Training - Swimming

Please complete the attached Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire and email to the coach coordinators before your first CPT session.

Please note - You should be able to swim at least 100m continuous free style to benefit from our coaching sessions.

If you are new to coached swims please attend the Friday session at Trinity School or the second session at St Joseph's on a Tuesday.

Monday swim sessions (uncoached)

We have managed to secure two swim lanes on Monday evenings at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, between 19:30-20:30.

Lane 1 is aimed at those swimmers who normally swim in the top two lanes on Tuesdays and Thursdays and / or are capable of a sub 7:15 400m.

Lane 2 is open to all other swimmers.

Juniors are able to attend this session if they have the prior approval of the head coach.

£5.00 per session or included in the annual training fee.

This session is uncoached, but a swim set will be provided. Be on poolside for a 19:30 start prompt.

Check the GLL website for public opening times.

Cycles must not be brought into the Centre. There is cycle parking just outside the main entrance doors. You will need secure locks to ensure your bike's safety.

Uncoached swim

Junior session - 19:00-20:00

This session does not run from April to September

For full details about St Joseph's please see the section below.

The junior session is coached and there will be at least one lane available for parent members who would like to do an uncoached session.

£5.00 per session or included in the annual training fee.

Tuesday - St Joseph's College

1st session - 20:00-21:00
2nd session - 21:00-21:55
Coached swim - St Joseph's College, Beulah Hill, SE19

£5.00 per session (£8.00 for a double session) or included in the annual training fee.

1st session - This can get very crowded as we only have half the pool. Please do not attend if you are a weak swimmer or want to concentrate on technique.

2nd session - Suitable for all abilities. If you are a novice triathlete, new to coached swimming sessions or feel you would benefit from receiving more personal attention from Jon, our coach, please attend this session at 20:55.

St Joseph's term dates 2013

Monday 7 January - Thursday 28 March
Monday 15 April - Friday 19 July

The pool is open during half-term holidays but not during the Easter, Summer or Christmas holidays.

Map of St Joseph's College

View the training schedule.

Please do not enter the water at St Joseph's until a coach is on poolside and has said it is OK to get in.

Cycles must not be brought into, or left in the changing rooms. Bikes can be brought into the pool building but must be taken, via the back door, into the spectators' area.

Thursday - Forest Hill Pools

20:00-21:00
Coached swim - Forest Hill Pools, Dartmouth Road, SE23 3HZ

£5.00 per session or included in the annual training fee.

Suitable for all abilities. Novices may benefit more from attending the 21:00 session on Tuesday evenings.

Map of Forest Hill Pools

View the training schedule.

Bikes must not be brought into the Centre. There are bike racks where you can lock your bike up outside the Centre.

Friday - Trinity School

20:00-21:00 or 21:30
Coached swim - Trinity School, Shirley Park, Croydon CR9 7AT
Coached by Paul/Jon

£5.00 per session or included in the annual training fee.

Suitable for all abilities including novices and improvers.

Example of technique sets

Map to find Trinity School

Please note: bikes are not allowed in the changing rooms. Bikes must be locked up outside.

View the training schedule.

The adult session starts at 20:00. Please be on poolside and ready to swim at 20:00. Do not enter the pool before then without the permission of the lead coach for the evening as CPT only have limited use of the pool before this time and Trinity members must take priority. The full session will be 90 minutes, finishing at 21:30. For those who do not feel ready for this just yet or with juniors to get home there will be an optional end time at 21:00. Please pay on poolside before the session commences.

Open Water Guidelines
Please read the Club's open water guidelines (32KB)

We organise a number of open water swimming sessions at Chipstead Lake during May/ June. See the training schedule for further details.

Monday - Haysden Lake - Open water swimming

7Oaks Tri Club have access to Haysden Lake, near Tonbridge, on Monday evenings for open water swimming and CPT members, who are also members of British Triathlon, are welcome to join these sessions.

Sessions will take place every Monday evening 6.30pm - dusk, from May to the end of September.

Please follow these instructions:

- Non 7Oaks Tri Club members must be current members of British Triathlon and produce their card when signing in.
- No swimming without signing in and safety equipment in place.
- Swim in anti-clockwise direction on designated routes.
- Wear brightly coloured swim hat
- Novice open water swimmers make themselves known when signing in
- Under 16s must be acccompanied by a parent or guardian
- Do not swim near the lake edge except when entering and exiting lake
- Follow marshall/lifeguard instructions

Location map. Directions to the lake and parking instructions can be found on the 7Oaks Tri Club website.

There are also early morning open water swimming sessions at Heron Lake in Wraysbury. These sessions are organised by Open Water Swimming and help raise funds to keep The British Disabled Water Skiing Association (BDWSA) running.

Weil’s Disease

There is a small risk of contracting Weil’s Disease when open water swimming.

Find out more about Leptospirosis

Open water swimming venues

• RGactive - Ham Lake, near Richmond
• Liquid Leisure - Datchet
• Thorpe Lakes - near Thorpe Park

Swim kit

To get the most out of our swim sessions, you will need fins, kick-board, pull buoy and hand paddles, although don't be put off if you haven't got all the equipment to start with, you'll just have to work harder!

Don't forget to put your name on these items with a permanent marker.

There's all sorts of kit available, but make sure you buy the short style fins for swim training, rather than the longer scuba/snorkelling type fins. You can buy a separate pull buoy and kickboard or a dual purpose board. All items can be purchased from SwimShop (where purchases earn money back for the Club).

Kit can also be ordered from Wiggle.

Tooting Bec Lido
Visit the SLSC website for opening times and membership details if you would like to swim there during the winter months. The Lido is open to the public from the end of May to the end of September.

Phil has very kindly put together a couple of documents with ideas for creating your own swim session and an Ironman endurance swim session.

Example of swim sets

Example of technique sets

More swimming tips and useful swim-related links.

• A comprehensive guide to an efficient front crawl stroke Download the Stroke Builder app, from the iTunes App Store

400m time trials
Phil collated the 400m time trials from September, November, December 2006 and March 2007.

Pace chart
Phil has has provided a pace chart so that you can work out 100m splits based on your 1500m, 750m, 400m and 200m times.

Use the Calorie Calculator to find out how calories you burn whilst swimming.