OK, my new year resolution was to get back into swimming, and I've been doing very well building from essentially a zero base (I've always been the "last kid picked in gym class" sedentary geek, and haven't swum a lap in at least 4 years), using Katz's Swimming for Total Fitness. I'm enjoying this more than any exercise I've done since I had to quit martial arts a few years back, I suspect because the emphasis on form is similar to that, and allows me to use my brain a lot more than when I'm plodding along on the track or treadmill.
For those of you who know the book, I'm up to fundamentals lesson 3, and am deliberately taking it slowly to make sure I actually learn the skills being taught. I like the book, the explanations are more or less clear (I'm still working my way up to that push-up pool exit thanks to a high deck, short arms, and crap upper body strength), and it will eventually teach me all four strokes. However, it doesn't really get into the intricacies of form, and while I'm in the early stages of doing kick sets, I feel like I'm flailing around in the pool to very little purpose as I splutter my way through :50 25s. While I've no delusions of looking like Dara Torres in the water, if a few form changes now would make my life simpler, I'm all for that.
Enter Fitness Swimming by Hines. I got this one as part of a package deal from amazon with my goggles & swim cap, and I only cracked it open last night. In the first 20 pages I found that I was doing at least 2 things wrong, and clear instruction on how to fix them. To be clear, the books didn't contradict, they just emphasize different things in their "newbie" workouts--Katz cares more about breathing skills and general endurance, while Hines emphasizes learning how to streamline and advocates a swim snorkel in the early workouts, and not even bothering with trying to learn how to breathe yet. however, his early workouts, at least on paper, look a tad too easy from a endurance standpoint.
If one was clearly better than the other, to my inexperienced eye, I'd change and be done with it. that's part of why I'm asking--to see if one of these books is generally more regarded than the other. my goals right now are pretty basic, but ultimately I would like to focus on distance swimming, perhaps even compete locally in the 1500 and try my hand at a postal swim. I also hope to get involved with some sort of club or training program, but the only semi-local one I could find is about a 20 minute drive from my house, and if I can be frank, I'm a bit timid about going to a "real" workout with folks like you when I can barely get through 200 yards of flutter kicking. My local rec center (10 minutes from the house, and around the corner from my work) is a great place to work out, but just offers the standard kiddie swim lessons and rather lame-looking "noodle classes", which I refuse to attend on general principle (I have this strange desire to get in shape, thank you). Water temp's OK for me, but probably would seem a tad high for more advanced folks (low 80s).
Thanks again for any advice you can give on a good starter program, and while I don't have much to add to the conversation, I've enjoyed lurking the past couple weeks and hope to stick around!
Sarah
Parents
Former Member
Proper head position is very important.
That's probably why Coach Hines is advocating the snorkel.
Too many swimmers, both new and old, raise their heads to breathe. Not good.
If your head stays down, the hips will ride much higher in the water.
Instant drag reduction. And that's what you want.
Proper head position is very important.
That's probably why Coach Hines is advocating the snorkel.
Too many swimmers, both new and old, raise their heads to breathe. Not good.
If your head stays down, the hips will ride much higher in the water.
Instant drag reduction. And that's what you want.
