I've noticed at lot of dicsussion in recent threads about TI principles,
As you can see from my location, I'm on the other side of the atlantic and TI has started to make an impact over here.
I've come across a lot of people in my local University pool who seem to have been mesmerised by the TI message and it is now common for me to see people swimming on their sides with one outstreached arm and a submerged head.
When the time comes to breath these guys have their heads so deep from pressing their bouy that they end up lifting it so high that they loose whatever alignment they had in the first place.
From talking to them, none of them seem to want to develop a proper kick and build up endurance so they can develop
good form.
I have decided to post a list of TI priciples and my own critism of these, feel free to add to the list or post a TI defence!
TI PRINCIPLE 1
Side to Side Rotation
to get into Low Drag Fish-like Position
Criticism
Rotation is good to get extentsion and
a good catch + power into the stroke,
Excessive rotation slows down the stroke.
TI PRINCIPLE 2
Swim DownHill
Press your Bouy
Criticism:
Holding head too deep creates drag
Makes breathing Difficult
TI PRINCIPLE 3
No Kicking
Criticism
Kicking essential to fast swimming
+ to maintain good form particularly
for male swimmers.
TI PRINCIPLE 4
Front Quadrant Swimming/
Distance per stroke,
Criticism
A reasonably high Stroke rate is necessay for
fast swimming,
Unless you have a very strong kick a glide
phase in your stroke will cause decelleration
TI PRINCIPLE 5
Drills will make you a better swimmer
Criticism
Drills are important, but there is no
substitute for good quality fast training.
Parents
Former Member
Originally posted by Jazz Hands
I would prefer to ditch the stupid equation altogether. It's pointless to focus on stroke rate and stroke length, because those variables are secondary to things that swimmers can actually control. Huub Toussaint's research indicates that swimming ability is mostly determined by propelling efficiency. Basically, maximize propulsive force for a given level of exertion. Force is something that swimmers can feel on their arms and hands. It's something that they can increase with focused swimming and proper resistance training and drills. Yes, that includes TI drills. If Toussaint's research is to be believed, the most important part of TI is the lesson about "anchoring your hand in the water." Stroke rate and stroke length are nothing but distractions.
I read earlier in another thread your same position on this.
Toussaint speaks about the efficacy of the strength of the pull.
T.I.'s anchoring the hand in the water is physics nonsense, it's a flowery metaphor, every boat's anchor catches the ground, a swimmer's hand doesn't.
Coach Mike Bottom -of the Gary Hall Jr. (U.S.) , Duje Draganja's (Cro.), Anthony Ervin's (U.S.) fame- credits the gold won in 200 back by Gordan Kozulj (Cro.) at the 2000 European Championships, to working on a much faster Stroke Rate.
He writes about his work on Stroke Rate in 'The Coach Swimming Bible' by *** Hannula.
There are numerous examples of the importance of a high Stroke Rate, one mentioned by Cecil Colwin in 'Swimming Dynamics' as the reason for an Olympic gold, another when yesterday I spoke with a sprinter training in the same Masters program as me who is 5'9" and went 20.42 in the 50 yards free when swimming for the Syracuse University five years ago.
Toussaint's force of the pull is important, but so is the Stroke Rate.
Originally posted by Jazz Hands
I would prefer to ditch the stupid equation altogether. It's pointless to focus on stroke rate and stroke length, because those variables are secondary to things that swimmers can actually control. Huub Toussaint's research indicates that swimming ability is mostly determined by propelling efficiency. Basically, maximize propulsive force for a given level of exertion. Force is something that swimmers can feel on their arms and hands. It's something that they can increase with focused swimming and proper resistance training and drills. Yes, that includes TI drills. If Toussaint's research is to be believed, the most important part of TI is the lesson about "anchoring your hand in the water." Stroke rate and stroke length are nothing but distractions.
I read earlier in another thread your same position on this.
Toussaint speaks about the efficacy of the strength of the pull.
T.I.'s anchoring the hand in the water is physics nonsense, it's a flowery metaphor, every boat's anchor catches the ground, a swimmer's hand doesn't.
Coach Mike Bottom -of the Gary Hall Jr. (U.S.) , Duje Draganja's (Cro.), Anthony Ervin's (U.S.) fame- credits the gold won in 200 back by Gordan Kozulj (Cro.) at the 2000 European Championships, to working on a much faster Stroke Rate.
He writes about his work on Stroke Rate in 'The Coach Swimming Bible' by *** Hannula.
There are numerous examples of the importance of a high Stroke Rate, one mentioned by Cecil Colwin in 'Swimming Dynamics' as the reason for an Olympic gold, another when yesterday I spoke with a sprinter training in the same Masters program as me who is 5'9" and went 20.42 in the 50 yards free when swimming for the Syracuse University five years ago.
Toussaint's force of the pull is important, but so is the Stroke Rate.
