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.
Hi Jim -
A couple of years ago this topic came up at one of our open water swims because I wondered if I was the only one who kept their eyes closed much of the time. Maybe my way of visualizing the race.
Seriously, the reason I began closing my eyes dates back to my 1st year of high school swimming when my coach would walk along the side of the pool encouraging (yelling) me to go faster. I was not sloughing off, it was his way to try to keep me going.
Well, I learned very quickly to breathe to the other side and close my eyes when I breathed.
Paul Windrath
ps - If I want to people watch, I go to the bottom of the pool and sit there for 10-15 seconds.
Hi Jim -
A couple of years ago this topic came up at one of our open water swims because I wondered if I was the only one who kept their eyes closed much of the time. Maybe my way of visualizing the race.
Seriously, the reason I began closing my eyes dates back to my 1st year of high school swimming when my coach would walk along the side of the pool encouraging (yelling) me to go faster. I was not sloughing off, it was his way to try to keep me going.
Well, I learned very quickly to breathe to the other side and close my eyes when I breathed.
Paul Windrath
ps - If I want to people watch, I go to the bottom of the pool and sit there for 10-15 seconds.
