Imagine being in open water with people flailing around you, hardly any visibility, and no black line on the bottom of the pool guiding you in a straight line. As a first-time triathlete, the open water swim can be intimidating. Here are key techniques to get you through the swim fast, fluidly, and without any stray kicks to the face.

Practice makes perfect
Before the race, practice in a nearby lake with your training team or your swimming partner-never go by yourself. Learn the course you will be competing in and practice that course.

Bring extra goggles (clear and shaded) and swim caps. If the water is a little colder that day, use two swim caps to retain some heat. Spit in your goggles before you put them on to help prevent fog on the lenses as you swim.

Never try something new for the first time on race day. "Just like goggles and a new suit, you need to get used to various conditions including rain, wind, waves, crowds, and the bright sun," says Mary Meyer, a coach and triathlete who will be holding open water swim clinics in the Chicago area June 16 and 17.

At the starting gun
You are going to get swarmed, elbowed, kicked, and even swam on top of at the start of the triathlon. If that doesn't sound like your idea of a good time, then swim toward the outside edge of the pack. "As a beginner, if you are off to the side you won't be in the middle of the scrum," Fitzpatrick says. "If you are a stronger swimmer, start up further in the pack so you won't have to swim over as many people."

Swimmers should also practice doing starts in a tight group in cold water with a triathlon clinic or a Masters team. Also, know the kind of start you'll be facing. The Accenture Chicago Triathlon swim starts in deep water, so get used to treading. The Whirpool Steelhead 70.3 Triathlon starts with a pier jump, so practice doing a Red Cross Safety jump as a way of entering the water without going too deep, Fitzpatrick says.

Get the gear
Before the race, check the water temperature. For most races that take place in cold water, a wetsuit will give you the warmth you need and will keep you buoyant. If the water is between 65 and 70 degrees, get ready to squeeze into the neoprene: according to USAT (USA Triathlon), this is when wetsuits are most effective and are permitted without penalty. When the water is above 78 degrees, you will you not be eligible for awards if you wear a wetsuit.

"Triathletes should wear a wetsuit whenever they can wear one," says John Fitzpatrick, head coach of the Chicago Blue Dolphins swim team. "It offers greater buoyancy in the water and gives you a speed advantage without contorting your stroke. Since everyone else is wearing it, you shouldn't handicap yourself."

When looking to use a wetsuit for a race, try it out beforehand. In Chicago, you can rent one from Fleet Feet Sports and Ironman Wetsuits.

Save your strength
During the whole swim, kick with your hips and glutes. "The bike and the run are the longer portions of the race, so if you kick like mad, you'll have rubber legs by the time you get to the first transition," Fitzpatrick says. Don't kick from your knee. "That inefficient way of kicking can cause tightness or cramping in the calves and hamstrings," Fitzpatrick says.

Swim straight
If you don't know how to swim straight in the open water, you'll zig and zag your way to swimming a longer distance than you (and the race officials) intended. A technique called "sighting" will keep you headed toward the finish.

Peak your eyes above the surface right as your arm enters the water and extends forward. Lift your head only as far as you have to, because the more you lift your head the more your hips drop. After you take a peek, you roll your head to the side for a breath and then return your head to the water as you normally do. (You can also do this in the opposite order, as illustrated on page 34.) Site only as much as you need to: No matter how good you are at sighting, lifting your head throws off your rhythm.

To practice sighting, Fitzpatrick recommends blind swimming in the pool. Close your eyes and open them only to site. This will show you how many strokes you can go straight before you need to site again, as well as identify which way you tend to veer so you'll know how to avoid swimming in circles.

If you ever swallow too much water and feel like you are choking, or if you get too much water up your nose and start coughing, stop and tread water or do whatever stroke is more comfortable for you. Any stroke is acceptable in open water swimming, and many beginning triathletes will backstroke if they get too tired.

If you swim off in the wrong direction, swim straight toward the buoy in the direction of the course.

Advanced techniques
Some techniques that help shave off time in your race and improve your endurance for the rest of your triathlon are to focus on proper rotation, finishing the stroke, and practice bilateral breathing, Meyer says.

Breathing with every third stroke will build a longer and more balanced stroke, Fitzpatrick says. Also, a one-sided stroke can put a greater amount of stress on the opposite side of the body, specifically the opposite shoulder. In a long race, this can cause stiffness in your shoulders. Lots of training with improper breathing can cause tendonitis to build in the shoulders.

Try to find an open patch of water that isn't as choppy so you can lengthen out your stroke and save some energy for your next events. Meyer recommends that you practice torso rotation by rolling on your side 30 to 60 degrees with each stroke to reduce drag and focus on your core muscles. By lengthening your stroke, you can focus on pulling and grabbing the water.

Practice still makes perfect, and the more you practice the better your mental state of mind for a race. Try the Crystal Lake Open Water Swim on July 14 or the Pleasant Springs Open Water Challenge on June 30.

Sammy Howell is a freelance writer based in Chicago who competed as a scholarship athlete at a Division 1 swim team in college, proving that anyone short could still place in the 50 and 100 free/fly. Reach her at swimbabe22@hotmail.com.