TI Question...heard this and doesn't sound right...
Former Member
I am teaching a stroke clinic class at the YMCA. My background is USS competitive swimming (ages 8-18) and some age-group coaching. One of my students, a triathlon trainer, has been to Total Immersion. Because of his TI training, he is doubtful of any stroke correction I am giving him. Basically he has the typical problems of a short stroke...entering too close to the head and not pulling thru.
The TI triathlete is telling me that the TI "Fish" style swimming technique says the hand should enter the water just in front of the head, then reach forward. In my opinion, he needs to lengthen his stroke, rotating and reaching as far forward as possible, entering out front (not by the head). I am thinking he is mixing up some TI drill with proper freestyle SWIMMING technique. He at least agreed with me when we talked distance per stroke (and started believing I know something about swimming)...but I don't see how you can maximize DPS with hand entry by the head.
Can someone shed light on this for me? What is this "Fish" swimming in a couple sentences? And where does TI say the hand entry should be?
Thank you!!
P.S. I'm new here and enjoying reading...I swim masters and hope to compete in butterfly someday...I'm waiting it out until I get a bit older so can face the competition. My butterfly has held out better than my other strokes (used to be a long distance freestyler too).
P.P.S. I did a search on TI and read some of the posts but they didn't quite get to my specific question above.
Parents
Former Member
The "where should your hand enter the water" discussion just keeps going on, and on, and on...
Just to ensure I grok the fullness of Terry's response, let me rephrase in my own words what I think I am hearing:
1) Reducing drag is important. Enter your hand wherever you can create as little splash and bubbles as possible. Extend your arm through the same area your hand entered. Pause with your bottom arm in the extended position before initiating the pull and roll so you get the hydrodynamic benefit of front quadrant swimming.
2) The purpose of practicing and the purpose of racing are not necessarily the same thing. You may over-emphasize certain aspects of your stroke when you practice. You may not chose to race this way because it is suboptimal, but practicing this way will help you maintain a similar but less-pronounced, optimal characteristic in your stroke when you are tiring in the middle of a race.
What I find amusing is that some folks constantly want to focus on what the hands are doing, when they are at the extreme periphery of the body. My understanding of TI is that the core body and what you do with it is far more important than hands and feet. Yes, they contribute, but they are a secondary concern, and what they are doing should not detract from using the core body correctly. The eureka moment for me with the butterfly was when I tried a 25 fly with fistgloves ("for laughs" as I foolishly thought). When I noticed that in many respects it was EASIER than swimming fly with normal hands, the light finally went on about how important body udulation is to that stroke. A little voice in my head said, "IDIOT! The key to distance fly to PULL LESS, not more, and let your body do the work."
Matt
The "where should your hand enter the water" discussion just keeps going on, and on, and on...
Just to ensure I grok the fullness of Terry's response, let me rephrase in my own words what I think I am hearing:
1) Reducing drag is important. Enter your hand wherever you can create as little splash and bubbles as possible. Extend your arm through the same area your hand entered. Pause with your bottom arm in the extended position before initiating the pull and roll so you get the hydrodynamic benefit of front quadrant swimming.
2) The purpose of practicing and the purpose of racing are not necessarily the same thing. You may over-emphasize certain aspects of your stroke when you practice. You may not chose to race this way because it is suboptimal, but practicing this way will help you maintain a similar but less-pronounced, optimal characteristic in your stroke when you are tiring in the middle of a race.
What I find amusing is that some folks constantly want to focus on what the hands are doing, when they are at the extreme periphery of the body. My understanding of TI is that the core body and what you do with it is far more important than hands and feet. Yes, they contribute, but they are a secondary concern, and what they are doing should not detract from using the core body correctly. The eureka moment for me with the butterfly was when I tried a 25 fly with fistgloves ("for laughs" as I foolishly thought). When I noticed that in many respects it was EASIER than swimming fly with normal hands, the light finally went on about how important body udulation is to that stroke. A little voice in my head said, "IDIOT! The key to distance fly to PULL LESS, not more, and let your body do the work."
Matt
