Our swim sessions consist of indoor pool training all year round and open water swimming in the summer.

We cater for beginners, intermediates and advanced swimmers but if you are not sure what level you are at then please speak to one of our coaches.

Coached pool sessions 

These are both coached and designed to improve your technique, speed and skills.

The usual swim stroke used in triathlon is front crawl although you will see people in triathlons using breaststroke.

The indoor pool sessions are at Kidsgrove Sports Centre, Fourth Avenue, Kidsgrove, Stoke-on-Trent ST7 1DR, on Sundays 4pm to 5pm.

The swim sessions provide a complete programme of skill and development across the whole year.

Every session the coach will take you through a series of drills that are designed to develop your skills in areas such as the catch, breathing, body position and kicking.

We also practise triathlon-specific techniques such as sighting, drafting, starts, dives and turns.

You'll also build your stamina and speed through longer sets and a regular time trial test.

Open water swimming at Astbury Mere

NTC has exclusive use in the summer months of Astbury Mere, near Congleton (Astbury Mere, Newcastle Road, Astbury, CW12 4HL).

Astbury Mere is a superb venue with changing rooms, showers, car parking and refreshments.

The entry to the water is via a small sandy shoreline next to a grassy waterfront. The water is clear, clean and weed-free. It is shallow for around 5m and then shelves quite quickly.

The swim route is a 400m loop in the lake marked out between four buoys.

Club members provide safety cover in two kayaks on the course and there a motor launch available at the shore for a quick response to any problems. 

Many newbies to triathlon find open water swimming daunting.

There is a skill to swimming in a large expanse of water and confidence is important.

Whatever your skill level our friendly, experienced coaches will help you to overcome this fear and instruct you in the techniques needed for the open water swim stage. 

For the more advanced swimmers training will include learning to sight, ‘windmill’ turns and mass starts.

Adult minimum requirements

To participate you must be able to swim the 400m course unaided (although you can stop for breaks) and you must follow the safety guidance and rules required by the club.

Please download and sign our open water swim participation agreement. You must submit this each season to take part.

Junior minimum requirements

The club runs coached sessions for juniors every fortnight, with two coaches present and a minimum of five participants. Juniors must be able to swim swim 100 meters continuously, tread water for one minute and show they are competent and comfortable in open water. 

Parents of juniors are required to sign the club’s junior open water swim participation agreement and to take note of the club’s guidance for junior open water swimming.

Safety advice

We advise all swimmers including juniors and their parents to read our open water swimming advice that is designed for your safety.

The water quality is tested each year and is officially “excellent”.