Advice Needed - Focus on endurance or technique?

Hey dorian -- I'm not sure what your goals are. If I recall correctly, you're a new swimmer like me. It sounds like we've each approached swimming differently. You've focused (primarily) on stamina -- practicing laps very often -- whereas I've focused (primarily) on stroke technique -- taking four lessons per week, plus TI drills. The result is that I'm almost certain you could beat me in a 25 yard sprint. And if that's your goal, great. Personally, I just want to swim well and enjoy myself. I don't want to compete and I don't have any particular fitness goals -- although if I become more fit, I'm certainly not going to complain. The result of focusing on stroke technique is that I can swim 25 yards of freestyle with a 2-beat kick and just a few strokes, breathing maybe twice or three times and be very relaxed at the other end. And I'm just a beginner. I think the thing to remember is that the vast majority of folks on this board are competitive, life-long swimmers whereas you and I are new swimmers. We have completely different goals than a competitive swimmer. I used to be into body building. I didn't want to be arnold. I just wanted to build a bit of muscle. I had the same problem as I have with swimming -- all of the advice is geared toward people who want to be huge and ripped. Supplements. Complicated diet plans. Tricky workouts. The secret to body building for average Joe is good form, high intensity, rest, water, and a balanced 'meat and potatoes' diet. The rest of the stuff is crap that you can throw out unless you want to be a pro body builder and not just a dude with nice pecs. If I were training for a competition, I'm sure I would be terribly concerned with my stamina and endurance. But the only thing I'm training for is that time when I accidently get thrown off a boat, or that time when I go on vacation and I want to impress everyone by swimming effortlessly across the hotel's pool. For those situations, it's stroke technique that I'll need. I think there's a false dilemma between the positions of KaizenSwimmer and islandsox (er, Terry and Donna?). In order to compete, you obviously need stamina. And in order to be world-class, I would guess that you need your "own" style of stroke -- but I have no idea. And I suppose that's Donna's point. But whether you're a beginner swimmer or an expert swimmer, why wouldn't you want to swim in the most comfortable, efficient and easiet way possible? And I think that's Terry's point. I don't see how the two are incompatible. Anyway, yay for swimming. I'm hopelessly addicted now...

Hey dorian -- I'm not sure what your goals are. If I recall correctly, you're a new swimmer like me. It sounds like we've each approached swimming differently. You've focused (primarily) on stamina -- practicing laps very often -- whereas I've focused (primarily) on stroke technique -- taking four lessons per week, plus TI drills. The result is that I'm almost certain you could beat me in a 25 yard sprint. And if that's your goal, great. Personally, I just want to swim well and enjoy myself. I don't want to compete and I don't have any particular fitness goals -- although if I become more fit, I'm certainly not going to complain. The result of focusing on stroke technique is that I can swim 25 yards of freestyle with a 2-beat kick and just a few strokes, breathing maybe twice or three times and be very relaxed at the other end. And I'm just a beginner. I think the thing to remember is that the vast majority of folks on this board are competitive, life-long swimmers whereas you and I are new swimmers. We have completely different goals than a competitive swimmer. I used to be into body building. I didn't want to be arnold. I just wanted to build a bit of muscle. I had the same problem as I have with swimming -- all of the advice is geared toward people who want to be huge and ripped. Supplements. Complicated diet plans. Tricky workouts. The secret to body building for average Joe is good form, high intensity, rest, water, and a balanced 'meat and potatoes' diet. The rest of the stuff is crap that you can throw out unless you want to be a pro body builder and not just a dude with nice pecs. If I were training for a competition, I'm sure I would be terribly concerned with my stamina and endurance. But the only thing I'm training for is that time when I accidently get thrown off a boat, or that time when I go on vacation and I want to impress everyone by swimming effortlessly across the hotel's pool. For those situations, it's stroke technique that I'll need. I think there's a false dilemma between the positions of KaizenSwimmer and islandsox (er, Terry and Donna?). In order to compete, you obviously need stamina. And in order to be world-class, I would guess that you need your "own" style of stroke -- but I have no idea. And I suppose that's Donna's point. But whether you're a beginner swimmer or an expert swimmer, why wouldn't you want to swim in the most comfortable, efficient and easiet way possible? And I think that's Terry's point. I don't see how the two are incompatible. Anyway, yay for swimming. I'm hopelessly addicted now...