Some tips to avoid that elbow pain...
Rotate a little less. This avoids an inadvertent turn in the elbow and puts it in a comfortable range of motion
Take it a little deeper. Just a few inches can make a big difference
Wait until a little later in the cycle. Doing an anchor motion too early in the cycle is too much of a strain if you are too stacked
Probably the most important- the first part should be more of a slip into position, not an aggressive pull. When it slips, water will grab it and start taking it through, just keep the elbow steady or give it a little assistance. A hard pull is more likely to strain and be a weaker anchor anyway.Remember that the end of a long level is weaker the farther it is from the body. You're weaker at the wrist than the elbow- don't try to set the strength of an anchoring motion by how hard you can tug on the elbow, but instead by how you can hold a taut wrist without losing the perfendicular grip on the forearm. That armful of water is far more important than a hard tug, and no matter what, none of this ranks with balance or clean streamlining on the list of important things for most swimmers.
Friday, October 30, 2009
In a FUNK!!
The past week I have been in a FUNK! I want to get out of it and am struggling up for air again. Lots of pressures at work and home and feeling like there's not enough time to do all that I want to do.
I have only swam once this week, since Sunday. I had been swimming every day and found that the left side of my back around my mid back was getting more sore every day. When I swam yesterday I experienced the same pain in my left side of my back. This is a bit higher than issues I have had with my back in regards to fairly severe pain before. And this seems to wrap around my rib cage so if i take a deep breath it feels like it is pulling those muscles.
When I swam yesterday I felt that same feeling for just little bits of time that I was more consistently able to feel before.
The good thing about this is I know how it is supposed to feel now and know when I'm not doing it. And I know what to start doing to get that feeling back. That's a good thing.
I think I'm going to start adding more successive laps into my workout as I have been doing primarily 25's for the past 3 weeks to try to keep that feeling longer even if it isn't perfect.
I have only swam once this week, since Sunday. I had been swimming every day and found that the left side of my back around my mid back was getting more sore every day. When I swam yesterday I experienced the same pain in my left side of my back. This is a bit higher than issues I have had with my back in regards to fairly severe pain before. And this seems to wrap around my rib cage so if i take a deep breath it feels like it is pulling those muscles.
When I swam yesterday I felt that same feeling for just little bits of time that I was more consistently able to feel before.
The good thing about this is I know how it is supposed to feel now and know when I'm not doing it. And I know what to start doing to get that feeling back. That's a good thing.
I think I'm going to start adding more successive laps into my workout as I have been doing primarily 25's for the past 3 weeks to try to keep that feeling longer even if it isn't perfect.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Day 22: Just didn't feel it today
After my fabulous swim the day before I was excited to get back into the water and feel it again. i don't know what the issue was: was I unfocused, tired, trying too hard or what but I just didn't get that same feeling again.
I worked the most on trying to not get frustrated and going back to basic things. I started my workout doing higher level skill drills which may have been part of the issue. maybe I jumped into those drills too quick without doing the foundational-get-the-feel-for the water drills first. I ended my session with superman glides as I felt like it was just that my balance was completely off.
I worked the most on trying to not get frustrated and going back to basic things. I started my workout doing higher level skill drills which may have been part of the issue. maybe I jumped into those drills too quick without doing the foundational-get-the-feel-for the water drills first. I ended my session with superman glides as I felt like it was just that my balance was completely off.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Day 21: YAHOO!!!
I was thinking about not swimming today because yesterday just didn't feel right. But never lose hope! I felt something today and "got" something I hadn't before.
Today I felt what it means to active streamline. It's a hard thing to describe. I'll tell you though it makes you want to swim naked so that you can feel that water just streaming by your body while you glide effortlessly. Seriously!
I felt it in the front hand just leisurely hanging out in front. The rotation of the shoulders being just enough. The "falling" hip rotating slightly more than the shoulders. The hip feeling the rush of water going by it from the pull that feels like you are not even really pulling but hanging onto the water.
I'll tell you it was an AWESOME feeling. I couldn't always reproduce it. I found if I put too much energy into any one part it fell apart. If I tried to overreach, not roll with the breath I would lose it. That was frustrating but that feeling is what crack must be like. It is addictive. You want that feeling back.
Some of the things I learned, rather than just had a body sensation, is that when I breathe to my left I get a sinking feeling. If I think about continuing my forward extension on my breathing stroke that really helps. I think it also means I am breathing just a little bit earlier because I'm following my hip/shoulder back.
The other thing is that I felt my head relaxing almost automatically. When it wasn't I could feel things falling apart. So I knew where to put my focus immediately.
One thing I did notice is that it is so much easier to relax my head when I am in a pool that stays pretty much the same depth. I find it harder to make sure my head is in the right position when the depth changes from shallow to deep.
I too have a tendency to have my head bob around and get sent off track. I'm pretty sure if I ever had a whole pool to swim in and closed my eyes that I could start in one corner of the pool and at the end of the length be several lanes over. In a pool I can correct this very quickly but in open water it causes me to swim off course.
I find that things tend to happen in a chain reaction. Each thing linked to the next thing in the chain. This is how I think my stroke is effected when I move my head around instead of having it "released" between my shoulders.
When I follow my stroking arm with my head my lower hip tends to drop causing my recovering arm to swing wider to counter balance the dropping hip. The wider swing then causes me to cross over a bit too far sending me "off track" and therefore pull the right.
To correct this I have been focussing on the basics. I think about releasing my head. During the TI workshop I took, the instructor said, your nose should be like you are taking a "stealth sniff" of your armpit. But be careful with this that you don't actually have your head/nose lean into your armpit.
The really cool thing is that since I've started doing the TI drills I notice people watching me swim. NEVER, and I mean NEVER before has anyone stopped to watch me swim. Maybe I'm being too vain, maybe I had a big hole in my suit but I don't think so. One of the swimmers even asked me for stroke advice. It's interesting hearing people's perceptions about what they think the important things are about swimming. They concentrate on the pull and the kick when really the body position is so much more important.
The other really cool thing is that I know I have it right and feel "fishlike" when it feels so comfortable that I feel like I could breathe in the water like a fish. It is just so easy and relaxed that I don't even notice that I am needing to struggle to get air.
Yahoo!!! I'm so excited!
Today I felt what it means to active streamline. It's a hard thing to describe. I'll tell you though it makes you want to swim naked so that you can feel that water just streaming by your body while you glide effortlessly. Seriously!
I felt it in the front hand just leisurely hanging out in front. The rotation of the shoulders being just enough. The "falling" hip rotating slightly more than the shoulders. The hip feeling the rush of water going by it from the pull that feels like you are not even really pulling but hanging onto the water.
I'll tell you it was an AWESOME feeling. I couldn't always reproduce it. I found if I put too much energy into any one part it fell apart. If I tried to overreach, not roll with the breath I would lose it. That was frustrating but that feeling is what crack must be like. It is addictive. You want that feeling back.
Some of the things I learned, rather than just had a body sensation, is that when I breathe to my left I get a sinking feeling. If I think about continuing my forward extension on my breathing stroke that really helps. I think it also means I am breathing just a little bit earlier because I'm following my hip/shoulder back.
The other thing is that I felt my head relaxing almost automatically. When it wasn't I could feel things falling apart. So I knew where to put my focus immediately.
One thing I did notice is that it is so much easier to relax my head when I am in a pool that stays pretty much the same depth. I find it harder to make sure my head is in the right position when the depth changes from shallow to deep.
I too have a tendency to have my head bob around and get sent off track. I'm pretty sure if I ever had a whole pool to swim in and closed my eyes that I could start in one corner of the pool and at the end of the length be several lanes over. In a pool I can correct this very quickly but in open water it causes me to swim off course.
I find that things tend to happen in a chain reaction. Each thing linked to the next thing in the chain. This is how I think my stroke is effected when I move my head around instead of having it "released" between my shoulders.
When I follow my stroking arm with my head my lower hip tends to drop causing my recovering arm to swing wider to counter balance the dropping hip. The wider swing then causes me to cross over a bit too far sending me "off track" and therefore pull the right.
To correct this I have been focussing on the basics. I think about releasing my head. During the TI workshop I took, the instructor said, your nose should be like you are taking a "stealth sniff" of your armpit. But be careful with this that you don't actually have your head/nose lean into your armpit.
The really cool thing is that since I've started doing the TI drills I notice people watching me swim. NEVER, and I mean NEVER before has anyone stopped to watch me swim. Maybe I'm being too vain, maybe I had a big hole in my suit but I don't think so. One of the swimmers even asked me for stroke advice. It's interesting hearing people's perceptions about what they think the important things are about swimming. They concentrate on the pull and the kick when really the body position is so much more important.
The other really cool thing is that I know I have it right and feel "fishlike" when it feels so comfortable that I feel like I could breathe in the water like a fish. It is just so easy and relaxed that I don't even notice that I am needing to struggle to get air.
Yahoo!!! I'm so excited!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Day 19 - 20: Sometimes you feel it sometimes you don't
Yesterday i decided to take a break and not swim hoping that it would give me renewed energy, focus and motivation.
Today I swam in the morning with the crew. Lucille was there and we worked on some of the basics again. Superman glide and laser lead for that released head/front/back balance and then skating drills for that side to side balance.
I just didn't really feel it today. I had gone hoping to feel long and lean and that is definitely not what I felt. I felt short.
So today I focused again on releasing my head and patient hand as well as letting my hands/arms feel feather light in the water. I was able to achieve those feelings I just never got the body sense of feeling long and lean. It was kind of mechanical instead of smooth.
Today I swam in the morning with the crew. Lucille was there and we worked on some of the basics again. Superman glide and laser lead for that released head/front/back balance and then skating drills for that side to side balance.
I just didn't really feel it today. I had gone hoping to feel long and lean and that is definitely not what I felt. I felt short.
So today I focused again on releasing my head and patient hand as well as letting my hands/arms feel feather light in the water. I was able to achieve those feelings I just never got the body sense of feeling long and lean. It was kind of mechanical instead of smooth.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Day 13 & 14: The Catch
The past 2 days I have been working on trying to figure out the hip rotation and catch relationship. Today during my swim I found that if I catch/anchor with my hand that it helps provide leverage for the rotation.
That seemed to help with getting some kind of way to start the rotation instead of not having anything to work against.
I also tried to swim just trying to keep my stroke count the same. I have no idea how many lengths I swam but I kept my stroke count at 16 with an occasional 15. I found that the only thing I could hold as a focus for that amount of time was the patient hand and relaxed head. If I let that go I lost my stroke completely. Taught me that I am definitely not "advanced".
I also ran a bit on an experiment. I did some lengths exculsively breathing on one side or the other and found that when I breathed on teh left side I did 16 strokes/length when I breathed on the right I did 15 strokes per length. I think the difference is that my left arm tends to swing instead of lift on the recovery. The other thing is that when I breath on the left I find that my pulling hand tends to pull under my body and I think I lose part of the catch becausemy hand loses it's grip on the water because it does the "s" and my hand changes its catch.
That seemed to help with getting some kind of way to start the rotation instead of not having anything to work against.
I also tried to swim just trying to keep my stroke count the same. I have no idea how many lengths I swam but I kept my stroke count at 16 with an occasional 15. I found that the only thing I could hold as a focus for that amount of time was the patient hand and relaxed head. If I let that go I lost my stroke completely. Taught me that I am definitely not "advanced".
I also ran a bit on an experiment. I did some lengths exculsively breathing on one side or the other and found that when I breathed on teh left side I did 16 strokes/length when I breathed on the right I did 15 strokes per length. I think the difference is that my left arm tends to swing instead of lift on the recovery. The other thing is that when I breath on the left I find that my pulling hand tends to pull under my body and I think I lose part of the catch becausemy hand loses it's grip on the water because it does the "s" and my hand changes its catch.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Day 10 part 2: Let body follow the lead hand
Line up the body behind the lead hand
That was one of the foci for tonights workout. When I focused on this I found that i really did feel like I was swimming through a hole in the water created by my hand.
I definitely felt when my hand was too low because I could feel that the hole was way too deep. The only negative I have about this is that my shoulder did get a bit tired because sometimes I fellt like I was "holding" it out there versus letting it float out there. There's a fine line between relaxing it enough (maybe I should think about releasing the tension versus relaxing) and too much.
The other thing I noticed is that I am still really pulling with my arms and not letting my core do the work. I cannot hold my stroke count because I am still using my arms too much and they get tired.
I get impatient. I want it all right now. I think I need to have it slow enough that I can think about my stroke but not so much that I'm imprinting dead spots into my stroke.
I did find that 16 beeps per length was definitely doable and sustainable if I let my core take care of the catch and pull and speared my body through the hole.
I also still need to focus on keeping my head relaxed. I'm surprised I don't come out dizzy sometimes I move my head so much. If i think about just looking down at the bottom and watching it coast by that helps alot. I just forget sometimes when I'm thinking about other things.
So many things to imprint and relearn..... Continuous improvement, right?
Day 11: Swim Baseline
I skipped swimming yesterday because I got a mole removed and so had 5 stitches put in my leg. Today I put 2 waterproof bandages over it and hoped that would keep it dry. It did! Yeah!!! So I can swim as long as I'm careful with them.
Today Lucille and Ann did the drills with me. I took less time focusing on them but still offered some feedback. That helped me keep my focus on what I was doing.
I was working on trying to feel that hip drive timing and Ann and I talked about it a little which really helped.
It seems like the hip drive needs to lead the hand entry into the water to get the full power of it. Otherwise you are kind of falling into the water with your upper body leading the way and losing some of the rear/core power. The other thing I noticed is that I tried to initiate the hip drive from the kick and that's the wrong way to go about it too. (At least that is the way it feels.) It baffles me a little because both the kick and the arm have a way of starting the rotation whereas the core just has to initiate itself without any counterforce to initiate the rotation. The kick and pull help provide some momentum but the initiation seems to need to come from the core.
I really tried to focus on having the hip/core lead the rotation and felt less "choppy and longer" when i did this so I think i'm headed in the right direction. The other key is to remember to keep that hand extended just a bit longer than I naturally (at least for right now) want to. I still have to think about keeping it out there.
Today I did drills and then drill/swim. Then we did ladders up to 75 holding stroke counts and playing with adding and subtracting strokes. Then we did swim golf again trying to gain mastery of increasing/decreasing stroke count and stroke length.
To finish up we did 3 X 100's. I used the tempo trainer for this and was holding 17 beats per length which is 14 - 15 SPL (depending upon my pushoff) on 1.45 for 2 of them and then 1.42 for the last one. According to my cheat sheet at 1.45 this is 24.63/length (1:38.6/100) and 1.42 is 24.14/length (1:36.56/100). Admittedly I don't think I could hold these yet for more than 200 yards but I am confident that I will be able to once I can master this hip rotation thing.
It felt pretty easy and I felt like I was holding this pretty well. I do notice that my breathing stroke still is at a little different than my other strokes because the beat seems to get just a little bit off at that point.
I'm looking forward to spending a few days doing my own workouts again so i can totally focus on my stroke again and not try to "fit into" other people's workouts.
Today Lucille and Ann did the drills with me. I took less time focusing on them but still offered some feedback. That helped me keep my focus on what I was doing.
I was working on trying to feel that hip drive timing and Ann and I talked about it a little which really helped.
It seems like the hip drive needs to lead the hand entry into the water to get the full power of it. Otherwise you are kind of falling into the water with your upper body leading the way and losing some of the rear/core power. The other thing I noticed is that I tried to initiate the hip drive from the kick and that's the wrong way to go about it too. (At least that is the way it feels.) It baffles me a little because both the kick and the arm have a way of starting the rotation whereas the core just has to initiate itself without any counterforce to initiate the rotation. The kick and pull help provide some momentum but the initiation seems to need to come from the core.
I really tried to focus on having the hip/core lead the rotation and felt less "choppy and longer" when i did this so I think i'm headed in the right direction. The other key is to remember to keep that hand extended just a bit longer than I naturally (at least for right now) want to. I still have to think about keeping it out there.
Today I did drills and then drill/swim. Then we did ladders up to 75 holding stroke counts and playing with adding and subtracting strokes. Then we did swim golf again trying to gain mastery of increasing/decreasing stroke count and stroke length.
To finish up we did 3 X 100's. I used the tempo trainer for this and was holding 17 beats per length which is 14 - 15 SPL (depending upon my pushoff) on 1.45 for 2 of them and then 1.42 for the last one. According to my cheat sheet at 1.45 this is 24.63/length (1:38.6/100) and 1.42 is 24.14/length (1:36.56/100). Admittedly I don't think I could hold these yet for more than 200 yards but I am confident that I will be able to once I can master this hip rotation thing.
It felt pretty easy and I felt like I was holding this pretty well. I do notice that my breathing stroke still is at a little different than my other strokes because the beat seems to get just a little bit off at that point.
I'm looking forward to spending a few days doing my own workouts again so i can totally focus on my stroke again and not try to "fit into" other people's workouts.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Another response on TI from Coach Eric D
You have done a wonderful job of staying smooth at slow tempo. Your bodyline is straight, your hips are high, you look really good.
You mentioned that you feel very slow tempo. You have lots of room to play now to find your best rate.
Play golf.
Swim descending sets holding stroke count
Spend swim sets improving your feel for your stroke.
By this I mean hunt for resistance and improve your nervous system's ability to feel it.
The previous post mentioned that you may be a tad too wide. I agree. Learn to feel for water hitting the inside of your arm. Then you will be able to move it back in just enough to remove that pressure.
By the way, what are your goals?
You mentioned that you feel very slow tempo. You have lots of room to play now to find your best rate.
Play golf.
Swim descending sets holding stroke count
Spend swim sets improving your feel for your stroke.
By this I mean hunt for resistance and improve your nervous system's ability to feel it.
The previous post mentioned that you may be a tad too wide. I agree. Learn to feel for water hitting the inside of your arm. Then you will be able to move it back in just enough to remove that pressure.
By the way, what are your goals?
Day 9: Swim Golf starts
Today I swam more than I drilled. I still maintained a focus on every length however. I also started doing Swim Golf.
I wore the tempo trainer for this and started at 1.5 per stroke. I started at 35 beeps (which is a 52.5 50 and about 15 - 16 SPL. I 4 X 50 like this and got down to 34 beeps (51 seconds).
Then I did some drills and did 4 X 50 golf again at 1.45. This time I was averaging more like 33 - 34 beeps per 50. This puts me at 47.85 - 19.3 per 50 with only 14 - 15 spl.
I did another set of drills and then did 4 X 50 golf again this time at 1.4. Here I went back up to 35 beeps per length and sometimes 36. Which puts me at 49 seconds per 50 and back at 15 - 16 spl.
I wore the tempo trainer for this and started at 1.5 per stroke. I started at 35 beeps (which is a 52.5 50 and about 15 - 16 SPL. I 4 X 50 like this and got down to 34 beeps (51 seconds).
Then I did some drills and did 4 X 50 golf again at 1.45. This time I was averaging more like 33 - 34 beeps per 50. This puts me at 47.85 - 19.3 per 50 with only 14 - 15 spl.
I did another set of drills and then did 4 X 50 golf again this time at 1.4. Here I went back up to 35 beeps per length and sometimes 36. Which puts me at 49 seconds per 50 and back at 15 - 16 spl.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Response to Video on TI forum
I am envious - just marvelous! Congratulations!
Nice rhythm, wide tracks, patient hand, clean entry ...
The only thing I can see is that the spearing arm gets a little too much in a y-position at the end of the glide, little too wide the track maybe - but I don't know if that does any harm.
Otherwise it takes better eyes than my amateur ones to find room for optimization.
Even removing the TI cap doesn't hurt the strokes :-))
Lot's of happy laps!
Nice rhythm, wide tracks, patient hand, clean entry ...
The only thing I can see is that the spearing arm gets a little too much in a y-position at the end of the glide, little too wide the track maybe - but I don't know if that does any harm.
Otherwise it takes better eyes than my amateur ones to find room for optimization.
Even removing the TI cap doesn't hurt the strokes :-))
Lot's of happy laps!
Response to video from Helenita
Hi Deb,
Wow, you are looking really good! I think you have made progress in each of those areas and I have a hard time identifying the issues anymore.
Your head still moves a little, but it's a lot better. Your recovery is much smoother. The left hand entry is still a little ahead of the body. Stop the video between 1:15-1:16 and you will see your arm already extended before the body has rotated. But at 1:17 you can see that when the right arm is extended the body has already rotated. It is so slight that it's not really noticeable anymore when you are swimming, but it'll give you something to think about. You can also see it at 1:52 if you stop it just right.
I would say slow down the recovery just a tiny bit more and maybe even see if a higher elbow (on the left) at entry feels OK. For that you may want to compare your video with Shinji's. Your right elbow entry looks great, but when you slow it down you can see that the elbow enters a little flat on the left. This is all part of the same thing, so it will get resolved when your arm enters at the same speed as the hip rotating behind it.
Great work!
Helenita
Wow, you are looking really good! I think you have made progress in each of those areas and I have a hard time identifying the issues anymore.
Your head still moves a little, but it's a lot better. Your recovery is much smoother. The left hand entry is still a little ahead of the body. Stop the video between 1:15-1:16 and you will see your arm already extended before the body has rotated. But at 1:17 you can see that when the right arm is extended the body has already rotated. It is so slight that it's not really noticeable anymore when you are swimming, but it'll give you something to think about. You can also see it at 1:52 if you stop it just right.
I would say slow down the recovery just a tiny bit more and maybe even see if a higher elbow (on the left) at entry feels OK. For that you may want to compare your video with Shinji's. Your right elbow entry looks great, but when you slow it down you can see that the elbow enters a little flat on the left. This is all part of the same thing, so it will get resolved when your arm enters at the same speed as the hip rotating behind it.
Great work!
Helenita
Day 7: Constant finding new things
After videotaping yesterday I had some things that I wanted to work on. Specifically ingraining the released head was something I felt needed alot more work.
What I noticed today was that my head was released if it was BETWEEN my shoulders with my shoulder brushing my cheek, not my chin. I find that I put my chin on one shoulder or the other which really means I am just bobbing my head around.
Today I thought about my head being between my shoulder and that my ears were beside my shoulders. I think this took some tension out of the front end of my stroke.
Here is how I practiced today and I felt like it really worked.
- Superman Glide
- Superman Glide with flutter
- Skating (working on a little wider track)
- Spear switch (released head, wider track, patient hand)
- Zen skate (focusing on where elbow was, not too high, hand not swinging out....)
- Zen switch (released head, wider track, patient hand, breathing with the rotation)
- Whole stroke with the following foci
- release head (every length this was a focus).
- Then I would add 1 other layer to focus on, Wide track, patient hand, breathing with rotation
- I would do 4 lengths of each focal point and then add another.
After I had done this for awhile I turned on the tempo trainer and started at 1.5 and worked my way down to 1.4. I was doing 16 -17 beeps per length and usually 13 -14 strokes per length. So if my math is right at 1.5 I was doing 25.5 for 17 bpl at 1.5 to 22.4 - 23.8 for 16 bpl at 1.4.
So if I could hold 17 bpl for a 100 my pace would be 1:35.2. That would be pretty damn good.
Before the workshop I was doing 20 bpl at 1.3. That meant I was holding 26 which meant a 1:44 100 yard pace. I definitely like this pace better.
Day 6: Teaching the drills
Today I met Dan, Ann and Lucille at the pool to go through the drills. It was good having to teach the drills but i find that I cannot concentrate as well when I am doing this on my own form. However the time is well spent in that I learn the drills and see what others are doing and how it effects their stroke.
I need to do some more study on some of the focal points. I kind of keep running through the same ones and I don't really have an analogy to help people get it better.
We did some videotaping of our strokes which I posted to YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFBDHa-TiQg
I was really concentrating on getting a steep angle on my recovery but later watched the TI Easy Free video and decided maybe this isn't what I need to be doing.
It seems like my rotation is a little late too and that maybe I need slightly wider tracks.
I will post it to the forum and see what feedback I get.
I need to do some more study on some of the focal points. I kind of keep running through the same ones and I don't really have an analogy to help people get it better.
We did some videotaping of our strokes which I posted to YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFBDHa-TiQg
I was really concentrating on getting a steep angle on my recovery but later watched the TI Easy Free video and decided maybe this isn't what I need to be doing.
It seems like my rotation is a little late too and that maybe I need slightly wider tracks.
I will post it to the forum and see what feedback I get.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Day 5: Different thought
Today I only got in about 30 minutes of concentrated drilling because the day worked out a bit differently than anticipated.
I swam from 6 - about 7 while E'llee and Cate played and visited me while I was swimming.
I really worked at the beginning to try to regain that buoyancy feeling in my lungs again. I felt like it was starting to sink in.
The other thing I noticed is that I think that if I do it too much I end up burying my head and figured out that I think my whole body is kind of "tipped" backward in the water.
I have pretty heavy legs compared to my torso so I think I swim a bit like a tree in that my stockier, woodier parts are lower and my more top is much more streamlined. I'm kind of the opposite of most swimmers who tend to be V shaped starting at their shoulders whereas I am kind of <> shaped. I know I have weight to lose but generally speaking this is my shape.
So instead of hanging my head so much today to the point of burying it. I thought about slightly intentionally elevating my top hip. This brought my hip a little higer in the water and like maybe I had a little bit of a "crook" in my body but I don't think I really did. I think perhaps I have a bit of an arch in my back instead and this may be taking some of that out of it.
What I noticed when I did this was that I felt a bit more hip drive propulsion I think because my hip was higher.
The other thing I thought about was keeping a really steep angle on my recovery. I tried to rotate more than I am used to and found I over-rotated sometimes but that generally speaking I don't think I have been rotating enough.
I was easily doing 14 SPL and I think I was even at a 12 at a very leisurely pace.
I talked to Cate a bit about what I was doing and told her what I have been trying to do and that I think I have really started imprinting a new stroke. I'm sure I could return back to my old stroke still but I think I'm on the way to a new stroke.
I did do 2 lengths which I should not have done but couldn't resist the temptation. I won't do that again for at least a little while.
There were several other people swimming at the same time as I and I noticed that one guy had a very similar stroke count to my old stroke. He was doing about 19 SPL. I would occasionally push off after him and found myself catching him on the 25 doing 14 SPL instead of my usual 19 or so.
I remember that pre-workshop I was really shooting for 17 SPL on 1.3, or 20 beats per length on 1.3 which is about 26 seconds per length. THis was a bit of a stretch after I had gone a couple lengths. We'll see what happens in another few weeks. I really feel like I'm headed somewhere.
I swam from 6 - about 7 while E'llee and Cate played and visited me while I was swimming.
I really worked at the beginning to try to regain that buoyancy feeling in my lungs again. I felt like it was starting to sink in.
The other thing I noticed is that I think that if I do it too much I end up burying my head and figured out that I think my whole body is kind of "tipped" backward in the water.
I have pretty heavy legs compared to my torso so I think I swim a bit like a tree in that my stockier, woodier parts are lower and my more top is much more streamlined. I'm kind of the opposite of most swimmers who tend to be V shaped starting at their shoulders whereas I am kind of <> shaped. I know I have weight to lose but generally speaking this is my shape.
So instead of hanging my head so much today to the point of burying it. I thought about slightly intentionally elevating my top hip. This brought my hip a little higer in the water and like maybe I had a little bit of a "crook" in my body but I don't think I really did. I think perhaps I have a bit of an arch in my back instead and this may be taking some of that out of it.
What I noticed when I did this was that I felt a bit more hip drive propulsion I think because my hip was higher.
The other thing I thought about was keeping a really steep angle on my recovery. I tried to rotate more than I am used to and found I over-rotated sometimes but that generally speaking I don't think I have been rotating enough.
I was easily doing 14 SPL and I think I was even at a 12 at a very leisurely pace.
I talked to Cate a bit about what I was doing and told her what I have been trying to do and that I think I have really started imprinting a new stroke. I'm sure I could return back to my old stroke still but I think I'm on the way to a new stroke.
I did do 2 lengths which I should not have done but couldn't resist the temptation. I won't do that again for at least a little while.
There were several other people swimming at the same time as I and I noticed that one guy had a very similar stroke count to my old stroke. He was doing about 19 SPL. I would occasionally push off after him and found myself catching him on the 25 doing 14 SPL instead of my usual 19 or so.
I remember that pre-workshop I was really shooting for 17 SPL on 1.3, or 20 beats per length on 1.3 which is about 26 seconds per length. THis was a bit of a stretch after I had gone a couple lengths. We'll see what happens in another few weeks. I really feel like I'm headed somewhere.
Day 4: Part 2
I hadsome time to kill before date night. So I took advantage of the time and went swimming. I felt like I didn't focus that well this morning so am glad I went this afternoon.
I find myself trying to focus on one thing but then I pay attention to everything else during that time as well. I finally decided that I would just keep rotating the same 3 things.
Today I felt that WHOOSH! I felt it when I really released my head which then made me felt like I swimming on my lungs. I felt really buoyant. I did not have that geeling of having to hav e propulsion in order to keep forwrd momentum. It felt like I was swimming downhill. Like I didn't have to do anything in order to keeping moving. I only felt it about 3 times. 25 yards is alsot too short because I feel like when I feel it I am at the end and then disrupt the flow.
The other thing I noticed was that when doing the laser lead flutter in core balance I notice I would pull my shoulder up to my ear. That was a good thing to catch. I hadn't noticed that before.
I'm excited to swim tomorrow.
I find myself trying to focus on one thing but then I pay attention to everything else during that time as well. I finally decided that I would just keep rotating the same 3 things.
Today I felt that WHOOSH! I felt it when I really released my head which then made me felt like I swimming on my lungs. I felt really buoyant. I did not have that geeling of having to hav e propulsion in order to keep forwrd momentum. It felt like I was swimming downhill. Like I didn't have to do anything in order to keeping moving. I only felt it about 3 times. 25 yards is alsot too short because I feel like when I feel it I am at the end and then disrupt the flow.
The other thing I noticed was that when doing the laser lead flutter in core balance I notice I would pull my shoulder up to my ear. That was a good thing to catch. I hadn't noticed that before.
I'm excited to swim tomorrow.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Day 4: That was fun!
Today I showed up to swimming and was the ONLY one there. I had the lane to myself for about 30 minutes and then Dan showed up who has been nursing a bad shoulder.
I shared with him the TI drills and then Lucille joined us as well who is a lap swimmer who would like to get good enough to join us in our workouts. It was pretty amazing. Both, including Dan who is a fast swimmer improved their stroke. Dan has alot of power but he also is very inefficient and I think it is part of the issue with his shoulder.
Lucille really improved. You could really see the change in her body position and her rotation in just the few lengths.
Saturday she and one other lap swimmer may join me to learn the TI drills. This is fun! I love teaching others!
I shared with him the TI drills and then Lucille joined us as well who is a lap swimmer who would like to get good enough to join us in our workouts. It was pretty amazing. Both, including Dan who is a fast swimmer improved their stroke. Dan has alot of power but he also is very inefficient and I think it is part of the issue with his shoulder.
Lucille really improved. You could really see the change in her body position and her rotation in just the few lengths.
Saturday she and one other lap swimmer may join me to learn the TI drills. This is fun! I love teaching others!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Terry's response back
First, congratulations on taking this step to finally become a Swim Master, rather than Masters Swimmer (there's a great potential article or blog in articulating that difference -- mebbe I'll start a thread). And welcome to this community of TI Swimmers, which you will find most encouraging, supportive and helpful.
Like you I was the one on all my teams who always struggled to convert a willingness to pay any price into speed or performance. No more. More importantly I've learned how to clearly link efforts to outcomes in every practice. We consider that important outside the pool so why not inside?
As for the 3000 Swim, I say go for it. And as for redefining it - i.e. what will "success" mean and how will you optimize your 3000 toward that -- that exercise alone will make it worth doing.
Here's a thought: Think of two things you can easily self-monitor throughout that swim and use them to help you set goals. Those two things would be your stroke thoughts (focal points, intentions) and your SPL.
From these you can develop the following goals - in this order of priority.
1) To remain on task for the full distance. When you find your attention has wandered, just return it. At a higher level of execution, you might sequence through two or three intentions. I've done this in the Hour Swim, starting with an intention that establishes a state of relaxation, then segue to one that's focused on minimizing drag, and finally one that increases propulsion.
2) To swim the SPL of your choice all the way. Again, this could be a choice to increase in controlled segments. I did this in the Hour Swim as well, maintaining 13-14 SPL while in relaxation mode, 14-15 in drag-minimizing mode and 15-16 in propulsive mode.
3) To swim consistent -- and possibly progressive - pace. This should be as much outcome as goal. I.E. a natural, almost inevitable, result of success in #'s 1 and 2.
When I did the 3000 to which I refer above, my pace remained consistent to slightly improving from the 1st 1000 to 2nd 1000, and improved significantly the final 1000.
I would strongly encourage others to consider joining me and Debra in doing this USMS postal event.
Like you I was the one on all my teams who always struggled to convert a willingness to pay any price into speed or performance. No more. More importantly I've learned how to clearly link efforts to outcomes in every practice. We consider that important outside the pool so why not inside?
As for the 3000 Swim, I say go for it. And as for redefining it - i.e. what will "success" mean and how will you optimize your 3000 toward that -- that exercise alone will make it worth doing.
Here's a thought: Think of two things you can easily self-monitor throughout that swim and use them to help you set goals. Those two things would be your stroke thoughts (focal points, intentions) and your SPL.
From these you can develop the following goals - in this order of priority.
1) To remain on task for the full distance. When you find your attention has wandered, just return it. At a higher level of execution, you might sequence through two or three intentions. I've done this in the Hour Swim, starting with an intention that establishes a state of relaxation, then segue to one that's focused on minimizing drag, and finally one that increases propulsion.
2) To swim the SPL of your choice all the way. Again, this could be a choice to increase in controlled segments. I did this in the Hour Swim as well, maintaining 13-14 SPL while in relaxation mode, 14-15 in drag-minimizing mode and 15-16 in propulsive mode.
3) To swim consistent -- and possibly progressive - pace. This should be as much outcome as goal. I.E. a natural, almost inevitable, result of success in #'s 1 and 2.
When I did the 3000 to which I refer above, my pace remained consistent to slightly improving from the 1st 1000 to 2nd 1000, and improved significantly the final 1000.
I would strongly encourage others to consider joining me and Debra in doing this USMS postal event.
New thread by Terry on TI prompted by ME!!!
In a thread initiated by Debra Lambourn, she spoke of years of experience on competitive teams, including Masters teams, prior to recently opting to practice TI. I think it's a widely shared point of view among TI Swimmers, that a defining aspect of being one is choosing to pursue Swim Mastery, and to gain a greater understanding of all that entails.
So, for those of you who have experience both with being a Masters Swimmer (i.e. member of any team or organization affiliated with US Masters or any other country) and pursuit of becoming a Swim Master -- the spirit of which is inspired by pursuit of becoming a Zen Master, as well as by the principles articulated in George Leonard's book, I'd love to hear your thoughts and insights on what may be different and what may be the same in those identifications.
For me a central difference is that one never really IS a Swim Master. Rather one is always engaged in BECOMING one.
So, for those of you who have experience both with being a Masters Swimmer (i.e. member of any team or organization affiliated with US Masters or any other country) and pursuit of becoming a Swim Master -- the spirit of which is inspired by pursuit of becoming a Zen Master, as well as by the principles articulated in George Leonard's book, I'd love to hear your thoughts and insights on what may be different and what may be the same in those identifications.
For me a central difference is that one never really IS a Swim Master. Rather one is always engaged in BECOMING one.
TI Post Today
Today I posted on the TI forum:
I did the TI workshop this past weekend (oct 3 - 4) which was fabulous. I am now in the phase of relearning the stroke and imprinting new muscle memory.
I have been swimming on and off club teams, summer teams, school and Masters teams for the past 35 years. I have ALWAYS been the one who worked really hard but was never very fast. I definitely fall into the category of I keep on swimming but I never seem to get any better. I am hopeful that will all change now.
I have been practicing the TI drills for about a month or so before the workshop using the video so had a pretty solid understanding of the focal points going into the workshop. It was great getting the reinforcement of the workshop however because I was able to get feedback on both what I was doing right and the things that are so ingrained in my swimming that I have a hard time "feeling" them.
So now I am in my first week post workshop. I have embraced the TI concepts and philosophy and whenever I pull on my new TI swim cap I remind myself:
•I will swim better today than I have ever swam before
Every length will have a focus
So contrary to all my prior training I am swimming or shall I say drilling 12.5 yard distances and 25 yard distances, resting, refocusing, find focal point and do it again. I have swam for 5 hours post workshop and probably have done less than 500 yards whole stroke. I definitely am feeling the imprinting and want to make sure this is solid before I go back to other sets.
I am hoping to do the 3000 or 6000 yard postal swim for USMS which is supposed to be done before November 15. I am wondering however it this is too early to be swimming that amount of yards whole stroke. I do not want to slide backwards into old habits and this seems like a potential opportunity to do such a thing.
I put in about 5 - 7 hours per week in the pool on average. I feel like I will have imprinted the new habits pretty well by then and definitely be in Phase 2 where I am swimming more and drilling less and starting to work on mainting the stroke over longer distances but a 100 yards is a much different story than 3000 - 6000.
I am looking for some feedback on whether this is "too early" in my new stroke development. And, perhaps how I can "redefine" the swim so that it is about swimming it with the best technique versus the best time.
I did the TI workshop this past weekend (oct 3 - 4) which was fabulous. I am now in the phase of relearning the stroke and imprinting new muscle memory.
I have been swimming on and off club teams, summer teams, school and Masters teams for the past 35 years. I have ALWAYS been the one who worked really hard but was never very fast. I definitely fall into the category of I keep on swimming but I never seem to get any better. I am hopeful that will all change now.
I have been practicing the TI drills for about a month or so before the workshop using the video so had a pretty solid understanding of the focal points going into the workshop. It was great getting the reinforcement of the workshop however because I was able to get feedback on both what I was doing right and the things that are so ingrained in my swimming that I have a hard time "feeling" them.
So now I am in my first week post workshop. I have embraced the TI concepts and philosophy and whenever I pull on my new TI swim cap I remind myself:
•I will swim better today than I have ever swam before
Every length will have a focus
So contrary to all my prior training I am swimming or shall I say drilling 12.5 yard distances and 25 yard distances, resting, refocusing, find focal point and do it again. I have swam for 5 hours post workshop and probably have done less than 500 yards whole stroke. I definitely am feeling the imprinting and want to make sure this is solid before I go back to other sets.
I am hoping to do the 3000 or 6000 yard postal swim for USMS which is supposed to be done before November 15. I am wondering however it this is too early to be swimming that amount of yards whole stroke. I do not want to slide backwards into old habits and this seems like a potential opportunity to do such a thing.
I put in about 5 - 7 hours per week in the pool on average. I feel like I will have imprinted the new habits pretty well by then and definitely be in Phase 2 where I am swimming more and drilling less and starting to work on mainting the stroke over longer distances but a 100 yards is a much different story than 3000 - 6000.
I am looking for some feedback on whether this is "too early" in my new stroke development. And, perhaps how I can "redefine" the swim so that it is about swimming it with the best technique versus the best time.
Practice worksheet from Helenita
Congratulations on just completing your Total Immersion Weekend Workshop.
You have taken the first steps towards more efficient and effortless swimming. The class you have taken has given you all of the tools that you need to continue to improve for as long as you swim.
You will have left the class with some questions on how to continue from here…
For the next few weeks you may want to concentrate more on the drills than on swimming. Once you are comfortable doing the drills, your muscle memory will have started to imprint the new form and you will find it much easier to put the new stroke together.
If you have an event coming up very soon, you may want to drill 50% of the time – the easiest way to work on both drills and swimming is by alternating lengths. Take the focus from the drill length into the swim length.
Here are some sample workouts that should get you through the next few weeks. Remember, you can always call me or email me with any questions.
There is a discussion board on the TI website that can also offer you some valuable information and help along the way. Be sure to visit it often. http://www.totalimmersion.net/talk-back.html
Also, Terry Laughlin loves to hear from swimmers and it you have questions, suggestions or comments, please feel free to contact him at totalswimm@aol.com
We will be offering Drill Review classes on a regular basis if you ever feel that you want to have us ensure that you are still doing the drills correctly. These classes can also help you get out of any problem areas that you might have. Check my website for these classes and I will also occasionally send out emails. Additionally I am happy to set up private refresher sessions at any time.
Happy Swimming!
><((((º>•´¯`•.¸ .•´¯`•.><((((º> ¸.•´¯`•.¸.•´¯`•.><((((º>•´¯`•.¸
Helenita Jacobs
206-930-8263
www.totaltricoaching.com
Sample practice while learning how to drill successfully
• For drill descriptions and pictures refer to your blue manual (as of today some of the drills may not be in the blue book since these are from the new DVD)
• Belly buttons always to the same side
• 1 x 25 (the pool is 25 yards long so this is the equivalent of one length)
• 4 x 25 (same drill, each length will have a different focus point)
• palm up when nose is pointing up, palm down when nose is pointing down
1 x 25 Superman Glide
• Goal: move through the water as smoothly as possible and to glide as far as possible.
• Things to think about: your head is hidden underwater (hanging, not pushed) and nose and eyes are pointing straight down
• Try: to be so streamlined that you can make it across the pool in three to five pushoffs
2 x 25 Superman Flutter
• Goal: kick only as much as needed to sustain a lazy glide
• Things to think about:
o Glide first then start kicking gently.
o Keep the kick smooth.
o If you feel that you are breaking the surface with lots of bubbles, slow the kick down. You are creating drag and turbulence.
• Try: to remain streamlined
2 x 25 Laser Lead Flutter
• Goal: to move through the water like a laser beam
• Things to think about:
o align head and spine and pull arms back to rest on your pockets (front of thighs)
o keep elbows tucked in
o release the weight of the head
o laser beam should point forward
• Try: to remain streamlined
2 x25 fish (Core balance)
• Goal: to move through the water balanced on your side (top shoulder just barely out of the water) like a laser beam
• Things to think about:
o top shoulder is slightly rotated towards the wall, eyes are locked on the tiles beneath you (laser beam from your nose to the tiles beneath you)
o let your head hang (laser beam straight ahead)
o keep your kick in line with your body (if you feel your kick is behind you, pull your legs to line up with the body)
o keep your hands in your pocket with the inside of the elbow touching your body
• Try: to remain streamlined
3 x 25 skate
• Goal: to be in a streamlined position from the tip of your fingers to your feet along one of the two tracks
• Things to think about:
o leading hand is at 4 o'clock with head hanging by the armpit - palm is facing down (hang the hand from the wrist)
o follow the tracks (body should be lines up from fingertips to toes)
o keep head in contact with shoulder as you rotate nose-down/nose-up
o top shoulder should be turned in just a little bit (this will help stay on the tracks)
o hand at the back should be in your pocket
• Try: to become very familiar with this position. Your leading hand is your target and it needs to be the same every time you spear forward.
2 x 25 spearswitch preparation
• Goal: to become comfortable with the timing and coordination needed to start switching
• Things to think about:
o wait until head is hanging…lead hand is hanging…shoulder is touching chin…hand in your jeans pocket
o check that your hip remains high while you bring the hand from your pocket forward
o the hand coming forward goes in a straight line from the pocket to just past your goggles (in your field of vision, not looking right at it)
o the path of the hand coming forward is pointing straight forward from the shoulder
o when you slide the hand back to your pocket check its position
o stay perfectly balanced on your side as you slide the hand forward and back
• Try: to feel streamlined and balanced during this movement
4 x 25 single spearswitch
• Goal: to establish the correct timing of a switch and to find the correct target every time
• Things to think about:
o Use the 2 pause technique – pause to check your target on the leading hand, pause at the goggles to ensure the switch is initiated from the spearing side
o hand goes forward at the same rate as the hip that is driving it forward
o the hand going back drifts to your pocket and gets released just as the spearing hand passes your goggles
o once the spearing hand is past the goggles, aim straight for the target and upon arrival hold that position
o feel long and quiet
o feel your hand slide past your face and then make the switch
o release the leading hand only when you have started to make the switch
• Try: to be just as streamlined after the switch as you were before the switch, just on the opposite side
4 x 25 multiple spearswitches
• Goal: to find rhythm and balance by waiting for the correct timing and always spearing to the target
• Things to think about:
o Start out with the 2-pause switch as above
o Go to the 1-pause switch when the above feels easy (just pause at the goggles before spearing)
o switch only when your hand slides past your face
o spear your hand to the target imprinted in skating
o rotate 45 to 60 degrees – only need to clear the shoulder and hip from the water on each switch
o breathe in a bite of air at the end of the stroke when you are in skate position
o feel the energy coming from the high hip as it allows your hand to come forward at the same rate
o keep the flow going – don’t pause when your hand goes back, rather touch and keep on going
• Try: to do three switches and have them all feel the same
2 x 25 zenskate
• Goal: to lead with your elbow in a straight line on your track
• Things to think about:
o In order for the elbow to be over the track, it will need to be away from your body
o The lower arm will be submerged almost up to elbow
o wait until your skate is balanced before bringing arm and hand forward – stay balanced througout
o check that your lower arm is in the water as your elbow is leading the arm forward and back
o once you are comfortable with the lower arm in the water, raise the elbow so it is just the wrist, and then finally, just dragging your fingertips through the water
o lead with your elbow (soft arm) as long as possible until forearm is alongside your ear
o if you sink wait until your hand is in your pocket, kick a couple of times and then come up for air
o picture a seal swimming next to you – gently stroke its back towards the head and then gently stroke its back as your hand glides back to the pocket
• Try: to remain streamlined and balanced as your arm moves forward and back
•
4 x 25 single zenswitch
• Goal: to smoothly switch from one streamlined skating position to the opposite streamlined skating position while finding the target every time
• Things to think about:
o Start with a 2-pause switch. Check that your leading hand is on the target, pause at the goggles just before switching and then pause again when your spearing hand reaches its target
o hang your head…keep it perfectly still
o soften your arms….feel your hand flex back as you yield to water resistance
o pause at your ear…. To make sure lead hand is still engaged
o drive the hand to the target… keep elbow high as you switch
o feel the energy coming from the high hip as it allows your hand to come forward at the same rate
o pause for a moment when you make the switch to ensure that you are still on your tracks (if your spearing hand went to the target and remained there, you are on your tracks)
• Try: to feel equally balanced and streamlined on each side
4 x 25 multiple zenswitches
• Goal: Feel an effortless flow when putting switches together
• Things to think about:
o Start with a one pause switch – pause just past the goggles to check that you are spearing from the high side of the body
o hang your head…keep it perfectly still
o soften your arms….feel your hand flex back as you yield to water resistance
o pause at your ear…. To make sure lead hand is still engaged
o drive the hand to the target… keep elbow high as you switch
o feel the energy coming from the high hip as it allows your hand to come forward at the same rate
o keep the flow going – don’t pause when your hand goes back, rather tgraze your thigh with your thumb and keep on going (archer position)
• Try: to do three switches and try to make them all feel the same
4 x 25 multiple overswitches (ear hops)
• Goal: Feel an effortless flow when putting switches together
• Things to think about:
o Have your fingertips drag through the water until they briefly float over an imaginary laser beam that comes straight out of your ear before entering the water and spearing to the target
o hang your head…keep it perfectly still
o soften your arms….feel your fingertips skim over the surface
o drive the hand to the target… keep elbow high as you switch
o feel the energy coming from the high hip as it allows your hand to come forward at the same rate
o keep the flow going – don’t pause when your hand goes back, rather tgraze your thigh with your thumb and keep on going (archer position)
• Try: to do three switches and try to make them all feel the same. This will lead into effortless breathing
Breathing
• Goal: fit rhythmic breathing into the rhythmic stroke
• Things to think about:
o commit to the breath when your hand enters the water, start exhaling and turning to the breath
o breathe into the armpit (your inhale is going to happen as your arm starts coming forward and you can see your armpit)
o learn to exhale slowly and rhythmically while underwater and exhale the last 20% forcefully as you rotate to the breath (that exhale continues all the way to the surface)
o If you have concerns about the breathing, TI has just published a new DVD on breathing and it may be worth purchasing
• Try: just one breath with four strokes before linking too many together. Keep a steady rhythm as you count out 1, 2, Breathe, 1…. (each number represents the moment the hand enters the water)
Sample practice for combining drilling with swimming
100 warmup
25 x 50 (25 drill, 25 swim)
superman glide
superman flutter
laser lead flutter
core balance R (fish)
core balance L (fish)
skate R
skate L
spearskate R
spearskate L
single spearswitch
double spearswitch R
double spearswitch L
triple spearswitch
zen skate R
zen skate L
single zenswitch
double zenswitch R
double zenswitch L
triple zenswitch
triple zenswitch – very briefly in sweet spot
triple zenswitch – one breath, one sweet spot
triple zenswitch – two breaths, one sweet spot
triple zenswitch – all breathing
8 x 25 swim and count your strokes – try to reduce stroke count
2 x 100 swim
100 cool down
Focus points
Keep looking down at the tile beneath you
Keep head close to leading arm
Think long
Keep arm extended when breathing
Palm down when looking down, palm up when looking up
Rotate with your hips
Aim to feel a straight body when you are breathing and gliding on your side
(be on your tracks)
Once you are comfortable doing more of a swimming workout…
100 swim
100 swim other than freestyle
8 x 50 count your stroke (20 seconds rest between sets)
Main set: (rest 30 sec between sets)
2 x 25 (easy, moderate)
2 x 50 (easy, moderate)
2 x 75 (easy, moderate)
2 x 100 (easy, moderate)
2 x 75 (easy, moderate)
2 x 50 (easy, moderate)
2 x 25 (easy, moderate)
100 swim with fistgloves
100 kick (the best kicking exercise is doing drills like skate or hand-lead sweetspot – the kick board only makes you lift your head)
4 x 25 fast on the 30’s (or the 45’s whichever works for you) (you swim as fast as you can while maintaining your form and you get to rest only as much as your next start time allows)
300 warm down (try to do this without stopping)
Total – 2000 yards
Most important – Enjoy your time in the water !
You have taken the first steps towards more efficient and effortless swimming. The class you have taken has given you all of the tools that you need to continue to improve for as long as you swim.
You will have left the class with some questions on how to continue from here…
For the next few weeks you may want to concentrate more on the drills than on swimming. Once you are comfortable doing the drills, your muscle memory will have started to imprint the new form and you will find it much easier to put the new stroke together.
If you have an event coming up very soon, you may want to drill 50% of the time – the easiest way to work on both drills and swimming is by alternating lengths. Take the focus from the drill length into the swim length.
Here are some sample workouts that should get you through the next few weeks. Remember, you can always call me or email me with any questions.
There is a discussion board on the TI website that can also offer you some valuable information and help along the way. Be sure to visit it often. http://www.totalimmersion.net/talk-back.html
Also, Terry Laughlin loves to hear from swimmers and it you have questions, suggestions or comments, please feel free to contact him at totalswimm@aol.com
We will be offering Drill Review classes on a regular basis if you ever feel that you want to have us ensure that you are still doing the drills correctly. These classes can also help you get out of any problem areas that you might have. Check my website for these classes and I will also occasionally send out emails. Additionally I am happy to set up private refresher sessions at any time.
Happy Swimming!
><((((º>•´¯`•.¸ .•´¯`•.><((((º> ¸.•´¯`•.¸.•´¯`•.><((((º>•´¯`•.¸
Helenita Jacobs
206-930-8263
www.totaltricoaching.com
Sample practice while learning how to drill successfully
• For drill descriptions and pictures refer to your blue manual (as of today some of the drills may not be in the blue book since these are from the new DVD)
• Belly buttons always to the same side
• 1 x 25 (the pool is 25 yards long so this is the equivalent of one length)
• 4 x 25 (same drill, each length will have a different focus point)
• palm up when nose is pointing up, palm down when nose is pointing down
1 x 25 Superman Glide
• Goal: move through the water as smoothly as possible and to glide as far as possible.
• Things to think about: your head is hidden underwater (hanging, not pushed) and nose and eyes are pointing straight down
• Try: to be so streamlined that you can make it across the pool in three to five pushoffs
2 x 25 Superman Flutter
• Goal: kick only as much as needed to sustain a lazy glide
• Things to think about:
o Glide first then start kicking gently.
o Keep the kick smooth.
o If you feel that you are breaking the surface with lots of bubbles, slow the kick down. You are creating drag and turbulence.
• Try: to remain streamlined
2 x 25 Laser Lead Flutter
• Goal: to move through the water like a laser beam
• Things to think about:
o align head and spine and pull arms back to rest on your pockets (front of thighs)
o keep elbows tucked in
o release the weight of the head
o laser beam should point forward
• Try: to remain streamlined
2 x25 fish (Core balance)
• Goal: to move through the water balanced on your side (top shoulder just barely out of the water) like a laser beam
• Things to think about:
o top shoulder is slightly rotated towards the wall, eyes are locked on the tiles beneath you (laser beam from your nose to the tiles beneath you)
o let your head hang (laser beam straight ahead)
o keep your kick in line with your body (if you feel your kick is behind you, pull your legs to line up with the body)
o keep your hands in your pocket with the inside of the elbow touching your body
• Try: to remain streamlined
3 x 25 skate
• Goal: to be in a streamlined position from the tip of your fingers to your feet along one of the two tracks
• Things to think about:
o leading hand is at 4 o'clock with head hanging by the armpit - palm is facing down (hang the hand from the wrist)
o follow the tracks (body should be lines up from fingertips to toes)
o keep head in contact with shoulder as you rotate nose-down/nose-up
o top shoulder should be turned in just a little bit (this will help stay on the tracks)
o hand at the back should be in your pocket
• Try: to become very familiar with this position. Your leading hand is your target and it needs to be the same every time you spear forward.
2 x 25 spearswitch preparation
• Goal: to become comfortable with the timing and coordination needed to start switching
• Things to think about:
o wait until head is hanging…lead hand is hanging…shoulder is touching chin…hand in your jeans pocket
o check that your hip remains high while you bring the hand from your pocket forward
o the hand coming forward goes in a straight line from the pocket to just past your goggles (in your field of vision, not looking right at it)
o the path of the hand coming forward is pointing straight forward from the shoulder
o when you slide the hand back to your pocket check its position
o stay perfectly balanced on your side as you slide the hand forward and back
• Try: to feel streamlined and balanced during this movement
4 x 25 single spearswitch
• Goal: to establish the correct timing of a switch and to find the correct target every time
• Things to think about:
o Use the 2 pause technique – pause to check your target on the leading hand, pause at the goggles to ensure the switch is initiated from the spearing side
o hand goes forward at the same rate as the hip that is driving it forward
o the hand going back drifts to your pocket and gets released just as the spearing hand passes your goggles
o once the spearing hand is past the goggles, aim straight for the target and upon arrival hold that position
o feel long and quiet
o feel your hand slide past your face and then make the switch
o release the leading hand only when you have started to make the switch
• Try: to be just as streamlined after the switch as you were before the switch, just on the opposite side
4 x 25 multiple spearswitches
• Goal: to find rhythm and balance by waiting for the correct timing and always spearing to the target
• Things to think about:
o Start out with the 2-pause switch as above
o Go to the 1-pause switch when the above feels easy (just pause at the goggles before spearing)
o switch only when your hand slides past your face
o spear your hand to the target imprinted in skating
o rotate 45 to 60 degrees – only need to clear the shoulder and hip from the water on each switch
o breathe in a bite of air at the end of the stroke when you are in skate position
o feel the energy coming from the high hip as it allows your hand to come forward at the same rate
o keep the flow going – don’t pause when your hand goes back, rather touch and keep on going
• Try: to do three switches and have them all feel the same
2 x 25 zenskate
• Goal: to lead with your elbow in a straight line on your track
• Things to think about:
o In order for the elbow to be over the track, it will need to be away from your body
o The lower arm will be submerged almost up to elbow
o wait until your skate is balanced before bringing arm and hand forward – stay balanced througout
o check that your lower arm is in the water as your elbow is leading the arm forward and back
o once you are comfortable with the lower arm in the water, raise the elbow so it is just the wrist, and then finally, just dragging your fingertips through the water
o lead with your elbow (soft arm) as long as possible until forearm is alongside your ear
o if you sink wait until your hand is in your pocket, kick a couple of times and then come up for air
o picture a seal swimming next to you – gently stroke its back towards the head and then gently stroke its back as your hand glides back to the pocket
• Try: to remain streamlined and balanced as your arm moves forward and back
•
4 x 25 single zenswitch
• Goal: to smoothly switch from one streamlined skating position to the opposite streamlined skating position while finding the target every time
• Things to think about:
o Start with a 2-pause switch. Check that your leading hand is on the target, pause at the goggles just before switching and then pause again when your spearing hand reaches its target
o hang your head…keep it perfectly still
o soften your arms….feel your hand flex back as you yield to water resistance
o pause at your ear…. To make sure lead hand is still engaged
o drive the hand to the target… keep elbow high as you switch
o feel the energy coming from the high hip as it allows your hand to come forward at the same rate
o pause for a moment when you make the switch to ensure that you are still on your tracks (if your spearing hand went to the target and remained there, you are on your tracks)
• Try: to feel equally balanced and streamlined on each side
4 x 25 multiple zenswitches
• Goal: Feel an effortless flow when putting switches together
• Things to think about:
o Start with a one pause switch – pause just past the goggles to check that you are spearing from the high side of the body
o hang your head…keep it perfectly still
o soften your arms….feel your hand flex back as you yield to water resistance
o pause at your ear…. To make sure lead hand is still engaged
o drive the hand to the target… keep elbow high as you switch
o feel the energy coming from the high hip as it allows your hand to come forward at the same rate
o keep the flow going – don’t pause when your hand goes back, rather tgraze your thigh with your thumb and keep on going (archer position)
• Try: to do three switches and try to make them all feel the same
4 x 25 multiple overswitches (ear hops)
• Goal: Feel an effortless flow when putting switches together
• Things to think about:
o Have your fingertips drag through the water until they briefly float over an imaginary laser beam that comes straight out of your ear before entering the water and spearing to the target
o hang your head…keep it perfectly still
o soften your arms….feel your fingertips skim over the surface
o drive the hand to the target… keep elbow high as you switch
o feel the energy coming from the high hip as it allows your hand to come forward at the same rate
o keep the flow going – don’t pause when your hand goes back, rather tgraze your thigh with your thumb and keep on going (archer position)
• Try: to do three switches and try to make them all feel the same. This will lead into effortless breathing
Breathing
• Goal: fit rhythmic breathing into the rhythmic stroke
• Things to think about:
o commit to the breath when your hand enters the water, start exhaling and turning to the breath
o breathe into the armpit (your inhale is going to happen as your arm starts coming forward and you can see your armpit)
o learn to exhale slowly and rhythmically while underwater and exhale the last 20% forcefully as you rotate to the breath (that exhale continues all the way to the surface)
o If you have concerns about the breathing, TI has just published a new DVD on breathing and it may be worth purchasing
• Try: just one breath with four strokes before linking too many together. Keep a steady rhythm as you count out 1, 2, Breathe, 1…. (each number represents the moment the hand enters the water)
Sample practice for combining drilling with swimming
100 warmup
25 x 50 (25 drill, 25 swim)
superman glide
superman flutter
laser lead flutter
core balance R (fish)
core balance L (fish)
skate R
skate L
spearskate R
spearskate L
single spearswitch
double spearswitch R
double spearswitch L
triple spearswitch
zen skate R
zen skate L
single zenswitch
double zenswitch R
double zenswitch L
triple zenswitch
triple zenswitch – very briefly in sweet spot
triple zenswitch – one breath, one sweet spot
triple zenswitch – two breaths, one sweet spot
triple zenswitch – all breathing
8 x 25 swim and count your strokes – try to reduce stroke count
2 x 100 swim
100 cool down
Focus points
Keep looking down at the tile beneath you
Keep head close to leading arm
Think long
Keep arm extended when breathing
Palm down when looking down, palm up when looking up
Rotate with your hips
Aim to feel a straight body when you are breathing and gliding on your side
(be on your tracks)
Once you are comfortable doing more of a swimming workout…
100 swim
100 swim other than freestyle
8 x 50 count your stroke (20 seconds rest between sets)
Main set: (rest 30 sec between sets)
2 x 25 (easy, moderate)
2 x 50 (easy, moderate)
2 x 75 (easy, moderate)
2 x 100 (easy, moderate)
2 x 75 (easy, moderate)
2 x 50 (easy, moderate)
2 x 25 (easy, moderate)
100 swim with fistgloves
100 kick (the best kicking exercise is doing drills like skate or hand-lead sweetspot – the kick board only makes you lift your head)
4 x 25 fast on the 30’s (or the 45’s whichever works for you) (you swim as fast as you can while maintaining your form and you get to rest only as much as your next start time allows)
300 warm down (try to do this without stopping)
Total – 2000 yards
Most important – Enjoy your time in the water !
Email from Helenita
Hello Swimmers!
It was a pleasure working with all of you this past weekend! Eric and I enjoyed meeting all of you and sharing with you our excitement for Total Immersion swimming.
I am attaching the drills that I mentioned to you. Our students have found it useful to take them to the pool for practices.
Also, if you have someone video your swim from above (in a pool) we would be more than happy to give you feedback via email. We don't charge for this, so it is something that you can easily take advantage of.
Best wishes!
Helenita
It was a pleasure working with all of you this past weekend! Eric and I enjoyed meeting all of you and sharing with you our excitement for Total Immersion swimming.
I am attaching the drills that I mentioned to you. Our students have found it useful to take them to the pool for practices.
Also, if you have someone video your swim from above (in a pool) we would be more than happy to give you feedback via email. We don't charge for this, so it is something that you can easily take advantage of.
Best wishes!
Helenita
Day 3: Oooooopppppss
I got up early. Got all my stuff ready and in my bag so Cate could drop me off at 24 Hour Fitness and swim and then run home tonight. I got everything in my bag except.... you guessed it... a swim suit. So no swimming this morning! :(
Day 2.5: Yes 2 times today
I had the night off because Cate and E'llee had other plans. So I decided to head to the pool and work on my drills some more.
I again did all the drills from Superman Drill up. Again focusing on hanging the head on the early drills which is becoming more and more natural. (I think anyway.)
When I moved onto zen switch I can feel that my timing isn't quite right. I can feel when my hand enters too soon causing my hip to follow instead of driving with my hip. So I did whole stroke (kind of with a very specific focus). I focused on keeping that patient hand out front until my fingertips had entered the water. I tried to remember that I always want a hand out front of the body regardless so that I am piercing through the water with my hand and not my head.
I have to admit I soooooo want to just swim. This imprinting stuff takes patience. But like I told Ann, I have been swimming one way for the past 30 years. I can take 6 weeks and work on these things. If I truly am slower and/or less efficient I am SURE I can always go back.
I know the imprinting is important because when I was focusing on this one thing I couldn't tell you what my head was doing. I do not know if it was relaxed or not. I understand why I need to take this time to get it ingrained into my muscle memory so that it becomes just as natural.
I again did all the drills from Superman Drill up. Again focusing on hanging the head on the early drills which is becoming more and more natural. (I think anyway.)
When I moved onto zen switch I can feel that my timing isn't quite right. I can feel when my hand enters too soon causing my hip to follow instead of driving with my hip. So I did whole stroke (kind of with a very specific focus). I focused on keeping that patient hand out front until my fingertips had entered the water. I tried to remember that I always want a hand out front of the body regardless so that I am piercing through the water with my hand and not my head.
I have to admit I soooooo want to just swim. This imprinting stuff takes patience. But like I told Ann, I have been swimming one way for the past 30 years. I can take 6 weeks and work on these things. If I truly am slower and/or less efficient I am SURE I can always go back.
I know the imprinting is important because when I was focusing on this one thing I couldn't tell you what my head was doing. I do not know if it was relaxed or not. I understand why I need to take this time to get it ingrained into my muscle memory so that it becomes just as natural.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Day 2: Teaching it reinforces it
Today was my first day back in the pool with the Masters swim crew. I warned Ann prior to practice today that I am "Totally Immersed". Since we share a lane I felt she deserved an advance notice that I will be doing things differently. Since she is just returning to the pool after taking 2 months off to recover from injuries she really wants to get back into shape but is willing to spend the first 20 - 30 minutes doing drills.
So today I got to teach her the drills and look at what she is doing. That was a good reinforcement for me. She learned the superman drills through to skating.
She said afterwards she already felt a difference in her stroke because she was thinking about how far she pulls back her hand and if it throws her alignment off.
Today I again primarily focused on making sure my head was hanging and relaxed. It is funny because I would call myself an advanced swimmer and here I am pushing off and floating to learn this very basic skill. The foundations are the foundations right?
I only did 1/2 lengths and 25's. (This is still hard for me but this is my commitment for the next few weeks. Nothing longer than a 25.) I got further in doing some more advanced drills today but still was rolling to my back when i needed to breathe because I feel like that is the only way I can focus on making sure my head is relaxed and in alignment.
Every length had a focus. I didn't switch foci every length but I didn't do more than 3 in a row focusing on the same thing.
At the end I started focusing on making sure my hip led the roll not the recovery of my arm since I tend to recover too quickly and again throw the timing off. So I concentrated on slowing the recovery down and allowing that glide/active streamlining to happen without interupting it with another stroke.
I did about 8 - 10 lengths whole stroke focusing on relaxed head, wide tracks and letting the hip dictate the rhythm. The last 25 I did was a solid 13 strokes. No cheating by an extra long push off or pauses/dead spots in my stroke.
So today I got to teach her the drills and look at what she is doing. That was a good reinforcement for me. She learned the superman drills through to skating.
She said afterwards she already felt a difference in her stroke because she was thinking about how far she pulls back her hand and if it throws her alignment off.
Today I again primarily focused on making sure my head was hanging and relaxed. It is funny because I would call myself an advanced swimmer and here I am pushing off and floating to learn this very basic skill. The foundations are the foundations right?
I only did 1/2 lengths and 25's. (This is still hard for me but this is my commitment for the next few weeks. Nothing longer than a 25.) I got further in doing some more advanced drills today but still was rolling to my back when i needed to breathe because I feel like that is the only way I can focus on making sure my head is relaxed and in alignment.
Every length had a focus. I didn't switch foci every length but I didn't do more than 3 in a row focusing on the same thing.
At the end I started focusing on making sure my hip led the roll not the recovery of my arm since I tend to recover too quickly and again throw the timing off. So I concentrated on slowing the recovery down and allowing that glide/active streamlining to happen without interupting it with another stroke.
I did about 8 - 10 lengths whole stroke focusing on relaxed head, wide tracks and letting the hip dictate the rhythm. The last 25 I did was a solid 13 strokes. No cheating by an extra long push off or pauses/dead spots in my stroke.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Day 1: Hang the head - Deb
Today was Day 1 of my Total Immersion transformation. Today I went to 24 Hour Fitness before work for 1 hour. I pulled on my new Total Immersion cap and reminded myself that whenever i pull on this cap I am swimming in a whole new world. Different goals, different priorities, different measurements of a good workout... like I said a whole new world.
This was my 'workout' today.... A bunch of 12.5 and 25's drill. From a pre-TI perspective that is how I would have thought about this workout. and I would have come away with pretty much nothing. No gained fitness, not improvement of technique. It would have been a waste of time. However, now that I have taken the workshop I now see it as the best time I could have spent.
I spent my time working on balance and relaxing my head. Specifically I worked on hanging my head.
Here is what I found. If I push my hand forward and keep that muscle tension on I tend to use my head as part of my "force" of my stroke. If i didn't work so hard to keep my hand reaching forward i could relax my head, relax my shoulder and just let the power happen.
I only did 3 lengths of whole stroke free. And I did this in an unheard of 13 strokes. (Without a long push off either.) Also while I was drilling I did not work on breathing. If I had to breath I rolled onto my back like we did in the workshop and then rolled back and continued. During the superman drills and skate I kept the propulsion kick going. However when I got to doing switches I let the kick go to nothing or just a small 2 BK except when I rolled on my back. If I was on my back I kicked a little but when I rolled back I stopped my kick because it really pointed out how much I "muscle" my way down the pull. Being at basically a stop really pointed out how my muscles were being triggered and allowed me to really focus on making it feel different.
The other distinctive thing I did was I did things to perfection. I didn't just do the drill to get the lengths in of the drill. I did the drill focusing on the 1 thing I wanted to concentrate on and doing that as perfectly as I could.
Here's a video that was taken of my pre-Ironman Canada 2007 that is probably pretty representative of my stroke as of about a month ago when I started working on the TI drills. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJSwVm3U1FY
And here is a video of what I want to look and feel like. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJpFVvho0o4
This was my 'workout' today.... A bunch of 12.5 and 25's drill. From a pre-TI perspective that is how I would have thought about this workout. and I would have come away with pretty much nothing. No gained fitness, not improvement of technique. It would have been a waste of time. However, now that I have taken the workshop I now see it as the best time I could have spent.
I spent my time working on balance and relaxing my head. Specifically I worked on hanging my head.
Here is what I found. If I push my hand forward and keep that muscle tension on I tend to use my head as part of my "force" of my stroke. If i didn't work so hard to keep my hand reaching forward i could relax my head, relax my shoulder and just let the power happen.
I only did 3 lengths of whole stroke free. And I did this in an unheard of 13 strokes. (Without a long push off either.) Also while I was drilling I did not work on breathing. If I had to breath I rolled onto my back like we did in the workshop and then rolled back and continued. During the superman drills and skate I kept the propulsion kick going. However when I got to doing switches I let the kick go to nothing or just a small 2 BK except when I rolled on my back. If I was on my back I kicked a little but when I rolled back I stopped my kick because it really pointed out how much I "muscle" my way down the pull. Being at basically a stop really pointed out how my muscles were being triggered and allowed me to really focus on making it feel different.
The other distinctive thing I did was I did things to perfection. I didn't just do the drill to get the lengths in of the drill. I did the drill focusing on the 1 thing I wanted to concentrate on and doing that as perfectly as I could.
Here's a video that was taken of my pre-Ironman Canada 2007 that is probably pretty representative of my stroke as of about a month ago when I started working on the TI drills. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJSwVm3U1FY
And here is a video of what I want to look and feel like. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJpFVvho0o4
Workshop Day 2
Today was very good. I was able to really start putting things together. I felt like I got alot out of today.
The key things I pulled away from today was to hang my head and not "waggle" it all over the place. One of the other key things is to allow my hips to drive the switch not throwing my arm over the top too fast and throwing off my timing.
The other thing is that I have been going too far with the relaxation of the hand/arm and going too deep. I need to keep it up more around 4 instead of 5.
So now that I am done with the workshop it is time for me to spend the next 6 weeks or so on drills primarily and working on the bigger issues in my stroke and then moving on.
My number one goal right now is to learn how to hang my head. When I do this I feel much higher in the water and feel my body "sliding" through the water.
The key things I pulled away from today was to hang my head and not "waggle" it all over the place. One of the other key things is to allow my hips to drive the switch not throwing my arm over the top too fast and throwing off my timing.
The other thing is that I have been going too far with the relaxation of the hand/arm and going too deep. I need to keep it up more around 4 instead of 5.
So now that I am done with the workshop it is time for me to spend the next 6 weeks or so on drills primarily and working on the bigger issues in my stroke and then moving on.
My number one goal right now is to learn how to hang my head. When I do this I feel much higher in the water and feel my body "sliding" through the water.
Workshop Day 1
Not to brag but my stroke looks better than it ever has at the beginning of this workshop. Granted there is a HUGE difference between 25 yards and 2500 yards. Holding that stroke can be a different story. I actually find though that if I keep it smooth and easy I can keep it that way longer.
Patience is going to be the key here. Practicing the drills and getting back to the basics. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to do this while I'm swimming with my regular group. I'm not sure I have that amount of discipline to keep it together without trying to return to the normal mindset of yardage focus.
The main thing I think I need to work on is:
Patience is going to be the key here. Practicing the drills and getting back to the basics. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to do this while I'm swimming with my regular group. I'm not sure I have that amount of discipline to keep it together without trying to return to the normal mindset of yardage focus.
The main thing I think I need to work on is:
- Head position: keeping it down more and stationary
- Breathing: Keeping my breathing in the same timing and same stroke as when I am not breathing. That will be a big one. I already know that my timing gets off when I swim and breath. I have a hard time keeping the same stroke.
Total Immersion Goals
I set these goals prior to my Total Immersion Workshop this weekend:
- Swim 2.4 mile Gecko swim in May/June 2010 in 1:12
- Swim 2.4 IMC 2011 in 1:10
- Set myself up to enjoy and keep improving my swimming for many many years to come
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