I've been reading through the different topics on this board and I came across a debate on TI (total immersion right?). Even with all the reading I did, I wasn't able to get an understanding of what exactly TI is. Can someone please explain?
I don't want to open a 'can of worms' and start another debate. Just asking for an explanation of the technique.
Former Member
TI is THE swimming method of this century. :eek:
Okay, not really. It is certainly one of the most controvertial of the century, that is for sure.
TI is all about mindful swimming and technique over strength. TI teaches swimming with "ideal" balance, body roll, and stroke as opposed to thousands of yards of paced sets with less regard for perfect form. It seems to be wildly succesful, especially amongst those who are newcomers to the world of swimming. In my opinion, if a program like TI can get more people into swimming and keep them there, more power to them.
I have a TI "Four Strokes Made Easy" DVD and it helped me tune up my freestyle and ***. I probably got just as much from my Kaitlin Sandeno and Erik Vendt DVD though. For somebody struggling in the pool I think TI is a great thing. For the athlete who is already accomplished in the pool it might not provide as much benefit.
Postcollegeswimr:
I am going to go a little futher on this topic than thewookie. If you really want to know how members feel about TI, I will direct you 2 Hot Threads.
Criticisim of TI Principals at forums.usms.org/showthread.php
What do think of Total Immersion at forums.usms.org/showthread.php
You will learn all you need about the debate. Be aware it can get lengthy and sometimes out of control.
Total Immersion is a company out of New York, founded by Terry Laughlin.
TI has a belief about the way swimming should be taught and how swimmers should swim. TI's mindset is that smart swimming is better than getting in the pool to pound out yardage.
TI believes that every lap should be purposeful and that the swimmer should learn something about what they are doing each time. This, according to Terry, helps led the swimmer to greater improvement than just swimming for swimming.
Each stroke has a series of drills, start with body balance and builds to whole stroke swimming. TI didn't create a lot of the drills, but they did put them together in a step by step plan and the market that plan.
If you want to read even more, visit them at www.totalimmersion.net
Thanks for the quick reply. I just read thread on "swim smart", and I figured that TI had something to do with triathletes and drills. Thanks for clearing that up!
