SVTC Coaches & Clinics Committee
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Open Water Swim Program:

Regular, scheduled workout sessions in the Lakes, Bay, and Ocean settings provide club members with free instruction, documentation, and assistance in the following areas:

Stroke Instruction: Balance and Posture Arm Motion Breathing Hip Rotation and Body Roll Kick

Racing Techniques: Sighting Race Starting, Entry, and Exit Surf Practice Equipment Drafting

Safety and Overcoming Fear

The majority of the Open Water Swim workouts will combine an optional opportunity for Brick (additional ride/run immediately following) combination, depending on the venue. Workouts will be posted on the calendar one month out and will have an e-mail reminder with RSVP request on Monday of the week before. "Chalk Talk" will occur for the first 20 minutes before swimming commences. Most popular workout locations: Lake Del Valle (Pleasanton), Aquatic Park (San Francisco), Coyote Point (San Mateo), Capitola, and Cowell's Beach (Santa Cruz).

Requirements for participation: Club membership or signed workout waiver, and ability to swim 30 minutes continuously in a pool or open water. Safety concerns require that participants swim in groups, be mindful of other swimmers, obey signs and instructions posted or conveyed, and inform the leader of concerns or constraints before the swimming session begins.

Look for announcements of the 10 monthly open water swims in the "interactiveSVTC" emails as well as calendar entries approximately 1 month in advance.

Please contact Randy Batterson at randybatterson@yahoo.com for further information regarding open water swims.

Coached Pool Swim Programs:

Introduction to Masters Swimming:

Any triathlon training program requires training "specificity", meaning that you must practice what you plan to race. Intro to Masters courses are available at various pools throughout the Bay Area. The goal of the "Intro" program is to provide a short, concentrated program that makes the participant able to engage with a drop in or masters program anywhere! What is taught are streamlining and freestyle technique, drills, vocabulary and workout "lingo", alternative strokes (necessary for frequent swimming so that muscle fatigue can be mitigated), and increasing yardage. After the programs it is suggested that the athlete engage with a "local" pool and begin to swim regularly, 1 to 2 times per week during the season.