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
"longer hulls suffer less drag traveling through the
water. Don't believe me? Look at modern naval
architecture. I can show you modern supertankers, cargo
ships, and aircraftcarriers, all with a bulge at their
bows just below the water line. The ship builders added
that feature because it makes the ship more efficient"
Matt_s
"sounds like you recommend popping up swimming
immediately after you start your race, because during the
glide you are decelerating"
Mattson
Thanks for all the posts guys. I'd just like
to reply to the above quotes from Matt_s and Mattson.
I think that the naval architecture analogy is
wrong, except perhaps during the glide phase off the
wall. Because humans present such a complex changing
"hull" to the water during each stroke cycle, it is
impossible accuratly compare a ship to a person. I
do not think it is possible to write a mathematical
equation for a persons speed through the water like
can be done for a ship.
I don't recomend popping up after starting a race or
a turn, I'm aware that the fastest you will ever
travel is off the dive or push off. Decelleration
will occur during the dive/push off and the
swimmers aim should be to maintain that speed by
streamlining until they reach their swimming speed.
What really prompted me to initially write this
thread was people in my local pool struggling
with TI drills. From some of your replys, I think these
people may have bought the book and interpreted it
themselves and never have attended any workshops or
have ever been been coached.
My favourite unfortunate example of a struggler is one
guy who always wore fistgloves. On every stroke he still
dropped his elbow, Without any coaching this guy
was going to stay in the slow lane.
Since this thread has turned in the direction of
stroke rate vs stroke length, I would like to add
a comment on this topic.
Compared to elite swimmers there are two factors
slowing ordinary swimmers.
(1) Distance per stroke isn't as good at
any stroke rate
(2) Can't maintain the same stroke rate.
Limitations to (1) are probably technique/strength
orientated and limits to (2) are probably fitness
related. Unfortunatly if people try to achieve a distance
per stroke the same as an elite they are likely
to end up gliding and kill their stroke rate.
In running (1) is not a problem as humans are
designed to run, stride length is not as huge
a variable as stroke length in swimming,
in running (2) (holding the stride rate) is probably the
difference between ordinary ans elite.
For example an elite swimmer may move at 1.7m/s
and hold a stroke rate of 40cycles/min in a 400m
race, They complete the distance in 3min 54secs.
Their distance per stroke cycle is 2.55m.
If an ordinary swimmer moves 2.55m per cycle but only
holds 30cycles/min they will take 30% longer to
finish (5m 14s) and move at 1.27m/s.
If this person could increase their stroke rate
(get fitter) and take a hit on their distance per
cycle they could go faster:
e.g. distance per cycle now 2.3m. Stroke rate 35cycle/min
speed now 1.34m/s, 400m time 4.58.
The ordinary swimmer will never match the elite
swimmer even of they increase to 40cycles/min
The question of course is how much distance
per stroke is lost with an increase in stoke rate??
"longer hulls suffer less drag traveling through the
water. Don't believe me? Look at modern naval
architecture. I can show you modern supertankers, cargo
ships, and aircraftcarriers, all with a bulge at their
bows just below the water line. The ship builders added
that feature because it makes the ship more efficient"
Matt_s
"sounds like you recommend popping up swimming
immediately after you start your race, because during the
glide you are decelerating"
Mattson
Thanks for all the posts guys. I'd just like
to reply to the above quotes from Matt_s and Mattson.
I think that the naval architecture analogy is
wrong, except perhaps during the glide phase off the
wall. Because humans present such a complex changing
"hull" to the water during each stroke cycle, it is
impossible accuratly compare a ship to a person. I
do not think it is possible to write a mathematical
equation for a persons speed through the water like
can be done for a ship.
I don't recomend popping up after starting a race or
a turn, I'm aware that the fastest you will ever
travel is off the dive or push off. Decelleration
will occur during the dive/push off and the
swimmers aim should be to maintain that speed by
streamlining until they reach their swimming speed.
What really prompted me to initially write this
thread was people in my local pool struggling
with TI drills. From some of your replys, I think these
people may have bought the book and interpreted it
themselves and never have attended any workshops or
have ever been been coached.
My favourite unfortunate example of a struggler is one
guy who always wore fistgloves. On every stroke he still
dropped his elbow, Without any coaching this guy
was going to stay in the slow lane.
Since this thread has turned in the direction of
stroke rate vs stroke length, I would like to add
a comment on this topic.
Compared to elite swimmers there are two factors
slowing ordinary swimmers.
(1) Distance per stroke isn't as good at
any stroke rate
(2) Can't maintain the same stroke rate.
Limitations to (1) are probably technique/strength
orientated and limits to (2) are probably fitness
related. Unfortunatly if people try to achieve a distance
per stroke the same as an elite they are likely
to end up gliding and kill their stroke rate.
In running (1) is not a problem as humans are
designed to run, stride length is not as huge
a variable as stroke length in swimming,
in running (2) (holding the stride rate) is probably the
difference between ordinary ans elite.
For example an elite swimmer may move at 1.7m/s
and hold a stroke rate of 40cycles/min in a 400m
race, They complete the distance in 3min 54secs.
Their distance per stroke cycle is 2.55m.
If an ordinary swimmer moves 2.55m per cycle but only
holds 30cycles/min they will take 30% longer to
finish (5m 14s) and move at 1.27m/s.
If this person could increase their stroke rate
(get fitter) and take a hit on their distance per
cycle they could go faster:
e.g. distance per cycle now 2.3m. Stroke rate 35cycle/min
speed now 1.34m/s, 400m time 4.58.
The ordinary swimmer will never match the elite
swimmer even of they increase to 40cycles/min
The question of course is how much distance
per stroke is lost with an increase in stoke rate??
