but an ineffective catch. Another might have reasonable technique but struggle with breathing. A third might swim well in the pool but lose confidence in open water.

Giving all three athletes the same drills and training sessions is unlikely to be the most effective approach.

Individualised coaching can help identify the factors that are genuinely limiting performance and prioritise the changes most likely to make a difference.

At Frederick Webb Triathlon, the aim is to understand the athlete rather than simply prescribe more swimming.

That can include reviewing technique, analysing video, assessing pacing, developing open-water skills and building a structured programme around your wider triathlon training.

The objective is to turn your time in the pool into purposeful practice, rather than accumulating metres without understanding what you need to improve.

10. How long does it take to improve your triathlon swim?

There is no universal timeline for improving swimming performance.

Some athletes notice changes in comfort, breathing or coordination relatively quickly. More substantial improvements in pace and endurance typically require consistent practice over time.

Your progress will depend on your starting ability, training frequency, technical limitations, previous experience and the quality of your training.

Rather than judging progress solely by your fastest 100-metre repetition, monitor several measures:

• Your pace over repeatable distances.

• Your ability to maintain technique as the session progresses.

• Your perceived effort at a given pace.

• Your consistency between repetitions.

• Your confidence and control in open water.

• Your ability to swim at race pace without excessive fatigue.

Use comparable conditions and workouts when assessing changes. Pool length, rest intervals, equipment and environmental conditions can all influence the results.

Most importantly, remember that the objective is not simply to become a faster pool swimmer. It is to develop a swim that supports your overall triathlon performance.

Frequently asked questions about triathlon swimming

Why am I so slow at swimming compared with running and cycling?

Swimming relies heavily on technical efficiency, body position and effective propulsion. Cardiovascular fitness from running and cycling is valuable, but it does not automatically transfer into efficient swimming. Technique-specific practice can help bridge this gap.

How can I get faster at swimming for triathlon?

Identify your main technical limitations, practise purposeful drills, build aerobic endurance and introduce pace-specific work as appropriate. Consistent training and feedback can help you make improvements more efficiently than simply increasing distance.

How many times a week should a triathlete swim?

The ideal frequency depends on your ability, race distance, available time and overall training load. Beginners may benefit from prioritising regular, manageable sessions to develop technique and confidence. More experienced athletes may require additional frequency to meet their performance goals.

Is swimming technique more important than fitness?

Both matter. Technique influences how efficiently you move through the water, while fitness helps you sustain the required effort. The balance depends on the athlete. A technically inefficient swimmer may benefit more from addressing technique than from adding further high-volume training.

Why do I get out of breath when swimming but not running?

Swimming requires coordinated breathing within the stroke, and the sensation of having your face in the water can make breathing more challenging. Holding your breath, lifting your head excessively, swimming too fast or feeling anxious can contribute. If breathlessness is persistent, severe or unusual, seek appropriate medical advice rather than assuming it is purely a technique issue.

Do I need to learn bilateral breathing for triathlon?

No. Bilateral breathing can improve versatility and help some swimmers develop a more balanced stroke, but it is not essential. Choose a comfortable, sustainable breathing pattern that supports your technique and race conditions.

Should I use a pull buoy or paddles to improve my swim?

These tools can be useful when prescribed for a specific purpose. A pull buoy can help you focus on aspects of your upper-body stroke, while paddles can increase resistance and loading. However, they can also mask weaknesses or place additional stress on the shoulders if used inappropriately. They should complement, not replace, effective swimming.

Is open-water swimming harder than pool swimming?

It can be. Open water adds navigation, sighting, variable conditions, reduced visibility and the potential stress of swimming near other athletes. Practising in suitable conditions and developing race-specific skills can help you become more confident.

Final thoughts: Stop fighting the water and start swimming with purpose

If you struggle with the swim leg of your triathlon, the answer is not necessarily to swim harder or add hundreds of extra metres every week.

Start by identifying what is holding you back.

It might be your breathing, body position, catch, pacing, training structure or confidence in open water. Once you understand the problem, you can focus on the changes that are most likely to improve your performance.

Swimming faster is a combination of technique, fitness, consistency and confidence. Developing these qualities takes time, but a structured approach can make your training more productive.

You do not need to become a professional swimmer to become a better triathlete. You need to understand what your swimming requires and train accordingly.

If you want help improving your swim technique, developing your open-water confidence or building a more effective triathlon training plan, explore Frederick Webb Triathlon or get in touch to discuss your goals.

Train with purpose. Swim with confidence. Race with control.