Alright, im new to this site, Im not a usual swimmer but i recently got in the pool and feel in love. I quickly made friends at the local pool on-base. Im a United States Marine with hopes and dreams in Becoming a Reconnaissaince Marine. In other words Marines with Gills. They are like the SEAL's from the Navy and Pararescue from the Air Force. The guys at the pool quickly tought me how to swim "the right way" cross-over and *** stroke as well as the Side-stroke and other technics. i go to the pool everyday. My biggest problem is dealing with the underwater 25 meter swim. To become a Recon Marine i have to accomplish the following....
1) 500 meter swim with out touching the floor in under 17min.
2) 30 min. tread
3) Deep end Rifle retreaval and then treading water for 5 sec.
4) 5 min. water float by using trousers as floating devise
5) 25 Meter underwater swim (my problem)
I have no problem with any of the others but the 25 meter kills me only because i feel like my lungs are going to explode. is there any tips of any kind out there that can prepare me for my "indoc" or evaluation to see if im sea worthy and serve as a Recon Marine. Thanks for hearing me out. :banana:
I always take a bunch of deep but fast breaths before taking the breath that I'll hold for the underwater swim. Something just short of hyperventilating, but sort of like that. I feel it flexes my lungs out and gets them ready for a really deep breath. Breasstroke pullouts and kicks is the way to go (for me at least), as you can (theoretically) get good distance with each pull/kick without wasting too much energy. How far you can swim under water is a function of how long you can hold your breath and how fast you can make it across the pool without expending a ton of energy (which depletes oxygen).
Good tip
I disagree. This is actually a dangerous tip. Taking deep quick breaths will cause the CO2 level in your blood to drop, so it will trick your brain into thinking it doesn't need air (the urge to breathe is triggered by increases in CO2, not O2 debt). This will allow you to stay underwater longer, but you could also pass out. I think a safer strategy is to relax and take a few deep but slow breaths before starting.
For more info on this read this article in Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/.../Shallow_water_blackout
I disagree. This is actually a dangerous tip. Taking deep quick breaths will cause the CO2 level in your blood to drop, so it will trick your brain into thinking it doesn't need air (the urge to breathe is triggered by increases in CO2, not O2 debt). This will allow you to stay underwater longer, but you could also pass out. I think a safer strategy is to relax and take a few deep but slow breaths before starting.
For more info on this read this article in Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/.../Shallow_water_blackout
I changed my mind. It's a good tip for me but I wouldn't recommend it to anybody else. I know where to draw my own lines. If you don't, then don't hyperventilate!
Keep in mind that when you start to feel the urge to breathe, you still have enough oxygen for 15 seconds (or something on that order). So what other people said: relaxed so you delay getting into oxygen debt, breathing out slowly (positive pressure on the lungs helps), and realizing you still have time when the lungs *start* bursting.
Former Member
I always take a bunch of deep but fast breaths before taking the breath that I'll hold for the underwater swim. How far you can swim under water is a function of how long you can hold your breath and how fast you can make it across the pool without expending a ton of energy (which depletes oxygen).
Good tip..normal breathing does not provide max oxygenation of the body..several really deep breaths and trickle out breathing through the nose can greatly increase the time you can hold your breath..breathe deep down in the belly and fully expand lungs and belly (it's a yoga practice),fill 'em up and push off..good idea to practice for a week or so on land once a day to get the technique and timing..
Former Member
1- How far or how long you go without breathing is FIRST an action controlled by the accumulation of C02 in your blood. Later, much later, a whole lot later than 25 meters you would eventually need oxygen. What gives you the urge to come up for a breath is the carbon dioxide accumulating. What causes C02 buildup is energy expenditure and lack of breathing, or respiratory movements (to eliminate the C02)
2- If you swim fast you will get to the other side sooner, but if you swim fast you will accumulate C02 faster. If you swim slow you will accumulate C02 by not eliminating it with breathing. So you must find a point of equilibrium where you will reach the other side with slow deliberate movements.
3- If you hold your breath for a little past the point of despair or complete panic, you will enter a "second wind" zone of confort which will carry you another 5 or 10 or more meters forward.
4- All above is only for crossing a swimming pool. If you are going to dive deep other factors would come in and make it DANGEROUS to try for a "second wind" or try hiperventilating to eliminate C02 prior to the diving.
5- Lastly and with apologies for the seemingly professoral language, the main force that will take you across the pool will be mental, not training physically, nor bettering your lungs or cardiovascular capacity or whatever. The urge to breathe is powerfull but you can get some extra yards (or meters) by training to not come up at first urge to breathe, hold on a little and you will find a surprising quiet peacefull extra yardage. Take care, billy fanstone
One thing that might help you is to stay relaxed. Don't try to go as fast as you can. Stay as streamlined as you can when not stroking. Take big, powerful pulls and kicks then streamline. If you try to kick constantly it will really use your oxygen up fast. The quads are big muscles that consume lots of oxygen. With good form an underwater 25 is a piece of cake.
Former Member
Question what stroke are you doing underwater?
Streamline flutter kick with *** stroke pull?
Streamline dolphin kick w/ *** stroke pull?
Streamline dolphin kick only?
Streamline flutter kick only?
*** stroke pull and kick?
Just a guess, but a bad stroke can slow you down and wear you out.
If your *** stroke kick is more like a scissor kick, you wont' be going any where fast.
After you get a good stroke technique, then it's a lot of practice, practice, practice
I can go a little more than half way in at 25 yard pool. Streamline dolphin kicking then adding a *** stroke pull after reaching the half way mark. But I can go farther doing a streamline dolphin kick after a back stroke start or turn, than I can doing a dolphin kick after a freestyle flip turn - working on that.
Former Member
Practice this only when you are supervised, not when you are swimming alone or with others who aren't paying attention. I know of too many incidents where people passed out but had somebody ready to fish them out.
Swimming "relaxed" is key like Kirk pointed. Focus on ONLY using the muscles you need, nothing else!
Former Member
1-
... the main force that will take you across the pool will be mental, not training physically, nor bettering your lungs or cardiovascular capacity or whatever.
Now this is interesting. I thought you could somehow 'expand' your lung capacity through training.
Syd
