Have any of you made huge improvments in your swimming within the past couple of years, or since beginning swimming? If so, what were the improvments you made? What were you doing in training in order to make these improvments?
Have any of you made large improvments recently?
Parents
Former Member
Had basic swim lessons as a kid, didn't do very well at it. Didn't swim for about 25 years, except for the occasional attempt here and there.
Took up swimming in 1998 after knees got wrecked in a car accident. Was just as bad at it as I remembered, averaging 38 strokes and nearly a minute to swim 25m front crawl. Even worse at other strokes. Plugged away, eventually worked up to a mile in about 50 minutes.
Took stroke improvement classes, saw a tiny bit of improvement, worked on balance drills from Total Immersion book, saw a bit more improvement. Got down to average of 28 strokes and a 42 minute mile.
Developed insane desire to learn butterfly after watching someone else do it. Took more lessons, read up on butterfly, eventually learned to do something that could actually be recognised as such.
Took T.I. lessons from local coach, got stroke count down to 23-25 range, mile time into 37 minute range. Developed insane desire to do a Swimtrek tour, entered local 2.5k open water race as part of the training, was just happy to finish in unimpressive time of 1:19. Did Swimtrek tour and got hooked on open water swimming.
Took more lessons, entered two more open water races, unimpressive times, but generally happy with performance. Recently got stroke times down into 19-22 range. Recently got under 30 seconds for 25m and wasn't sprinting eyeballs-out to do it. Still too slow to enter a pool meet, but getting better all the time, and actually swimming better at age 50 than at age 18.
I'd have to say that working on technique is the most important thing. When I just swam laps, my fitness improved but my swimming didn't.
Had basic swim lessons as a kid, didn't do very well at it. Didn't swim for about 25 years, except for the occasional attempt here and there.
Took up swimming in 1998 after knees got wrecked in a car accident. Was just as bad at it as I remembered, averaging 38 strokes and nearly a minute to swim 25m front crawl. Even worse at other strokes. Plugged away, eventually worked up to a mile in about 50 minutes.
Took stroke improvement classes, saw a tiny bit of improvement, worked on balance drills from Total Immersion book, saw a bit more improvement. Got down to average of 28 strokes and a 42 minute mile.
Developed insane desire to learn butterfly after watching someone else do it. Took more lessons, read up on butterfly, eventually learned to do something that could actually be recognised as such.
Took T.I. lessons from local coach, got stroke count down to 23-25 range, mile time into 37 minute range. Developed insane desire to do a Swimtrek tour, entered local 2.5k open water race as part of the training, was just happy to finish in unimpressive time of 1:19. Did Swimtrek tour and got hooked on open water swimming.
Took more lessons, entered two more open water races, unimpressive times, but generally happy with performance. Recently got stroke times down into 19-22 range. Recently got under 30 seconds for 25m and wasn't sprinting eyeballs-out to do it. Still too slow to enter a pool meet, but getting better all the time, and actually swimming better at age 50 than at age 18.
I'd have to say that working on technique is the most important thing. When I just swam laps, my fitness improved but my swimming didn't.
