Hi everyone!
I am a runner who has discovered how much I like swimming! Right now, I am an on-again, off-again swimmer, only doing laps occasionally.
Not too long ago my goal was to swim a mile non-stop, so I printed off Ruth Kazez "How to swim a mile in 6 weeks" (told ya I am a noob!). I am able to do that in around 30 minutes, which the lifeguard at the Y said wasn't a bad time, especially for a beginner (I'm happy about that, considering the first time I tried to swim, I was out of breath after 1 lap!). Anyway, as I said I enjoy swimming so much and I now want to get serious about it and perhaps even compete in some meets at some point down the road.
A little more about me: I am a 45 yo female and I would consider myself pretty fit. In addition to running I do a pretty intense spin class at my gym a couple of days/week as well as a kettlebell, dumbbell, ropes circuit-style class 3-4 days/week. Truthfully, I don't enjoy running very much anymore (I have a history of running-related injuries, which is why I started swimming in the first place) and would gladly spend more time in the pool than I do on the road!
As the title of my thread indicates, I don't really know how to get started. Everything I've read about new swimmers stresses how important a couple of lessons are. (I only swim freestyle - is that also called front crawl? - since I don't know how to swim any other stroke). Unfortunately we don't have a master's swim group in my city, so I was thinking once I learn proper form, I will do a little more research and figure out some drills, etc.
Any advice, suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Joycewh,
You have some good advice here. Breaking down the stroke by using drills is very helpful. I have been coaching for several years. you can find a lot of drill on line. One of my favorites is high elbow hesitation. When your arm is recovering over the water you pause when your upper arm is about 90 degrees to your body. When at this point try to make sure the in water arm is out in front of you and just beginning the catch. Another thing to look out for in most new swimmers is whether on not you are kicking while you are breathing. Most folks new to swimming stop kicking while breathing. NOT GOOD! I find that runners lack ankle flexibility and their kick is detrimental to their stroke which means kicking and stretching the top of the foot towards the floor while in a supine position is key. Hopefully, you are not one of these people.
Joycewh,
You have some good advice here. Breaking down the stroke by using drills is very helpful. I have been coaching for several years. you can find a lot of drill on line. One of my favorites is high elbow hesitation. When your arm is recovering over the water you pause when your upper arm is about 90 degrees to your body. When at this point try to make sure the in water arm is out in front of you and just beginning the catch. Another thing to look out for in most new swimmers is whether on not you are kicking while you are breathing. Most folks new to swimming stop kicking while breathing. NOT GOOD! I find that runners lack ankle flexibility and their kick is detrimental to their stroke which means kicking and stretching the top of the foot towards the floor while in a supine position is key. Hopefully, you are not one of these people.
