Measuring Quality in Open-Water

In rock climbing, when trying to climb a route ‘clean’ (no falls, no hanging on the rope) the artist has no room for mistakes. A mis-step, a mis-catch causes a fall and the climber is obligated to start over. The whole climb has to be executed without a mistake to earn the mark. Dedicated climbers [...]

Who is a REAL open-water swimmer?

Last week I met up with a couple from Lebanon. They heard about me in Antalya and invited me down to Kaş to give them an introductory TI lesson in the sea on their last day of vacation. I asked the gal if she liked to swim out in open-water. She started to explain how [...]

Overcoming Fear In OWS- The Mindset Of An OW Swimmer

Overcoming Fear In Open Water Swimming The Mindset Of An Open-Water Swimmer By no means do I want to suggest that there is a Correct Mindset for an OW swimmer, and that others are wrong. With the variety of humans and sports out there, there are also a variety of motivations and values for why [...]

Overcoming Fear In OWS- Familiarity With Your Self

Overcoming Fear In Open Water Swimming Part 8 of 9 – Familiarity With Your Self Along this sub-theme of increasing Familiarity as part of the strategy for overcoming fear in OW, I would like to point you inward. As in the previous sections this also is not an exhaustive list of things to examine, but [...]

Overcoming Fear In OWS- Familiarity With The Environment

Overcoming Fear In Open Water Swimming Part 7 of 9 – Familiarity With The Environment The third part of our strategy is Familiarity: Familiarity with the environment (water, surrounding terrain, and weather) and familiarity with the swimmer (yourself) that is swimming in it. It might be helpful to use this simile- As a swimmer in [...]

Overcoming Fear In OWS- Focus For The Mind

Overcoming Fear In Open Water Swimming Part 6 of 9 – Focus For the Mind FOCUS Your mind needs positive, productive, prioritized things to dwell on while you are swimming, especially under stress (voluntary stress of racing or in fearful situations). Again, what you practice is what you will perfect. What you train your brain [...]

Overcoming Fear In OWS- Automate Good Technique

Overcoming Fear In Open Water Swimming Part 5 of 9 – Automate Good Technique Good technique enables you to swim with control over your speed and energy consumption, and to do this without injury. But to be of value under a stressful OW situation, that technique needs to be so ingrained that even under strain [...]

Overcoming Fear in OWS- Managing Real Fears and Dangers

Overcoming Fear In Open Water Swimming Part 4 of 9 – Managing Real Fears and Danger Fear is a healthy response to danger. We don’t want to do away with the necessary triggers and healthy responses to it. We need it to survive and to succeed. What we want to do is train so that [...]

Overcoming Fear In OWS- Removing Irrational Fears

Overcoming Fear in Open Water Swimming Part 3 of 8 – Removing Irrational Fears There’s an ocean of suggestions and help out there for all sorts of mental ailments and fear. I will simply present some ideas that may appeal to those who don’t feel they need professional help to deal with their irrational fears [...]

Overcoming Fear In OWS- Separate Phantoms From Real Fears

Overcoming Fear in Open Water Swimming Part 2 of 9 – Separate Phantoms From Real Fears We want to take a daunting or even a seemingly insurmountable challenge and break it down into small, more easily conquered pieces. This is a simple approach to tackling all kinds of overwhelming tasks. (Check out this essay on [...]