Good stroke/techinque video on swimming for beginners?

I'm a very visual person so I've gotten a lot from the GoSwim videos - in addition, they have lots of drills for all the strokes available for viewing online. Specifically, I bought the Brendan Hansen breaststroke and Aaron Peirsol backstroke DVDs and loved them. For butterfly, Misty Hyman's stroke is used for reference. I also just noticed that they have an Open Water DVD...not sure how good that one is, but the videos and drills I've seen were great IMO and others have said the same. Just google GoSwim and it comes right up.

What age are you? Do you consider your self a good swimmer? Best course of action join a masters club if you are in the right age group, most have a begginers lane. Depending on your skill level you should take swimming lessons. I don't like most books, you are left to words that are very easy to missinterpret. I think that my freestyle is good. My breakstroke is okay but needs brushing up. I also swim elementary backstroke to vary sometimes. I don't do fly or backstroke because I know my shoulders can't handle it. I don't know how to dive correctly and I just started a couple weeks ago after a few years (4-5?) break. I don't even know how to choose the right equipment. I'd like a good reliable reference to get this information from. Should I go for a private coach? Are personal coaches the best method to learn strokes? I don't want to become a "professional." I just want to learn the correct technique to maximize my workout and to stay healthy and fit while minimizing the injuries I get. I'm 16 years old who has a fairly fit body (lean/sort of muscular)

Private coaches can be costly. I charge in Canada $100.00 an hour. When I am in Mexico I charge $60 an hour. Our local recreation pool charges $25 for 8 45 min lessons with 5 to 10 in a class. I am sure you can learn all your skills from the internet free of charge. The fastest way to get help is to have someone video you swimming amd post your video on youtube. Everyone here will give you suggestions. You can watch videos here. www.expertvillage.com/.../4128_competitive-freestyle.htm

What age are you? Do you consider your self a good swimmer? Best course of action join a masters club if you are in the right age group, most have a begginers lane. Depending on your skill level you should take swimming lessons. I don't like most books, you are left to words that are very easy to missinterpret.

I'm with George on this on! Work with an Instructor/Coach so you get the mechanics/technique correct, then start "training".

What a shame that you would have to depend on a DVD or book to learn how to swim. Are you now able to swim butterfly or are you a butterfrogger which is not really butterfly. I swim butterfly. At least, people seem to recognise it as such. They'll say "Oh, you're working on butterfly", as opposed to "What the heck are you doing???

I'm with George on this on! Work with an Instructor/Coach so you get the mechanics/technique correct, then start "training". However her'es my extra two cents: IF your area has more than one coach, I'd suggest seeing each's team in practice and try to determine which team "overall" seems to have the best technique; i.e., the smoothest, and -yes- prettiest- swimming styles, least splash, effortless swimming. Which coach seems to -occasionally- talk to swimmers individually and seems to be showing them "how to do" rather than just bellowing all the time, "Now", "Now", "Harder", "John are you sleeping?", "Mario, I don't see you sweating." Too many coaches do not bother with teaching technique but rely on work, work, work, distance, distance, distance, speed, speed, speed. But at the end of the day you might find that you have no choice. In which case you will need to look at a lot of videos, DVDs and read a lot.

I've gotten a great deal of information from the Total Immersion DVDs. Yes, it's better to have an instructor if possible, but when I took "Adult Stroke Improvement" lessons as an adult I got virtually no stroke correction and what I got was so vague and confusing as to be pretty much useless. None of the instructors were willing or able to teach me butterfly when I decided to learn it. Masters clubs here have long waiting lists and can afford to turn away swimmers who aren't already good, so that wasn't an option either. The books and DVDs were what I eventually turned to in frustration and I feel that they did get me on the right path.

What a shame that you would have to depend on a DVD or book to learn how to swim. Are you now able to swim butterfly or are you a butterfrogger which is not really butterfly. I've gotten a great deal of information from the Total Immersion DVDs. Yes, it's better to have an instructor if possible, but when I took "Adult Stroke Improvement" lessons as an adult I got virtually no stroke correction and what I got was so vague and confusing as to be pretty much useless. None of the instructors were willing or able to teach me butterfly when I decided to learn it. Masters clubs here have long waiting lists and can afford to turn away swimmers who aren't already good, so that wasn't an option either. The books and DVDs were what I eventually turned to in frustration and I feel that they did get me on the right path.