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.
Originally posted by gull80
I maintain that TI tries to reduce something that's very complex and intimately related to level of fitness to a set of drills that anyone can learn.
I think that is a very fair and valid statement. But there are more steps than just "a set of drills", including the transition from drills to normal race swimming.
Let me try a metaphor (you'll have to judge how accurate it is). Being a doctor is quite complicated, and can involve very specific training. But there are general classes that are needed as a foundation, before the more complicated material can be learned. There is obviously more to being a doctor than just Organic Chem I. But if someone fails to learn the basics (or learns the lessons wrong), wouldn't that make it almost impossible to become a competent doctor later (unless they were a born-genius)?
My objection was you were implying that TI denies the fitness component. (He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named comes out and claims it.)
(Unlike religion or politics, I don't think anyone has declared war over T.I. But I could be wrong...)
Originally posted by gull80
I maintain that TI tries to reduce something that's very complex and intimately related to level of fitness to a set of drills that anyone can learn.
I think that is a very fair and valid statement. But there are more steps than just "a set of drills", including the transition from drills to normal race swimming.
Let me try a metaphor (you'll have to judge how accurate it is). Being a doctor is quite complicated, and can involve very specific training. But there are general classes that are needed as a foundation, before the more complicated material can be learned. There is obviously more to being a doctor than just Organic Chem I. But if someone fails to learn the basics (or learns the lessons wrong), wouldn't that make it almost impossible to become a competent doctor later (unless they were a born-genius)?
My objection was you were implying that TI denies the fitness component. (He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named comes out and claims it.)
(Unlike religion or politics, I don't think anyone has declared war over T.I. But I could be wrong...)
