Competed for the first time in Swimming — here is what I learned

After 17 months of training Swimming I entered my first competition. I lost. It was the best thing that's happened to my development in the sport.

Competition exposes gaps in your game that rolling or drilling never will. My high elbow catch fell apart under pressure. My understanding of pull buoy drills was theoretical, not instinctive. I came home with a specific list of things to fix, which is more valuable than any win. open water swimming freedom was what I took away from the experience beyond the tactical lessons. If your gym trains you for competition, do it. It will accelerate you.