What do you think of total immersion?

RE: What do you think of total immersion?

Former Member — Sat, 10 Jun 2017 11:27:08 GMT

It was supposed to improve my free style But it has not and i have less confidence in the open water like i had swimming the traditional way

RE: What do you think of total immersion?

Former Member — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 13:50:32 GMT

Up from the inner sanctums, I don't know if Abou is still with us. Does anyone know? This is the way I wanted my daughter to swim Abou wanted her to swim straight arm video.google.com/videoplay

RE: What do you think of total immersion?

Former Member — Mon, 22 May 2006 12:22:34 GMT

My oldest daughter Janis remembers the day that Abou Heif was at Lac St Louis in La Tuque Quebec in 1967 helping her (when she was 9 years old) with her swim stroke. He told her to keep her arms straight, Janis said no to Abou Heif my father wants me to bend the elbows.

RE: What do you think of total immersion?

Former Member — Sun, 21 May 2006 14:59:43 GMT

Comment from Marty Sinn - during a 15 mile swim at the CNE “4th AND 5th MILES --Things are looking up. Of course after the first excitement it dawns on me that I have nothing to think about. This is a hell of a time to have your mind draw a blank. Guess it takes me a while to settle down. I’m gaining confidence. Greta’s behind the others a bit. I can pick out the others. George Park has a beautiful stroke at eye-level -- awfully smooth. Abou-Heif swims like a spastic -- he always splashes water in my face. I’ll show these fat, hairy men. This is pretty easy stuff. I’m just coasting along and I’ll bet they’re working like mad. Too bad, boys. I wish I could kick your goggles in, but I guess it’s better business to be demure.

RE: What do you think of total immersion?

Former Member — Sun, 21 May 2006 14:51:17 GMT

The Professional Marthon circuit started with the C N E in Canada in 1926. Ernest Vierkotter called the black shark won the Prize $50.000. In 1927 George Young was an east-end Toronto 17-year-old; his mother, a widow, worked as a cleaning woman to keep the family together. George had learned to swim at the YMCA and had begun to acquire a local reputation as a good distance swimmer. He and a friend were determined to enter the Catalina swim and, when their motorcycle broke down in Arkansas, they hitchhiked the rest of the way to California. Of the 103 swimmers who entered the water at noon, on January 15, 1927, George Young was certainly one of the most obscure; 15 hours and 45 minutes later, having battled not only the competition but sharks, oil and kelp patches, tides and bone-chilling cold, George Young waded ashore and into North American headlines. George came home to an enormous civic welcome, but at 17 the successful part of his swimming career was all but over. His longterm accomplishment was to implant marathon swimming firmly in the Toronto and Southern Ontario sports culture, so that "The Swim" became for many years the centrepiece of the sports program of the Canadian National Exhibition, attracting swimmers from all over the world and inspiring a generation of Ontario youngsters with dreams of glory. This was the historical context for one of the most unusual sporting events in Canadian history. In 1957 the Canadian National Exhibition, 30 years after the Catalina swim, promoted a Lake Ontario marathon as a showpiece for Florence Chadwick, an outstanding American distance swimmer. The scenario called for Chadwick to enter the water around midnight on the New York side of the Lake, swim all night and approach the CNE grounds by mid-afternoon, thus attracting hundreds of thousands of spectators to witness the first conquest of Lake Ontario. Instead, Chadwick had to be pulled from the water after 12 miles; by dawn, only a 16-year-old Toronto girl named Marilyn Bell, trained by Gus Ryder of the Lakeshore Swimming Club, remained in the water. Both press and radio took up the story, and caught by its intrinsic drama were both a national radio audience and many thousands of people in Toronto itself. Marilyn Bell, after 21 hours in the water, touched the Toronto shoreline to national applause. She was to go on to swim the English Channel and the straits of Juan de Fuca, but nothing in her brief career was to cap that 40-mile swim across Lake Ontario. Ernest Vierkotter was in my boat when we swam the the Cross Lake Ontario Race 33 miles in 1964. I will write about Captain Webb and the great Egyptian swimmers in the near future and the great Canadian marathon swimmers. The great Italians and dutchmen and Windmill Willie who strokes 100 strokes a minute. How the marathon cicuit started. But right now I have to get off the computer as my Grandson has just been rushed to the hospital.

RE: What do you think of total immersion?

Former Member — Sun, 21 May 2006 13:45:23 GMT

George, Perhaps you could enlighten us on a couple of points: - Why were there so many superlative Egyptian open water swimmers at that time? Did they make a mark for themselves in pool meets? What happened to them, i.e. how come we don't hear about great Egyptian swimmers today? - How did the international pro open water swimming circuit get started? Just how "big" was it? Why has it died out everywhere except Australia? I guess this is not really a TI subject, but your yarns seem to have captivated a number of us, and I'd like to continue in this vein. Hey Terry, you're a student of the sport. Can you add anything to George's reminiscences about the old open water circuit? BTW, the over 50 age groups: just stand by. I've been living in the "Mark Spitz" demographic bubble my whole life. Trust me, when I turn 50, 55, 60, etc. there will still be the same crowd of palookas putting NQTs out of reach (or at least I hope so most devoutly; I'd love to still see the Smith twins in action in their 80s and have a brew with them after). Matt

RE: What do you think of total immersion?

Former Member — Fri, 19 May 2006 16:30:11 GMT

What great memories George and thank you for sharing them.

RE: What do you think of total immersion?

Former Member — Fri, 19 May 2006 16:17:37 GMT

He invited me to dinner at his house when I was in Cairo, what a meal 7 courses maybe even 20. We started with a fish soup, It was delicious until about my fourth spoonful, I had a head of a fish with the eye staring at me. Flavored rice balls wrapped in grape leaves. Beef with a gravy that was the best I had ever eaten. A pasta in a sauce not tomato almost a gravy. Then two little fish pan fried I do not know what they were but a white fish same as the ones in the soup. Greek diamond shapped pastries made with honey and nuts. The food went on forever. My goodness forgot the fresh figs that Julio Travaglio the Italian swimmer loved. The entertainment was great also belly dancers and then his wife an opera star sang for us.

RE: What do you think of total immersion?

Former Member — Fri, 19 May 2006 15:57:00 GMT

"He sure could eat in Rhode Island they paid for our food at a resturant and after a couple of days they cancelled the right to order our own food as Abou would order three steaks for breakfast, lunch and supper. They gave us food vouchers after that." George, funny you write this, because he said his friends didn't like having him over for dinner or as a house guest during his training years because he would eat them out of house and home. He said his family put up with his eating habits but came close to making him pay for dinner.

RE: What do you think of total immersion?

Former Member — Fri, 19 May 2006 15:50:02 GMT

Originally posted by Stillhere I was present at the ISHOF in 1998 when Abou Heif was inducted. I spoke with him at the reception at length regarding cold water swimming. He was very funny explaining how much he ate to gain weight and body fat for cold water swims. One of the greatest long distance swimmers who ever lived. Abou was a great swimmer, I had heard that he is very sick and was in touch with his son, a race car driver he was also very sick, but now when I try to reach them my emails end nowhere. When Abou and his wife came to our house he would grab my daughter Linda and dance all over the living room with her and at the races he would take Linda for walks and tell everybody that this is George's little Linda he said Linda in Arabic ment Beautiful One. He sure could eat in Rhode Island they paid for our food at a resturant and after a couple of days they cancelled the right to order our own food as Abou would order three steaks for breakfast, lunch and supper. They gave us food vouchers after that.

RE: What do you think of total immersion?

Former Member — Fri, 19 May 2006 15:34:33 GMT

I was present at the ISHOF in 1998 when Abou Heif was inducted. I spoke with him at the reception at length regarding cold water swimming. He was very funny explaining how much he ate to gain weight and body fat for cold water swims. One of the greatest long distance swimmers who ever lived.

RE: What do you think of total immersion?

Former Member — Fri, 19 May 2006 14:59:38 GMT

In 1964 I raced 44k in Egypt 11 laps of 4k, I found that after 4k I was sitting in the 1,2,3rd place with two Eyptian swimmers Shazly and Galil, so I settled in with them and decided I did not want to swim in first place or go to the front, strange things happen when you swim in Egypt. after 4 laps the guys in my boat told me Abou Heif and Zytoon had both gotten out. These were the two main competitors in the race. So I sat right there with the other two and was quite happy to just stay there. The water was very warm and very salty in Alexandria harbour. It was also very polluted the sewage from the city was dumped there but they said it was turned off for the day, but I did come accross a couple of brown lumps. This is where you can really think about your technique and watch the strokes of the other swimmers and plan a finish. I decided I would hold on until the last kilometer and sprint it out. With 1 lap to go as we passed the turning bouy and the startting dock Shazly and Galil swam to the dock and got out leaving me in first place and no one close. I was already counting the Rubles. When I arrived at the 2nd bouy it was huge, they used to tie up freighters to it. What a surprise the guy Zytoon who got out of the race early on was sitting behind the bouy and I ran into him. He started sprinting away as if he had just gotten in the water. I tried to stay with him but could not so I figured it happened and nothing I could do 2nd place prize money would not be too bad. I swam to the bouy and then the next then to the finish no one passed me Zytoon came 1st and I came 7th every one else in the race except Zytoon and I swam the four bouys all the rest only swam the last 3 bouys. At the party after the race I sat with Galil and Shazly and asked why they got out and they said they knew what was going on so they got out.

RE: What do you think of total immersion?

Former Member — Fri, 19 May 2006 12:21:32 GMT

From now on I swim my way, rather than my rivals Good quote Terry. It's similar to what my college coach said which was something that can be used as a life lesson. My College coach said, "You can't control they guy next to you, so why worry about him".

RE: What do you think of total immersion?

Former Member — Thu, 18 May 2006 07:06:52 GMT

After swimming and competing for over 30 years, I have had some shoulder injuries. I got Terry's book a few months back, I thought it was great, I could swim farther with less excertion. The YMCA where I swim only teaches this tech. I am hoping to correct poor tech. I developed , so I could swim with shoulder pain. Every swimmer out ther has their own idea what works for them Terry thanks

RE: What do you think of total immersion?

Former Member — Mon, 15 May 2006 13:36:07 GMT

Very nice swims at Nationals, Terry. Congratulations. Looks like you split the 500 perfectly.

RE: What do you think of total immersion?

Former Member — Sat, 25 Feb 2006 17:47:20 GMT

Originally posted by knelson Long Curse Nationals, huh? Freudian slip or intentional? :) I'll see you this summer at Worlds, Ion. Good luck with your training. It seems like quite a few people from the forum will be going to the World's at Stanford. Perhaps we could arrange a dinner one night so we can put some faces to some names. Just an idea.

RE: What do you think of total immersion?

Former Member — Sat, 25 Feb 2006 14:56:12 GMT

Originally posted by gull80 As for buffering enzymes, I don't know how "engaging" they are, but they are pretty darn useful during a race when you're dealing with lactic acid. Or is lactate production eliminated by TI? As a swimmer most competitve in 200+ yd free events, that lactic acid "burn" was a very familiar companion in many races. A few years ago, after training w/ some people knowledgable about TI, I swam my best Masters times in the 500 and 1650 the same weekend after competing hard for 13 years . During my p.r.'s in both races, the lactate burn simply wasn't there as before. I concentrated on making my stroke a efficient as possible. The next day, however, I felt like I had been beaten with a baseball bat! :0)

RE: What do you think of total immersion?

knelson — Sat, 25 Feb 2006 12:40:44 GMT

Originally posted by scyfreestyler It seems like quite a few people from the forum will be going to the World's at Stanford. Perhaps we could arrange a dinner one night so we can put some faces to some names. Just an idea. Good idea. I propose the subject of TI is off limits during the dinner. Terry and Ion (T&I...funny!) are both welcome, but this rule applies to them, as well ;) George: check the PNA website for information on teams in Western Washington and workout times: http://www.swimpna.org/

RE: What do you think of total immersion?

knelson — Sat, 25 Feb 2006 12:26:57 GMT

Originally posted by Ion Beza I was tired at the 2005 Long Curse Nationals, I saw overtraining. Long Curse Nationals, huh? Freudian slip or intentional? :) I'll see you this summer at Worlds, Ion. Good luck with your training.

RE: What do you think of total immersion?

Former Member — Sat, 25 Feb 2006 11:11:28 GMT

Double post. :rolleyes:

RE: What do you think of total immersion?

Former Member — Sat, 25 Feb 2006 11:05:32 GMT

George, there's a masters team that practices at 5:30 AM on weekdays at the Arne Hanna Aquatic Center in Bellingham. If you go to the pool at any time you might be able to get some information. Or you could just show up at practice time, pay the lap swimmer fee to get in, and introduce yourself. There might be one day a week they don't practice. Wednesday or Friday or something like that. A USS club called BBST practices at the same time and place so don't get them confused. BBST will be in the far lanes by the pace clocks and the masters will be on the near side of the pool in front of the lifeguard tower. Or, more obviously, they are the old people with no coach.

RE: What do you think of total immersion?

Former Member — Sat, 25 Feb 2006 08:47:02 GMT

Originally posted by totalswimm It probably does sound a bit zen to someone accustomed to terms like EN3 -- which to be honest, though I've coached swimming with consistent success for 34 years -- including world ranked swimmers from the 50m free to the 1500m -- I couldn't tell you what that means. I've never had much interest in the minutiae of energy system training. Instead I focus on the pure experience of swimming your best race - how does each part feel. Once we have a good grasp, we rehearse the parts until the feeling we seek becomes ingrained. As we do that the energy system gets trained, but that's always peripheral, simply a byproduct. It's not for everyone, but for those who learn how to do it, it becomes pretty much failsafe -- and a lot more engaging than "buffering enzymes." And TI is pretty much all or nothing. It's not a bandaid. It's a mindset, as I've said. You asked what I meant by "fast" so I tried to express myself in terms most coaches are comfortable with. If you agree that to swim fast you have to train fast, then perhaps you can explain how "effortless" applies to a race pace set. Or is that more hyperbole, like "pure" and "failsafe"? As for buffering enzymes, I don't know how "engaging" they are, but they are pretty darn useful during a race when you're dealing with lactic acid. Or is lactate production eliminated by TI? You know, a few years ago my wife and spent a weekend in Big Sur. I recommend it highly. Anyway, one of the locals told us that Big Sur is not a place but a state of mind.

RE: What do you think of total immersion?

Former Member — Sat, 25 Feb 2006 07:41:18 GMT

Originally posted by knelson I bet if you asked them they'd say they're moderate Democrats and you're a far right conservative! :D You would win that bet! Actually, they don't see me as being quite as extreme as I see them.

RE: What do you think of total immersion?

Former Member — Sat, 25 Feb 2006 06:41:03 GMT

Originally posted by knelson Good idea. I propose the subject of TI is off limits during the dinner. Terry and Ion (T&I...funny!) are both welcome, but this rule applies to them, as well ;) Sounds like a dinner with my in-laws! :D They are far left liberals and I am a moderate republican. Political discussion at family events is all but banned now. Just the same, it's a good idea. No sense in making an otherwise enjoyable occasion into a heated debate. As the time moves closer we can determine a time that is best for everybody. I am going only as a spectator and the venue is relatively close to home, roughly 70 miles, so I can go most anytime.

RE: What do you think of total immersion?

Former Member — Sat, 25 Feb 2006 06:19:38 GMT

Need to join a Masters Club close to the border so I can get USM card. Belligham? Wash who should I contact re workout times and getting signed up or is there a pool in Blaine? I will race this year. or email me swim_downhill@yahoo.ca