My teammates and I were discussing the following apparently inane topic, and I thought it would make a good poll question. To wit, during practices, which of the following apply to you:
1) I swim with my eyes open pretty much all the time, except for regular blinks.
2) I close my eyes when my head is underwater, but open them during breaths.
3) I close my eyes during breaths, but open them when my head is under water to make sure I am not wandering off track.
4) I close my eyes much of the time on each length, and try to remember to open them before crashing into the wall.
Note: just realized I don't exactly know how to format this as a poll. If anyone else does, please feel free to do so--or send me a note about how to do it myself.
BTW, I often swim with my eyes shut; not quite sure why, other than swimming practice seems to induce a mild level of narcolepsy in me. Or perhaps it is a reflex action from the pre-goggle days when closing your eyes during practice was necessary to keep your corneas from being eroded by chlorine.
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Former Member
Jim C,
Appreciate the reminder on why to keep one’s eyes open all the time. At my age you need to be constantly reminded of the reasons for the finer points of technique or else you fall into sloppy habits ;-)
I’ve always kept my eyes open even in the pre-goggles era. I don’t know why – you couldn’t see very clearly although there would have been more to look at than today. (of course, I’m not saying the talent at our pool is totally unworthy of observation – may not be up to California standards but sounds better than Pittsburgh)
The only time I might close my eyes is near the end of a 100m when I’m praying I’ll finish.
Jim T,
You might also ask ‘who swims in dark tinted goggles indoors?’ Does this improve performance?
Ian.
Jim C,
Appreciate the reminder on why to keep one’s eyes open all the time. At my age you need to be constantly reminded of the reasons for the finer points of technique or else you fall into sloppy habits ;-)
I’ve always kept my eyes open even in the pre-goggles era. I don’t know why – you couldn’t see very clearly although there would have been more to look at than today. (of course, I’m not saying the talent at our pool is totally unworthy of observation – may not be up to California standards but sounds better than Pittsburgh)
The only time I might close my eyes is near the end of a 100m when I’m praying I’ll finish.
Jim T,
You might also ask ‘who swims in dark tinted goggles indoors?’ Does this improve performance?
Ian.
