Fitness & Technique Squad
Hilsea Lido Tuesday Open Water & Triathlon Swim Squad
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Train for open water season with structured coached swimming at Hilsea Lido.
Train for open water season with structured coached swimming that progresses from the safety of Hilsea Lido into real sea swimming conditions at Southsea Beach.
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Designed for triathletes, open water swimmers and endurance athletes preparing for races, sea swims and long-distance events.
The programme begins with 4 weeks at Hilsea Lido, developing swim technique, pacing and essential open water skills, before transitioning into 6 weeks of coached sea swimming at Southsea Beach where those skills are put into practice in a real open water environment.
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Designed for triathletes, open water swimmers and endurance athletes preparing for races, sea swims and long-distance events.
These coached Tuesday lunchtime sessions combine swim technique, endurance pacing and open water-specific skills in a relaxed but progressive group environment.
Held at the iconic Hilsea Lido saltwater pool in Portsmouth, sessions help bridge the gap between pool swimming and real open water racing.
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Ideal for:
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• Triathletes training for Sprint, Olympic, 70.3 and Ironman events
• Open water swimmers building confidence and endurance
• Athletes wanting to improve pacing and efficiency
• Swimmers preparing for sea swims and summer events
• Adults returning to structured swim training
• Swimmers typically swimming between 1:30 and 2:20 per 100m
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Programme Focus Includes:
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• Front crawl technique refinement
• CSS pacing and sustainable swim rhythm
• Open water sighting skills
• Drafting awareness and race skills
• Navigation and swimming straight
• Sea swim confidence
• Breathing control in open water
• Endurance swim sets
• Adapting to waves, chop and changing conditions
• Continuous front crawl swimming confidence
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Phase 1 – Hilsea Lido (Weeks 1–4)
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The outdoor saltwater lido provides the perfect environment to develop the foundations of successful open water swimming.
Sessions focus on:
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• Technique efficiency
• Endurance development
• Pacing control
• Sighting practice
• Drafting skills
• Open water-specific drills
Phase 2 – Southsea Beach (Weeks 5–10)
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The squad then moves into the sea, applying the skills learned at Hilsea Lido in genuine open water conditions.
Sessions include:
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• Group sea swims
• Navigation and buoy turns
• Drafting practice
• Pacing in changing conditions
• Race simulation exercises
• Sea confidence and decision-making
Atmosphere
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Supportive, welcoming and coached with progression in mind.
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Whether you're training for your first sea swim, an open water race, a triathlon or a long-distance endurance event, the squad is designed to help you become a more efficient, confident and capable open water swimmer.
Why Hilsea Lido?
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The outdoor saltwater environment makes sessions far more transferable to open water swimming than a typical indoor pool session.
Swimming outdoors also helps athletes adapt to:
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Variable conditions
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Visibility changes
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Outdoor pacing perception
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Open water confidence
Session Details
Location: Hilsea Lido, Portsmouth
Day: Tuesdays
Time: 12pm
Session Length: 60 minutes
Average session distance: 2500m
Atmosphere
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Supportive, welcoming and coached with progression in mind.
Whether you're training for your first open water race or building toward a 70.3 or Ironman swim, sessions are designed to help you become a more efficient and confident swimmer.
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Book your place or get in touch for more information.
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Who Is This Squad Suitable For?
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This squad is designed for swimmers who are comfortable swimming front crawl continuously and want to improve their open water and sea swimming skills in a coached group environment.
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To get the most from the programme, swimmers should:
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Be able to swim at least 800m continuous front crawl without stopping
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Be comfortable swimming in deep water
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Have a basic understanding of front crawl breathing and pacing
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Be able to maintain an average pace between approximately 1:30 and 2:20 per 100m
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Be willing to swim in a group environment and follow coach instructions
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No previous sea swimming experience is required.
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The first 4 weeks at Hilsea Lido are designed to develop the skills, confidence and fitness needed for the transition into sea swimming at Southsea Beach for the final 6 weeks of the programme.
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If you're unsure whether the squad is suitable for your current ability level, please get in touch before booking and we'll be happy to advise.
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Train the skills at Hilsea. Put them into practice at Southsea.
121 Front Crawl Technique Swim Lessons
We have a wealth of experience to impart to you and ensure this is done in a relaxed and friendly environment.
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Our adult swim lessons are extremely popular, whether you're looking to improve your freestyle or completely new to front crawl. We'll teach you all the skills and drills specific to your swim level to help you achieve and develop all aspects of your front crawl.
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Learn all the skills and technique drills you'll need to swim front crawl with more efficiency, speed and power to help you achieve your training and event / racing goals!​
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What to expect:
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We offer 1-2-1, 2-2-1 and 3-2-1 semi private front crawl technique swim lessons at Hilsea Lido. You will have your own swim lane hired just for your lesson. ​
Each session lasts for one hour and will include a 5-minute warm up and a coach analysis of your front crawl stroke technique above and underwater.
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Tailored lessons with swift results.
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"This year I'd like to swim the length of Coniston. I'm not a natural swimmer, but I joined Nick for his Pool to Open Water Masterclass and my 25m length times dropped from 32 seconds to 19 seconds in just 4 lessons! Being a self-motivator I get demotivated by pushy teachers, but Nick gets it bang on, targeting those areas which generate maximum gain in the shortest time, but also in a relaxed way. Really comprehensive follow-up with drills to practice means his door is always open with friendly advice, support, and follow up lessons when needed. I'd definitely recommend. " Stuart Payne
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This will be followed by teaching you the skills and drills of front crawl swimming as required and bespoke to your own personal skill set.
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For example, this can include:
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Learning how to achieve a higher body position
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Reduce drag and resistance
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Improve your breathing technique and timing
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Improve your entry phase
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Catching the water better for better distance per stroke
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Reduce your stroke count
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Tune your stroke rate
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Focus on your arm timing for more consistent swimming
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Increase your propulsion through the water
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Improve your long axis hip driven rotation
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Becoming more streamlined in the water
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Kick more efficiently with straighter legs to move better
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Plus up to 120 other front crawl techniques and stroke corrections!
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"Nick has provided excellent coaching which has built my confidence in the pool." Nick Rich
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Swim drills are provided after your swim lesson by email​
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Swim time availability:
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Swim lessons are available on Tuesday mornings currently, at Hilsea Lido.​
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We also do 121 open water sea swim lessons at Southsea Beach in Hampshire.
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You’ll then receive your personal swim drills after each swim lesson by email for you to practice in between swim lessons." - Harrison Thomas
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Details:
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These sessions are for all levels of swimmers, triathletes and masters:
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Triathletes - sprint to Ironman distance and beyond
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Beginners who can swim 25 metres
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Non-swimmers wanting to learn front crawl
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To those wanting to improve their open water skills and techniques from 750m to 14km swims.
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"I can’t recommend Nick and Speedy Swimming enough, I came to see Nick 3 weeks before a 70.3 Ironman Triathlon, with little confidence in my swimming, within a couple of times seeing nick and some small tweaks I was swimming much more efficiently and completed my first 70.3 in 36 minutes! Post pandemic I look forward to working with Nick again!​
Benefits of private swim lessons:
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Learn how to swim more efficiently using our 10 phase swim skills and drills series
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Increase your distance per stroke to push more water behind you
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Enhance your feel for the water improving your catch and pull phases to swim faster
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Learn how to use a high and earlier vertical forearm for greater efficiency
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Understand how to kick effectively from your hips so you’re not wasting energy
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Breathing techniques to help you relax and reduce a feeling of panic in the water
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Better pacing control and awareness from structured swim sessions
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Learn new tips and techniques in each session