Technique in all parts of triathlon is about repeating movement patterns with good form, even as we tire (Technique under Fatigue) and when there is a lot going on (Technique under Pressure).

Doing this successfully requires knowing which important movement patterns are the ones that start to slip in later stages of your events and races, and then having some simple cues that you can use as mantras to help to get your form back on track.

How can you go about this?

I always think that one of the useful ways of getting a sense of your form is to look at photos from the later stages of a race – the camera does not lie! This can show:

• where you hold tension when pushing hard (for instance hunched and rounded shoulders on the bike)
• where you start to lose stability (for instance starting to lose symmetry in your run form)
• where your technique starts to break down (for instance starting to over-rotate when taking a breath in your swim stroke)

Another useful source can be data – for instance, on the bike cadence is an important technique element, and for running a lot of watches show graphs of metrics such as ground time, vertical oscillation, leg spring stiffness, and form power. Whilst we can tie ourselves in knots trying to understand the data, changes, and trend lines can be very useful.  For instance, if we see that hills have a massive impact, this may suggest more work on hill-climbing will help.

I personally always run without any music, as I find the sound of my foot-strike and my breathing is very useful. And likewise, the sound of my gear changes and the smoothness of changing through different levels of work on the bike is a useful cue of technical skills on the bike.

However, a coach can add so much value

When executing complex skills like skillful navigation of obstacles or high-speed descents, your mind is completely taken up with executing well – not evaluating! Video can help in all disciplines, but the insight from a coach is even more powerful.

They should be able to break down the changes needed to where, when, and how for you – and then together you want to come up with a simple, commanding mantra.

Good cues

Simple messages like ‘look up and round!’ may be what is needed for skills. But when it is movement patterns messages that have a feeling or visualisation associated with them are often more successful. For example – ‘running on hot coals’ for greater rebound and lower ground time, ‘crack a walnut between my shoulder blades’ to get the right muscle activation in gym sets, ‘holding a coin between my butt cheeks’ for core activation in swimming, and ‘scraping the mud off my shoe’ for the pedal stroke on the bike. There are a lot – so if one is not working for you, then find another one that helps you make the small adjustments back to the right movement pattern.

Finally, think of it as one of your mantras – know when in the race you need it and say it over in your head. Some athletes even say that they can hear their coach’s voice saying it in their ear when they are racing – so there is some real benefit in building the muscle memory by saying it out-loud in the training!