Swim update as at 24 Feb 2025:
Pool swim sessions are still selling out on Mondays, busy on Saturdays and there’s a regular crop of hardy early birds on Wednesdays. Friday swims are being enjoyed at EPSV 7-8pm, mostly by intermediate swimmers. Booking for swim sessions opens about a week before each session – don’t leave it till the last minute and miss out! If you have booked and find you cannot attend, please cancel your place using either the link in the confirmation email or on Nifty Entries. This will open a place up which someone else may be able to use.
If you plan to restart swimming OW before the water warms up properly, check out these tips from the Outdoor Swimming Society
If you want to make arrangements to have a swim buddy, or just know who’s going to be around for a coffee afterwards, join the OW swim WhatsApp group and check out the club website’s OW swim page for more info.
Pool sessions – where and when:
Sessions are split between City Baths, Christleton and EPSV. They are mixed ability, with lanes arranged by speed. The content of each session follows the club’s annual training phases. We are continuing to look for lanes/sessions to match demand.
Christleton:
18.30 – 19.30 Mondays
City Baths:
05.45 – 06.45 Wednesdays
16.00 – 17.00 Saturdays, 2 lanes technique, 3 lanes squad swim
EPSV:
19.00 – 20.00 Fridays (2 lanes: 1 for swimmers with CSS pace >2min per 100m, 1 for swimmers with CSS pace 1.40-2min per 100m. Book into either lane and we’ll sort out which is the best lane for you on the night, depending on who else is swimming and how fast you feel like going.)
Important to remember:
Book in advance via Nifty Entries (bookings go live each Monday). Cost (as of Feb 2024) £5.20 + 30p transaction fee.
FAQs:
- If you can’t make it to a session you’ve booked, please cancel either via the link in the confirmation email, or via the training sessions entry page on Nifty Entries.
- The transfer button on Nifty Entries doesn’t work for training session bookings.
- Everyone has equal chance of getting a place in any session.
- Try putting a reminder in your calendar to book in the evening or following morning after a Monday swim. If you can’t commit to the next week’s swim at that point, keep an eye on Nifty Entries for any spaces which pop up when someone cancels.
Open water venues – please check their websites/FB for details (see links on open water swimming page).
If you are going to swim outdoors, we suggest to refresh/prepare yourself with some outdoor swimming tips from sensible sources. You can find various resources about open water swimming here on the club website. We don’t recommend open water swimming alone, particularly in cold weather.
Our next swim sessions
Technique swim sessions
Our Technique swim session is a front crawl improver session for all abilities – we believe that anyone can improve their technique and enjoy becoming more efficient and confident in the water. We are sorry that we cannot teach you front crawl from scratch, but our experienced coaches can help you improve your technique, whatever ability / speed you already have.
Who are the sessions perfect for?
- Newish to swimming, can swim front crawl, but may find it difficult or may not be confident.
- Limited understanding of technique.
- May lack fitness.
- May include post injury rehab.
Training Focus
- Study and improve your front crawl.
- Develop stroke, using drills.
- Begin swim endurance.
- Develop lane discipline.
- Technique is the priority, no pressure around speed!
Intermediate swim sessions
Intermediate swimmers can train:
Mondays 19:00-20:00 @ Christleton Sports Centre ,
Wednesdays 05:45-06:45 @ Chester City Baths ,
Fridays 19:00-20:00 @ Ellesmere Port Sports Village, and
Saturdays 16:00-17:00 @ Chester City Baths .
Our Intermediate sessions are squad sessions that cater for a wide variety of abilities. As a basis, swimmers should be able to swim front crawl for at least 200m without stopping. The coaches will help you in terms of which lane you will most benefit from and if this session is suitable for you.
- Reasonably fit.
- Technique: still in need of development.
Training Focus
- Mondays and Wednesdays – Speed work and CSS development.
- Saturdays – Technique or Fitness.
Advanced swim sessions
Advanced swimmers can train:
Mondays 19:00-20:00 @ Christleton Sports Centre ,
Wednesdays 05:45-06:45 @ Chester City Baths , and
Saturdays 16:00-17:00 @ Chester City Baths .
Advanced swim sessions are squad sessions for those who are able to maintain a pace of approximately 1:50 per 100m or quicker over longer distances.
- Fit and competent swimmer.
- Good level of technique.
- Good lane discipline.
Training Focus
- Mondays and Wednesdays – Speed work and CSS development.
- Saturdays – Technique or Fitness.