Total Immersion

Hi Kate, Any questions on how to improve your swimming, are not stupid. :) If you search through the threads, you will find somewhat, um, passionate debates on the virtues or failings of TI. I have not taken any Total Immersion classes. (I'm too cheap. :D ) Some of my Masters coaches have, and I bought the book. (I also have two books by Cecil Colwin on swimming history and technique, but those are more like university textbooks. :) ) My thoughts: It does a nice job of describing current swim theory. (Or at least, what has changed in thinking since the 80s.) Laughlin points out, there is often a huge disconnect between what people think they are doing and what they are actually doing, unless they have a videotape or coach to give them feedback. The book is drill heavy, to emphasize good technique and what good technique should feel like. There is a danger in taking pieces out of context. On these boards, sometimes "stroke length" sounds like the end-all-be-all of swimming existence, when it is really a means to an end (swimming faster with the same-or-less effort). So be careful that you find a good instructor, or take the time to really understand the material.

To get help when you don't have the time, money, or whatever to go to a clinic you may be able to find one in you area that can help you. I teach private lessons in TI and I am sure there are others. Go to the TI website http://www.totalimmersion.net and look under the heading "Find a Coach". There are some in Massachusetts. I know I do anywhere from once weekly to once every three or four weeks and act as a third eye for self taught by the book/video swimmers, ones who never swam before, or ones just wanting to improve their technique.

I swam in high school and college . I started swimming again 13 years ago at age 37. I took a one day TI class in 1994 and found it very helpful. I am swimming as fast now as I did 10 years ago primarily because my stroke is better now than then. I think newcomers would benefit greatly from TI in that it is easier to properly learn a new stroke from the get-go than undo a poor stroke later.

Kate - Although I don't believe that TI is the final word in swimming - we will never have the final word, hopefully - I highly recommend it. I learned it through the books, but think that it would be easier to "get" via taking a class. I was "lucky" however, since I couldn't swim and didn't have much to unlearn, but teaching yourself how to swim by using a book at age 39 was quite an experience. The $13.00 that I spent on the book (the original TI book with the yellow & blue cover) was the best money I've ever spent in terms of what I've gotten back in return. OK, maybe I've gotten a bit more for the money I spent on the marriage license, but it's a close call and Terry Laughlin never asks me if his new swimsuit makes him look fat. :D -LBJ

Ti is ok, but you would need to go into part 2 to get into the breastroke and butterfly. There are other books out there for beginners- The Complete book of Swimming by Phillip Whitten has pictures and describes the four different competitive strokes and the starts and turns. If you can enroll in a recreation adult swmming class outside of the Y, maybe you can learn the breastroke and butterfly. I image that your teacher only taught you the freestyle and backstroke. Some of us are better kickers and are more likely to be breastrokers, I'm one for example.