9 Essential Skills Every Triathlete Should Master

All triathletes should master these 9 essential tri skills. Fine tune them to complete your next triathlon faster and more efficiently!

With 3 sports, transitions and lots of kit, triathlon can be a complicated sport. Our former professional triathlete and Olympian, Mark and Heather, run through the 9 essential skills that every triathlete should practise. Master these and become a faster and more efficient athlete.

These key skills include:
- Organisation
- Swim sighting
- Swim drafting
- Swim exit
- Transition layout
- The bike mount
- Fuelling on the bike
- Bike dismount
- Pacing the run

Each of the skills in this video is important whatever the distance and terrain you are racing on. Good luck mastering these skills and let us know how you get on.

Watch more on GTN...

The Global Triathlon Network (GTN) is the best triathlon YouTube channel, with videos for anyone who loves triathlon: from seasoned Ironman racers to first timers – and everyone in between.

With the help of our pro and Olympic medal winning team, we’re here to inform, entertain and inspire you to become a better triathlete; including videos on:

How to swim, bike, and run faster with expert knowledge
Beat your PB with record-breaking expertise
Get the best from your bike and gear with pro know-how
In-depth, entertaining features from the heart of the sport
Chat, opinion and interact with us across the channel and on social media every week

Join us on YouTube’s best triathlon channel to get closer to the sport and to become a better, faster and fitter triathlete.

Welcome to the Global Triathlon Network.

Thanks to our sponsors:

[gtn]

Let us know what you think is the most important skill for a beginner triathlete to learn 🏊🚴🏃

[danielphillips]

Being new to Triathlons having only done 2 sprints this season I'd love to see a video on tips, and training to go from sprints up to Olympic distance. Also tips on how to cut down transition times and make them smoother, or mistakes to try and avoid. Love the channel so far guys can't wait for the first maintenance video as they are my favorite on the GCN channel.

[davepratt]

One of the skills that took me the longest to master is putting on socks / shoes without falling over.

[rienzocolpo]

Great content and top quality production as always. Thanks GTN

[gcn]

Essential advice for all the triathletes out there!

[derekabbotts]

Thanks for the tips! Love the show and the content so far! Can't wait to see what more you guys have to offer!

[benlawson]

Doing my first sprint triathlon in a month. Love the advice!

[jfvasquez]

Doing first sprint tri in October. Good timing on these videos!

[richardrunscake]

Great stuff- did my first Triathlon yesterday and this actually helped 👍🏊🚴🏃

[cassieyates]

In the words of Mark Threlfall during a particularly long day between John O'Groats and Lands End: "You can pedal and eat you know!". :D ;) Top tip.

[wolfsburg]

Happy that part of the video is in Samorin. Thanks for showing little bit of my country

[johnmclean]

Loving all the material so far. Great material - just keep it coming!!

I am very interested in any advice/tips on how to manage body temperature during hot races (28C + and humidity). For half-iron athletes we are running a half marathon around noon - the hottest part of the day - and often my biggest run limiter is the heat. Advice on heat management and getting in enough hydration and fuel on the run in hot and humid conditions would be great.

Like several others I'm interested in the T1 process of using bands on my shoes, the flying mount and how to get the damn shoes on once you're then getting them off just before T2.

Would be great if you could do separate videos on each of the 9 things (or at least some of them) - in particular, on the technique for efficient sighting and how to navigate a swim course (find the shortest line).

Would love some detailed advice on how to figure out your pace for a half-iron bike if you don't have a power as others have asked, that embarrassing topic - peeing on the bike (sometimes it has to be done!).

One essential thing on race day is knowing the "flow" of the Tzone: where you come in from the swim and find your bike, shortest route to the bike out; the shortest route back to your place when you finish the bike (it can be harder to find without your bike there!) and where to run out. Of course, if your a medium or long course athlete you also want to know where the closest porta potty is located!

[jedi]

good vid.... I enjoyed it. Everybody sees things different and this was a great start.

[hardcho]

I'm amazed by how much things I've learned in just a few videos, keep it up GTN!.

[jayrichman]

rubber bands on the bike shoes? video on that would be most appreciated! thanks guys! keep up the good work!!!

[peakendurancesolutions]

I'd love to see a "how to" video on the T1 flying mount for triathletes. I've struggled to master this myself but would love to look as smooth as the pros do on this transition

[adventure_hannah]

For sure I think the most important skills to learn and practice are definitely transition setup, practicing transitions, and fueling. I'm new to triathlon and practice the heck out of transitions, mounting and dismounting, and am trying to figure out how to not get the bonks during bikes and runs, but it's honestly pretty daunting and kinda something that seems like trial-by-fire and figure-it-out-as-ya-go.

[juanpamoreira]

You should explain with a video for only a skill so everyone can understand exactly how to do or to master a special skill! Great videos! Keep them coming!!

[thuursten]

Also pacing the bikeride is pretty important. If you don't have a powermeter, you easily paddle over 500 watts to uphill by accident which makes the rest of the race very hard.

[laszlovarga]

Woow this channel is amazing like GCN, like a pro.