A Wise Athlete Sport and education. Both.
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The base at home, the sport at a club

Marathon swimming (open water) at home

Open water only with a coach and a safety boat; at a supervised pool, breathing both sides, sighting and swimming straight.

2 for a park or court 5 for the club

What should we practise today?

Tell us where you are and who is playing. You get one card and the reason.

Where are you?
Who is playing?

Start a session

New to marathon swimming (open water)? The game in a minute

Read this once before the first card.
The sport in short

Marathon swimming is racing in open water: lakes, rivers and the sea. Races go from short swims of 1 km to 25 km; the Olympic race is 10 km. All the swimmers start together and follow a course marked with large floating buoys.

How a race is won

The first swimmer to finish wins. Swimmers must go round each buoy on the correct side. In long races they take drinks and food from a floating platform as they pass, without stopping for long.

What makes it different from the pool

There are no lane lines or walls, so swimmers lift their eyes to look where they are going (sighting), swim close to others in a pack, and deal with waves, cold and currents.

Rules children break first
  • Never swim in open water alone, or without a coach and safety cover.
  • Stay inside the marked swimming area.
  • Wear a bright cap so you can be seen.
  • Leave the water the moment the coach signals, or if you feel cold.
At home you practise in a pool

With a lifeguard on duty, breathing to both sides, lifting the eyes to sight a landmark and swimming straight. Open water is only with a club.

Words you will hear (20, in plain language)
Open water
A lake, river or the sea, as opposed to a pool.
Course
The route of a race, marked by large floating buoys that swimmers turn round.
Sighting
Lifting the eyes just above the water for a moment to see where you are going.
Landmark
A fixed object, such as a flag or a tree, used to sight on.
Drift
Swimming off the straight line without noticing.
Bilateral breathing
Breathing to both sides in turn, which happens when you breathe every third arm stroke.
Head-up front crawl
Front crawl with the head held out of the water and the eyes forward.
Pack
A group of swimmers close together.
Drafting
Swimming just behind another swimmer's feet or beside their hips, where the water is easier.
Overtaking
Passing another swimmer, going wide so as not to touch them.
Rudder turn
Ways of turning round a buoy: holding one arm straight ahead like a boat's rudder, or rolling onto the back for one stroke.
Feeding station
A floating platform where swimmers are handed drinks in a long race.
Pacing
Keeping an even effort for the whole distance.
Tow float
A bright float tied to the waist that makes a swimmer easy to see.
Wetsuit
A rubber suit that keeps a swimmer warm.
Buddy system
Always swimming with a partner who watches out for you, and you for them.
Safety boat
A boat, board or float ready to help a swimmer in trouble.
Lane line
The floating rope that divides a pool into lanes.
Hypothermia
When the body gets dangerously cold: shivering, slurred words, clumsy hands.
Acclimatisation
Getting the body used to cold water slowly, over many short swims.

Try it, nothing to buy

Mark the space once. Every card starts from it.

The cards, level by level

Nobody is late. A beginner of any age starts at Basic.
Basic 3 cards · show· hide Confident pool swimming (all strokes), bilateral breathing, sighting practised in a pool, and water confidence with a lifeguard.

Move on when the instructor confirms pool proficiency and the child is ready for open water with a coach.

Intermediate 3 cards · show· hide Drafting, arrowhead drafting, turning around buoys, close-proximity swimming, overtaking, and pack positions. Most can be rehearsed in a pool first.

Move on when the coach confirms safe pack skills.

Advanced 1 cards · show· hide Race tactics (leading, sitting, breaking away), precise navigation, fast buoy turns, feeding strategy, conditions management and mental toughness over two hours. Competitions set minimum water temperatures and age rules for the 5 km and 10 km races; ask the club.

Teaching this at home

Movement, safety and the words at home. The sport itself needs water, a boat, a horse or a coach.

You do not need to know the sport. Each card tells you where to stand, what to say and what to look at. Pick one thing to say in a session and say only that. The first week looks messy; that is normal. End every session on one that works.

Cards marked At a club are taught by a coach. They tell you what the coach teaches, what is safe at home, and what to ask the club before your child joins.

How to warm up before playing is at workonfitness.com. The rules of the game are at sportsmaze.com.