This is awful. I really want to be able to swim freestyle - I can do the *** stroke no problem. I'm taking a workshop and my instructor tells me "your freestyle stroke is very strong" but I'm so WEAK! I'm swimming in a 25 yard pool and I can't make it much more than halfway across the $#$@! pool without having to break into the *** stroke, and I feel like I am just dying.
I'm not in HORRIBLE shape, but not great shape (the current shape is round but my lifestyle changes will eliminate that in time)...I do martial arts, circuit training, can walk 2 miles without a problem.
What can I do to work up to freestyle without killing myself? I don't want to shorten my swims by trying to do freestyle and then dying and having to settle for less time in the water/moving around/burning it off.
Help!
I'm taking a workshop and my instructor immediately corrected my head position as it was up and acting sort of like a dam. As soon as I put my head down, it got better immediately. He had us do a side to side roll so that wasn't a problem for me; he actually commented that my freestyle is very strong - I'm just a weakling.
I am getting some hand paddles and wish I still had my zoomers, but I can take a nice harley ride over to Finis and get some. I'll have my friend who I swim with take a look at my body position to make sure I'm not too vertical. I think I'm pretty horizontal. All of the excess insulation I have on my body makes me like a big floating barge (ugh). I'm about to hit the pool now...wish me luck...
Obviously I've never seen u swim but I would bet you're body position is way more vertical than it should be compounding your problem. I would guess your head is up and your butt is down. There's a drill in freestyle - the Tarzan drill where even the most seasoned freestylers have a hard time swimming in that position with their heads above water. I would invest in some equipment to help you maintain a horizontal body position - fins and a snorkel. Short fins like zoomers. These will help your propulsion to keep you flat and the snorkel will help you avoid what is probably another problem, breathing without lifting your head. Do lots of sculling drills with ur eyes on the bottom if the pool, body flat. Gradually add your arms until you can eventually drop the equipment.
Also, I remember when I returned to the pool after. 20 yr absence that the initial few weeks were horrible but it rapidly got better with effort and determination.
I'm taking a workshop and my instructor immediately corrected my head position as it was up and acting sort of like a dam. As soon as I put my head down, it got better immediately. He had us do a side to side roll so that wasn't a problem for me; he actually commented that my freestyle is very strong - I'm just a weakling.
I am getting some hand paddles and wish I still had my zoomers, but I can take a nice harley ride over to Finis and get some. I'll have my friend who I swim with take a look at my body position to make sure I'm not too vertical. I think I'm pretty horizontal. All of the excess insulation I have on my body makes me like a big floating barge (ugh). I'm about to hit the pool now...wish me luck...
Obviously I've never seen u swim but I would bet you're body position is way more vertical than it should be compounding your problem. I would guess your head is up and your butt is down. There's a drill in freestyle - the Tarzan drill where even the most seasoned freestylers have a hard time swimming in that position with their heads above water. I would invest in some equipment to help you maintain a horizontal body position - fins and a snorkel. Short fins like zoomers. These will help your propulsion to keep you flat and the snorkel will help you avoid what is probably another problem, breathing without lifting your head. Do lots of sculling drills with ur eyes on the bottom if the pool, body flat. Gradually add your arms until you can eventually drop the equipment.
Also, I remember when I returned to the pool after. 20 yr absence that the initial few weeks were horrible but it rapidly got better with effort and determination.
