The swim in a triathlon can be like a washing machine of arms and legs, and, as a result, most people experience some level of anxiety over open-water mass starts. Whether you're a pro trying to figure out how to get on the fastest feet and pick the best line, or a tri-rookie trying to steer clear of the melee and find some clear water, there are a few pointers you should keep in mind.

Most triathletes do the vast majority of their swim mileage in a pool and spend comparatively little time training in a lake, ocean or pond. The pool is ideal for keeping track of split times, pacing and mileage and allows you to do interval and speed work that can't be done as effectively in open water. However, sometimes the speed you develop in the pool doesn't seem to transfer to race day. Your prime rival who swims in your wake during pool workouts can lead you out of the water by minutes in a race. Here are a few easy ways to bring up the level of your open-water swim.

Pacing and starts

Pacing and starts in triathlons differ from pool swimming and racing. In swim clubs, you are taught to go out conservatively during a 1500 and even- or negative-split it. In a tri however, there are no lane ropes, no personal space, and getting boxed in by slower swimmers can leave you far behind your goal.

The mechanics: The triathlon start is usually a mad frenzy of speed for the first 200 meters before you settle into a more manageable pace while people try to recover from the chaos and intensity of the start. The pace remains fairly solid until the finish, when you may need to pick up the pace again to get into transition just ahead of the swarm of people around you.

But beware, a fast start can be a double-edged sword -- there is the risk of getting overexcited and building up too much lactic acid, but a conservative start may mean having to swim through people the rest of the way instead of having clear water. Incorporate pacing strategies into your swim workouts, don't just even-split sets. Also, work on sprinting 100s followed immediately by solid 200s or 300s.

Think of the 1500 this way: a super-speed start, a solid mid-section and a strong build to the finish. This simple way of breaking it down can help put you in a better position and make the swim not only faster but also more enjoyable since there will be fewer people to swim over later.

Overcoming the chaos

Common anxieties for beginning triathletes often center on the large packs that are common in mass-start events and lack of a bottom to touch (or see). You can probably swim endlessly in a pool, so the skills and endurance are there, but the close proximity to others can be a little overwhelming; however this is easy to overcome.

The mechanics: In a pool or lake, get together with a small group of two to five other swimmers and purposely swim in each other's way. It is a playtime workout. Take five to 10 minutes and just swim over the top of each other, speed up, slow down or block the other person's arm while they are trying to take a stroke. Just test what it takes to disrupt a person. With friends and in a fun atmosphere it won't be intimidating.

Drafting

Drafting (a no-go on the bike but perfectly legal in the water), or swimming on people's feet comes very easily to some. Others have trouble judging how close to be, fall off, and then find they are swimming alone. Here is a drill you can practice in a pool.

The mechanics: With a couple of friends, swim in an echelon in the same manner as when you bike: The lead person pushes off followed a second or two later by the next person, and another second later the third person departs. There should be no gap between the swimmers. It should be feet, hands, feet, hands. The lead person sprints a length, at the end of which they move off to the side and wait for No. 2 and No. 3 to turn and continue swimming. The first person then joins on to the end of the group. You would be surprised at how a slower swimmer can keep up to a much faster swimmer this way.

Sighting

The pool is a great place to start sharpening those open water skills. Sighting, or looking up to see buoys, is perhaps your most useful skill - following a pair of feet blindly or hammering with your head down will likely lead you astray in a race. But lifting your head and trying to quickly focus on a landmark ahead takes a little bit of time and disrupts your normal stroke, so it's a good idea to practice this and make it as familiar as the rest of your stroke. Sighting is also a bit strenuous - you may find that your neck or shoulders feel a bit tighter after the workout, but regular practice will eliminate this.

The mechanics: As you take a breath to the side, turn your head forward as you inhale and catch a glimpse of the landscape ahead. This should be a smooth, continuous motion, and if you don't have a chance to get a clear view, don't prolong that stroke. Instead, wait until a stroke or two later and then sight again -- this time knowing which direction to look will allow you to pick out the details you may have missed the first time. This is also where bilateral breathing (breathing to both sides) is advantageous since it will allow you to have a slightly better awareness of your surroundings.

The frequency of sighting depends on the course, and whether you are following experienced feet. In a pool, it is easy to focus on a point, such as a starting block or a sign. During a main set, warm-up or warm-down, alternate a length of sighting every third or fifth stroke with a length of regular swimming, and you will notice how this may change the rhythm of the stroke slightly. This can be done for 200 to 400 meters a couple of times a week.

It is not a difficult skill, and once you feel comfortable with it, include it in a workout the week before a race for a couple of hundred meters just as a reminder. In an open water race nobody has unobstructed, clear vision, so don't panic if you feel a bit more blind than in a pool.

Staying on track

Having internal cues, like your breathing rate and arm turnover, to focus on come in handy when you don't have walls, lane ropes or pace clocks to keep you focused. Are you breathing more than normal, can you spin your arms a little faster?

Don't forget to remind yourself to speed up your arm turnover or increase your kick when fighting for position or trying to navigate to the next buoy. Make it a part of an automatic checklist in your head. When training in the pool, what do you think about? At least some of the time everyone should focus on cue words or ideas. It could be simply repeating left-arm-right-arm, or focusing on the pull at the bottom of the stroke or feeling the downward part of the kick. These cues give your stroke rhythm and make you feel fast.

You need to tap into them in the lake as much as in the pool. On race day this is harder than it seems. During a rough swim it is easy to lose self-awareness and get frustrated with people pushing and jostling. This can be a huge energy drain. Anger, frustration or wasting energy planning how to get back at the person who just whacked you in the head leaves little time to devote to your pace and stroke cues. It is necessary to stay aggressive and respond to the group around you, but not at the expense of the task at hand - getting to T1 as fast as you can.

Open-water swimming can be an awesome experience, and the small subtleties make it a skill in itself. The fact that it is not an exact science and can be less predictable than a pool swim is something that you can use to your advantage. It is another great way to remind us that we are multisport and multitalented athletes.