Key Points to remember

• Swimming in choppy open water is a total grind – the turbulence wrecks your stroke rhythm and body position, making you burn up energy fast trying to stay on track. Triathletes and open water swimmers need to be able to power through the chop while conserving precious resources.
• The main issues in chop are maintaining a consistent stroke timing and breathing pattern while avoiding taking on water. And that erratic churn throws off your balance and stability, making it feel like you’re just flailing.
• There are technique adjustments you can train to smooth out your stroke even in rough conditions. Compact your stroke, breathe smart, and stabilise with a fired up core. Done right, you’ll actually flow better through the turbulence than swimmers getting crushed by it.
• Don’t get psyched out when it gets nasty! Stay focused on your technique and powering that high stroke rate. Chances are your competitors are the ones folding under the same rough stuff while you’re trucking on efficiently.

The churning chop kicks up without warning, with white rough whitecaps sloshing over you as you try to stroke through the turbulence. It’s a scenario every open water swimmer in Melbourne has dealt with time and again out in the notoriously choppy waters of the Bay. Inevitably, the question always arises: “Coach, what can I do to swim faster and more efficiently when it gets this rough?”

I know just how demoralising and draining it can feel to battle through choppy conditions. That constant destabilising churn wrecks your rhythm, body position, and mental focus. It’s easy to revert to just surviving the chop rather than asserting yourself through it with confident, powerful technique. But I’m here to share some hard-earned secrets for not just persevering, but truly thriving when the waters get rough.

One thing I emphasise is learning how to swim strongly and maintain technique when conditions get rough and choppy out there. Choppy water can really disrupt your stroke and make you burn up energy fast if you don’t adjust properly.

Now, it’s important to understand the difference between chop and waves. Chop refers to that turbulent, unsettled water condition caused by wind churning up the surface. Waves are more uniform swells that rise and fall in a lined pattern. Chop is the real killer for swimming efficiency.

The main challenge with chop is that the random turbulence destabilises your body position and timing in the water. Your hips and legs get thrown around, making it almost impossible to stay streamlined and balanced – that crucial foundation for an effective freestyle stroke. Without that tight core body line, you’ll end up flailing and draining your energy tank just trying to regain your form and rhythm.

Effect on Stroke Timing & Breathing
Chop has a hugely disruptive effect on timing your stroke and breathing patterns. Those erratic bumps and splashes will constantly knock you off-kilter, making it really tough to settle into a consistent pull and breath timing.

You’ll get hit with waves in the face during your breath, causing you to awkwardly crunch your neck and lift your head higher out of the water to avoid taking in liquid. This sinks your legs and creates extra drag that bleeds off your precious energy stores.

So how can you adjust and flow better with the chop? Here are some key focusses areas.

Compact Stroke & High Tempo
When it’s choppy, avoid overreaching and overgliding at the front of your stroke, as this accentuates getting knocked off-line. A shorter, higher stroke rate enables you to reset your pull positions more frequently to adjust through the turbulence.

Breathing Technique
Rather than forcefully lifting your head into the churn, practice slightly rotating your body more toward your breath side. This creates a pocket of calm air to breathe into while keeping your mouth/nose clear of any wash.

You can also try breathing a hint behind you by turning your head slightly towards you feet (rather than directly to your side as proper technique would normal dictate). This tucks your mouth away from any oncoming bumps.

Make your inhale smaller through pursed lips to minimise the opening for water to enter. Consistent bi-lateral breathing allows you to avoid any particularly choppy sides.

High Arm Recovery
Lifting your arms out of the chop on your recovery can reduce resistance from the chop, that shoves your timing and balance off-track.

Breathing Both Sides
Having the ability to breathe comfortably to either side is clutch for choppy conditions. If the chop is coming hard from one angle, you can always breathe away from the turbulence.

Perseverance
When it gets super rough, it’s easy to get demoralised feeling like you’re slogging with no forward progress. But your competitors are dealing with the exact same conditions. Don’t let a bad patch mentally defeat you – keep your technique sharp and powered up, and you’ll move better through the churn than those who cashed it in.

At the end of the day, being able to stabilise your stroke timing and body position through chop is a hugely valuable open water skill for swimmers and triathletes/ironman competitors. Those chaotic conditions make everyone else fatigue fast and lose their groove. But with a few technique adjustments and the right mindset, you can actually find your flow when it gets rough out there!