Swim

Swim sessions cater for all levels and abilities and are based on Swim Smooth principles, as recommended by British Triathlon. Sessions are led by our qualified coaches, so whether you’re an experienced triathlete or new to the sport you’ll be catered for.

Swim sessions are run at the Royal Commonwealth Pool on Monday evenings and early Wednesday mornings, at Leith Academy on Wednesday evenings, and at Leith Victoria early Friday mornings. Please enquire about membership or a trial session for further details.

If its your first time then arrive at pool side a few minutes early and introduce yourself to one of our friendly coaches. They will make sure you start off in the right lane for your ability.

Remember if you’re new to the club you can try out a few sessions before you decide to join. Contact us if you have any questions about our swim session.

During the Summer months many of our members organise open water swims. Typically these are led rather than coached and are usually organised via the club’s Facebook page.

Before taking part in open water swimming take logical steps to risk assess the situation and don’t do it if you are in doubt. Please also make yourself familiar with the Scottish Outdoor Access Code which in relation to open water swimming states:

Access rights extend to swimming (subject to any local byelaws). Remember that swimming in open water can be dangerous, particularly for children, and that the water might be used for public water supply. Help to minimise problems for other users by:

• not swimming close to water intakes, abstraction points or spillways
• avoiding nets or other fishing tackle
• not disturbing anglers and other water users
• not polluting the water, and
• being aware that in prolonged dry spells fish might be distressed due to low water levels.

Open-water swimming can be a shock to the system at first, but once you acclimatise you’ll find it thrilling. The psychological and physiological impact is completely different to indoor pool-based swimming so it’s important to get your body acclimatised to the temperature. You should always be accompanied by another when swimming in open water preferably someone with open water experience. Here in Scotland, and depending on the time of year, you will almost certainly need a wetsuit too. Make sure you bring along plenty of warm clothing to change into afterwards!

Don’t let a crowded pool of speedy swimmers intimate you. As a club member you are expected to show respect and understanding for the safety of others.

Our guide below ensures that all members regardless of ability get the most out of our swim sessions:

• Be prepared: Be on time for training sessions, wearing suitable kit for training.
• Judging your pace: If it’s your first swim session, arrive a few minutes early at poolside and introduce yourself to the coach who will discuss which lane you’ll be most suited for.
• Getting in: Dangling your legs in from the side to let swimmers know you’re there is useful if you’re disrupting the rhythm of a lane and it’s ok to jump or dive in if the area around you is clear, but you should never dive if the depth is less than 1.8 metres.
• Listen: Try to follow our coaches’ instructions and if you don’t understand please ask for clarification.
• Foot tapping: It’s the universal gesture among club swimmers – if you want to overtake, tap the toes of the swimmer in front and they should pause at the end of the lane to let you pass.
• Resting at the end of a lane: Stay tucked into the corner if resting between sets so other swimmers have room to turn and push off.
• Tumble turns: Only use this manoeuvre if you are confident there is no one behind you because you might collide as they reach the end of the lane while you’re still flipping over. If the coast is clear, make sure you exit the wall on the other side of the lane. The same applies to pushing off.
• In general race tattoos should not be left on the skin for an extended period. However, some tattoos are stubborn to remove and if they are still present during swim sessions then the area should be washed and the tattoo should not be flaking (i.e. so no bits are left in the water).