I am interested in knowing what swimming theory you use and why you use it. I hear much about Total Immersion and not just from this forum. I hear much about swimming high on the water slightly looking forward, and I hear much about people developing their own swimming theory best suited for them but using guidelines that help them maintain a technical stroke.
Given all these different theories, it is no wonder that swimmers new to the sport are confused as to whom to listen to.
I borrowed the TI book from a friend a year or so ago, and found several things I agreed with, but more that I didn’t. I am not close-minded, I just cannot find a reason to swim so low in the water with the head looking down. The rolling of the shoulders really concerned me and the fact that so much of the body is low-parallel to the water, this has to increase drag, especially on the shoulders. One thing I will say is most people who swim using TI have beautiful strokes. But, and there is a but, they just don’t swim fast. Maybe I have just been so isolated here on this island that I have not heard of any, but are there any Olympians using TI? Or, will the young-uns using it be our next generation?
There is a USMS club in Fort Worth who advocated TI. Sadly, now they are deconstructing all those methods because no matter what the workout and intensity, their swimmers’ speeds could never develop. I get to speak to many triathlete swimmers here every March. The Elite (professional) swimmers swim high on top of the water looking forward and they use hip rotation, not shoulder rolling. Many of the age-groupers in this event just don’t understand why they are not swimming faster using TI. Now, we all know that most of the triathletes who were swimmers first, and runners and bikers second, always fare better in the swim portion.
I have said this before and I will say it again, there is more than one way to swim. I swim higher on top of the water looking forward, about a yard or two and use hip rotation. The reason for this is picture a person throwing a rock that skims the lake. The rock is flying on top of the water and not in it, so it moves much faster until its momentum ceases. Now, I know people are not rocks, but the principle is founded. Swimming on top of the water generates power and the swimmer can truly feel it. I swim slightly “planed” outward and upward and skim over the water, not in it.
Nowadays, because I am older and carry more weight, I swim not quite as high on the water and this has evolved over the last ten years or so. So even though I started out swimming “high” on the water looking forward, my stroke has become my own personal one that suits me very well. I also want to mention that I am referring to only freestyle here even though with all of my backstroke days, I, again, swam rather “planed” upward because I could get more rotation on top of the water rather than “in” the water.
I am not trying to cause a brou-ha-ha. I am just curious about the swimming theories and why people select them. And after swimming with any specific theory, are you happy with it?
Donna
Donna, I think what some swimmers who have swum for eons forget is how hard it is to learn as an adult. What TI taught me is that position. My legs sink very fast in a straight float without a kick. Even before I lost weight, they did, so it is not about body fat. TI got me into a better position for that, to utilize my kick better. I have strong legs from a lot of cycling, and have a very good kick. If my legs are scraping the bottom, it does no good.
However, I have a friend who also is a beginner from adulthood. I suggested TI to him because he was so frustrated, and in viewing his swimming, I thought it might help. So he "dove" in and applied it, and it helped his form tremendously. He got fanatactical about how many strokes he was taking, and he was getting down to fewer and fewer. He would excitely tell me what he did that day in number of strokes. Personally,I don't do a lot of stroke counting, because once I got my balance, I went on to improving endurance and speed, and stroke count every once in a while.
Anyway, after doing the stroke counting thing for a while he came to me in frustration one day and told me he stroke count was wonderful, but his speed was not getting any faster. That was when I told him to take a couple days of his swimming and start doing intervals and speed work and not do the stroke count stuff on that day. I told him his stroke count would likely increase, but now he was working on building speed. I told him not to give up the stroke count days entirely, to keep the muscle memory stuff going. That seem to work for him and his speed started to increase. He was just spending too much time on technique and no time on speed.
In watching the age groupers for 11 years, and learning to swim myself the last 6 years, I think swimming is not a once size fits all. You need to apply a theory, a technique, and tweak it for your own body's limitations.
Donna, I think what some swimmers who have swum for eons forget is how hard it is to learn as an adult. What TI taught me is that position. My legs sink very fast in a straight float without a kick. Even before I lost weight, they did, so it is not about body fat. TI got me into a better position for that, to utilize my kick better. I have strong legs from a lot of cycling, and have a very good kick. If my legs are scraping the bottom, it does no good.
However, I have a friend who also is a beginner from adulthood. I suggested TI to him because he was so frustrated, and in viewing his swimming, I thought it might help. So he "dove" in and applied it, and it helped his form tremendously. He got fanatactical about how many strokes he was taking, and he was getting down to fewer and fewer. He would excitely tell me what he did that day in number of strokes. Personally,I don't do a lot of stroke counting, because once I got my balance, I went on to improving endurance and speed, and stroke count every once in a while.
Anyway, after doing the stroke counting thing for a while he came to me in frustration one day and told me he stroke count was wonderful, but his speed was not getting any faster. That was when I told him to take a couple days of his swimming and start doing intervals and speed work and not do the stroke count stuff on that day. I told him his stroke count would likely increase, but now he was working on building speed. I told him not to give up the stroke count days entirely, to keep the muscle memory stuff going. That seem to work for him and his speed started to increase. He was just spending too much time on technique and no time on speed.
In watching the age groupers for 11 years, and learning to swim myself the last 6 years, I think swimming is not a once size fits all. You need to apply a theory, a technique, and tweak it for your own body's limitations.
