help improve your kicking.By binding both legs together, you are actually working on your balance and engaging the core muscles of your abdomen to work more effectively. Most triathletes who aren’t from a swimming background have very poor balance and

this before. I'm two months along the path of trying to turn myself into a decent swimmer - or at least one good enough to stay with the pack in the swim leg of a triathlon - and everyone who's had a look at my front crawl so far has reached the same

Swim DrillsPractising technique is crucial for efficient swimming. If you’re wasting energy by swimming incorrectly, the chances are you’re losing speed. Drill work – focusing on specific elements of your stroke for short periods of time – pays

Most runners who are considering their first triathlon can cope with the cycling aspect of the event. It's the swimming that scares the life out of them. But it shouldn't, as long as they know the basics. "Gifted swimmers simply have a better

, balance, core rotation, aquatic breathing skills and core kicking. It doesn't matter where you are in your swimming career, everyone has to first master these skills.3. Since TI believes swimming is a technical rather than an endurance sport, drills always

, now you can pose your questions straight to the experts as we welcome Speedo's team of swimming and triathlon experts into the triathletesworld.co.uk forums for a series of themed Q+As over the weeks ahead. Speedo works with GB swimmers, triathletes

.Kick drills:  Learning to swim just kicking will help your core muscles and improve your positioning and balance. After a few months of incorporating kick drills into your swim sessions you will notice that your kicking improves and so does your ability

- and sometimes even in the pool when you're training. However, he's right: making friends with water could be the difference between loving every minute of a triathlon and metaphorically holding your breath until you exit the water.Triathletes from a non-swimming

Most triathletes come from a running or biking background, so it's no surprise that the swim is usually the part of the race triathletes like least. Pool swimming generally poses few problems but taking to the open water is another matter

,” says Williams. “Go along to your local triathlon club and ask the swimming coach to assess your technique.” You may find it tough in the beginning, but if you switch from breaststroke to front crawl, you should easily knock seconds from your swim time