{"id":27543,"date":"2026-01-19T18:29:28","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T18:29:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.racefinder.pt\/?p=27543"},"modified":"2026-01-21T10:22:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T10:22:14","slug":"5-open-water-swimming-tips-to-level-up-in-2026-an-epic-challenge-coming-in-june","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/5-open-water-swimming-tips-to-level-up-in-2026-an-epic-challenge-coming-in-june\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Open-Water Swimming Tips to Level Up in 2026 (+ An Epic Challenge Coming in June)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Open-water swimming keeps growing in Portugal \u2014 and it\u2019s easy to see why. The mix of technique, endurance, strategy, and the raw beauty of nature turns every session into an adventure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For many athletes, 2026 will be the year to go further, whether by entering their first open-water events or tackling longer distances. And with epic challenges like the <strong>Grande Descida de Castelo de Bode<\/strong>, happening in June, now is the perfect time to refine your skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are five essential tips to help you gain confidence and swim better in open water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1. Master sighting \u2014 it\u2019s half the battle<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In open water there\u2019s no black line to follow, and staying on course is crucial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 Practical tip: Every 8\u201312 strokes, lift your head just enough to confirm direction.<br>Small, efficient sighting saves time and energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2. Improve the efficiency of your stroke<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Water resistance is unforgiving. Minor technical flaws quickly turn into wasted energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Focus on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>a clean hand entry<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>full extension<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>controlled body rotation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>a steady rhythm<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The less water you push sideways, the faster and smoother you\u2019ll swim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>3. Train in different conditions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Nature has moods \u2014 and learning to swim in all of them is part of the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When safe, practise in:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>slightly choppy water<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>varied temperatures<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>long, uninterrupted routes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The more conditions you experience, the calmer and more confident you&#8217;ll be on race day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>4. Work on pacing and endurance<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The biggest difference between pool swimming and open water is your ability to hold a sustainable pace for long periods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Try including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>long continuous sets<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>progressive pace sessions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>race-simulation swims with navigation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Good pacing is what transforms \u201csurviving the distance\u201d into \u201cswimming strong\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>5. Choose the right challenge to grow<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re looking for a big 2026 goal, the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.racefinder.pt\/event\/5th-edition-great-descent-2026\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.racefinder.pt\/event\/5th-edition-great-descent-2026\/\">Grande Descida de Castelo de Bode<\/a><\/strong> is one of the most remarkable open-water events in Portugal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udd25 <strong>Total distance: 50 km of swimming. No, you didn\u2019t read that wrong \u2014 50 km.<\/strong><br>The event is split into stages, and <strong>you can choose to swim as many stages as you want<\/strong>, without needing to complete them all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s a unique experience for swimmers who want to push limits in a safe, well-organised and breathtaking environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Open-water swimming offers physical, mental and technical growth. With a few training adjustments \u2014 and a clear goal in sight \u2014 2026 can be your strongest season yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re ready to start planning, explore all open-water events available on RaceFinder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 <strong>Find your next challenge:<\/strong> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.racefinder.pt\">www.racefinder.pt<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Open-water swimming keeps growing in Portugal \u2014 and it\u2019s easy to see why. The mix of technique, endurance, strategy, and the raw beauty of nature turns every session into an adventure. For many athletes, 2026 will be the year to go further, whether by entering their first open-water events or tackling longer distances. And with [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":27551,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1360],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27543","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-swimming"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27543","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27543"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27543\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27551"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27543"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27543"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27543"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}