I don't know much about TI but I thought it was about improving stroke technique/efficiency. Is that not true? It seems to me that, in this thread, there is some conflating between *techniques* that are suitable (or not) for sprinters to adopt, and *training* for sprints. This may also be what Jazz is getting at.
(See, for examples, references to "traditional training" and sprinters working on "basic endurance.")
One problem with saying TI is not good for sprinting is "Compared to what".As has been noted in this forum before,"traditional" training is not optimal for sprinting either.TI can give you basics about body position and relaxing etc.If one wants to sprint one can take that as a start and then evolve(with good coaching ) into a sprint type stroke.
Exactly. This is why I like it. You throw a beginner in a pool (figuratively) and tell them to do 100x100, they are going to suck as a sprinter. If you give them 8x25, they are going to develop some power and sprint feel, but they will still have fundamental problems with efficiency.
I don't think anyone disagrees with that, even the anti-TI Fortress. We just need to meditate on the cliche that your training should suit your strengths and weaknesses.
I like TI. For sprinting, it's not a total package (strength training, kick power...), but the ideas about posture, drag reduction, and grip are solid. I like to use a TI-esque freestyle drill progression when teaching.
The ideas about posture, drag reduction and grip are all valid. But they are more generally related to swimming, not specifically to sprinting. I'm not using a two beat kick or catch up stroke or zipper drills for sprinting.
If you have poor technique, you have to go back to basics. No argument there.
One problem with saying TI is not good for sprinting is "Compared to what".As has been noted in this forum before,"traditional" training is not optimal for sprinting either.TI can give you basics about body position and relaxing etc.If one wants to sprint one can take that as a start and then evolve(with good coaching ) into a sprint type stroke.
I don't know much about TI but I thought it was about improving stroke technique/efficiency. Is that not true? It seems to me that, in this thread, there is some conflating between *techniques* that are suitable (or not) for sprinters to adopt, and *training* for sprints. This may also be what Jazz is getting at.
(See, for examples, references to "traditional training" and sprinters working on "basic endurance.")
TI training is all based on the concept of practice. To me it seems like learning to play something on a musical instrument: you have to play it slowly before you can play it quickly. That's how you build procedural memory, and TI approaches swimming as a procedural memory problem to solve. So even if your goal is to sprint faster, and even if you're an experienced sprinter, you might still benefit from doing slower streamline drills, catch drills, whatever. I did this style of training a while ago and it worked OK for me, although at my skill level I got a lot more out of strength training. But then, why not both?
If it wasn't for TI, I may never have developed as a swimmer to the point where I am now. It taught me the basics and then with additional coaching and training I went from a slow distance swimmer to being able to sprint and be competitive. And you must remember that I had no competitive swimming experience prior to age 48 when I took up swimming as an exercise to lose weight.
I completely agree... TI was my starting point 9 or 10 summers ago. I could run a marathon, but was exhausted after 500 yards in the pool, so I picked up Terry Laughlin's book and used its principles to lay the foundation for my stroke... and I still remind myself with some of the drills from time to time. If your form won't hold together in a slow swim, it won't be their when you try to swim faster.
IMO there's kind of confusion in this thread. Personally I have nothing against the input made by TI into swimming development specially if we mention adults. Many principles taught are essential for all types of swimmers and they are a MUST for beginners if they want to develop good technique in future. But personally I don't believe TI is helpful in the development of the sprinting type of stroke and sprinting qualities such as explosive power and speed. Search in youtube and compare stroke of middle and long distance freestylers and freestylers who swim only 50 and 100. I'm sure you will find differences in their strokes.
Personally I swim 50, 100 and 200 breaststroke that's why my workouts have to include both types of training: sprinting with high explosive pace for short lengths as well as sets for endurance with long strokes and glide for longer lengths which is pretty close to what TI propagates. I need to combine both and not to forget about speed endurance as well because even 200 is rather sprint than long distance swimming.
I will rephrase my conclusion this way: you may use some TI ideas in the sprinters' swimming preparation but you cannot coach sprinters using TI only. Some things from TI might be even harmful for pure sprinters.
Maybe this analogy will make sense:
Some boats are made for long, slow journeys, others for speed. The two types of boats will look quite different; but they will also share at least a few principles of boat design.
Similarly, I think there are some things about TI swimming that will translate into any type of swimming (or even any type of movement, period), like coordinating your limbs from your core and engaging your core to help propulsion, reducing drag (even more important in sprinting than in slow swimming because drag forces grow exponentially w/ speed) and maintaining a balanced position in the water (not dragging your legs), and so on. But at the same time, there are some aspects of TI that are more for the slower-speed causal-fitness swimmer, like the slow stroke rate, long glide, and possibly the heavy emphasis on "front quadrant" stroke style. You'd probably want to drop or modify these when working on sprinting.
Overall, though, my sense is that TI provides a great base for general swimming skills. Feels good, too!
