I think swimming is consuming my life and I've been doing it for less than 3 weeks
Former Member
At first, I was on vacation and I saw my girlfriend swim a few laps and thought, "Gosh, I should really take some lessons and learn how to do that."
Then it was, "I should really do some online research to complement my lessons."
Then, "I might as well start participating in some of these swimming forums."
Then I needed more time to practice, so I started going to rec swims. I'm now getting a SECOND instructor for a different perspective in addition to my on-my-own rec swim time.
And all the time I'm not in the pool, I'm watching videos, reading forums and articles, learning about top swimmers, going out to buy goggles (tonight), and generally wanting to get back in the water and practice...
All this and I can barely frakken swim a length in anything other than backstroke! Jesus. I'm taking "addictive personality" to new levels here. What on earth did I do with my life before three weeks ago?
And what implications does this have for the rest of my life? The first 23 years on dry-land are looking more and more like a write-off in comparison to the satisfaction I get from being in the water -- when it isn't in my nose, ears, mouth, and eyes, that is.
I spent a lot of time on dry land practicing my dancing and these days, I teach it. Because my dancing is automatic -- I "just do it" without thinking -- I can't really remember what it was like NOT to be able to do it.
In the same sense, I've had a lot of people say to me, "You're just learning to swim now? I can't imagine what it would be like NOT to be able to swim." I think I can relate.
Swimming is like golf. Donna.
Donna:
Yes, it is so horrible. Defaming even.
OK, I agree on technique part. But, come on, swimming is an endurance sport. Golfers don't get "pooped." Last time I checked, there were some mighty unhealthy looking guys out on the golf course. And I'm not just talking about country clubs. Now that weight-lifting Woods guy is an exception.
As for TI: I'm a very technically-minded person and I come from an engineering background.
Alphathree:
I wish my husband had your great attitude. He is a great athlete, but thinks he can't swim a single length of the pool.
If you are a techno-whiz, I suggest you consult KaizenSwimmer or Lindsay's posts. You could also watch clips from GeoChuck's numerous links.
welcome to the world of swimming! :drink:
your post made me laugh. sounds like you're a natural and if you keep at it, you should be quite the swimmer. it's so cool you're so motivated and doing this at this time in your life, for you, for fun. :cool: that's what masters swimming is all about, i'm learning. :cool:
Alphathree,
Slow down and take it easy and try to enjoy it. Learning to swim correctly is not something that is learned in weeks, months, or sometimes years. You need a good coach. Short of that, you need to find someone who swims well (and you probably can tell because of your research), and have them work with you. Swimmers are good at helping those with poor stroke because we know how hard it is on a person who swims "badly." If you see a "good swimmer" in the water, talk to them.
Not everyone is a good coach; many think they are, but I have met more "coaches" who teach the four strokes totally incorrectly. I think they must have "read" it somewhere rather than had good stroke development in their life. Keep doing your research and watch those online videos. Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.
Also, regardless of your dryland conditioning, you have to get into swimming conditioning. It is a totally different thing with breath control, stroke timing, body balance. The better swimming conditioning you are in, the better your stroke may become because it won't be so "difficult."
If you want to get into swimming conditioning but are afraid your stroke will develop incorrectly until you get some good advice, try doing underwater drills. There is a drill called Under/Over. If you have not heard of this, let me know and I'll try to explain it in 10 words or less. These are anaerobic and build a swimmer's lungs to almost equal that of a small pony. Also, freestyle speed kick with a board. Do 25's. Maybe one fast 25, one slow 25, etc. You can certainly improve your swimming conditioning with kicking drills until you find someone who can truly help you.
Is there a master swimming program in your area? They almost always have workouts for those less experienced, as well as lanes dedicated to those swimmers. When I had my shoulder surgeries, I had to join those lanes for several months as I could not use my arms.
Swimming is like golf, it is technique and it takes time to find that proper technique for you.
In the meantime, keep asking those great questions here as you have been doing. As a lifelong swimmer, I am in awe that you are not only interested, but are trying to find ways to improve your water skill. Regardless of what anyone else around you might say. Swimming can be beneficial to you for the rest of your life. I am 58 and I can tell you, I will be swimming until my heart stops, even if someone has to help me onto the starting blocks when I reach age 85. And when my life is over, I want to be buried in a two-piece Speedo and put in a tupperware bowl and set adrift in the sea.
Oops, sorry this is long.
Like Nemo, Keep on Swimming :groovy:
Donna
I just bought the revised version of Total Immersion but apparently it's only good for freestyle.
Are the principles applicable to any stroke?
I don't use TI nor do I endorse it's teachings. The person best suited to answer that question is KaizenSwimmer/Terry Laughlin, who is a TI advocate.
If you are antsy, you could look online for the answer to your question.
Breathing is much easier when you are going faster. One thing I've suggested to beginners(with mixed success,great for some not for others) is get a snorkle,preferably center-mount. Then you can swim without turning your head to breath. Good luck. If you are going to have something consume your life swimming is the best thing.
Sprinter Girl,
Not really, it's technical as is swimming correctly. And I didn't mean putt-putt golf we take our kids to. You know, smooth movements, make the most out of the swing, or pull in swimming. I see people swinging with all their might at a little golf ball, and I have seen people swimming with arms flailing about and kicking out of the water: all that used up energy to not hit that little ball, nor do they swim very far very fast but they sure are pooped!!
islandsox: thanks for the thorough response.
I can't really "slow down" -- I'm a jittery person and I always need something to occupy me physically and mentally. So aside from sex, sleeping, and eating, swimming just happens to be "it" right now and for the foreseeable future. =)
I'm actually scared to death of talking to anyone in the water other than my instructor.
In fact, two guys laughed at me today when, after several laps of kicking drills, I got really tired and started sinking and my recovery wasn't, shall we say, graceful? Anyway, I didn't take it too personally, but it doesn't make me want to talk to any of those people. Who am I to disturb their swimming?
(And yes, I'm normally a very easy-going and social person.)
Keep in mind that up until a few years ago, I would literally feel sick to my stomach at the smell of chlorine... not out of fear of water, but because it represented this skeleton in my closet that I had never really dealt with. It was really hard for me to get into a pool for the first time not because the water bothered me, but because there was nothing productive I could do with it -- and I knew everyone else could.
In high school I had to drudge through these swimming "lessons". (Note: "lesson" = "okay, everyone get in and do ten laps"). That didn't help.
Since I've started this little journey of mine, I've been casually pinging people -- "hey, are you much of a swimmer?" Having walked around on the planet for 23 years thinking everyone I passed could swim 10 beautiful freestyle laps with ease, it's been interesting to find out that, in fact, many people are very weak swimmers or can only just barely stay afloat.
It's changed my mental map of reality. Just imagine how you'd feel if you thought absolutely everyone else could do this simple thing that you couldn't. Now that I find out that's not the case-- a) it isn't all that simple and b) everyone else can't necessarily do it very well -- it's been a real mind-screw.
Anyway, maybe my new, second instructor will be better. I've decided that I want to be in the pool once a day. Any more than that doesn't give my muscles time to rest. Any less and I get restless. The next four weeks I will have five -- yes, you heard right, five -- private lessons per week with my two instructors. I think of the privates as times when I can experiment and practice and have someone point out my mistakes without all the pressure of having a dozen other swimmers zipping around the pool confusing me.
I'd like to be able to passably swim freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke and hopefully tread water by Christmas because I'm going to Mexico for a few weeks. I might not reach all of my goals, but I'm going to (almost) die trying.
As for TI: I'm a very technically-minded person and I come from an engineering background.
For example, when I teach dancing, I will spend as many 1-hour lessons as necessary explaining to people what it means to have their shoulders and lats engaged, their arms relaxed, their fingers engaged, and their center of mass back on their heels. People just want to learn "the steps," but I insisted that they do it well.
From what I understand about TI, it takes the same approach for swimming. I think I "get" where the author is coming from on that. I don't want to be fast -- I have no plans to compete. I want to be effortless. In the same way, I dance not to be showy (some people are performance dancers), but to FEEL GOOD while I do it.
So there's my life philosophy. And holy cow, did my post ever get long. If you read this far, congratulations. :blah:
