Books for returning swimmer (sans coach)

Well, I have mine now, and I'm devouring them. I've taken a stroke off my pool length in freestyle right off the bat, and I'm adjusting my strength training routine. More to come! Well, do share. What books have benefited you and how?

ok go for it Thanks for the links! There's so much to absorb. My challenge now is triage -- choosing what to focus on first, second, third, etc. + pick specific goals, events + find a meet enter it + train often + swim fast in practice + time yourself or have some one time you on fast swims in practice + work on kicking faster + ask yourself "what do I need to do to swim faster?"

Well, do share. What books have benefited you and how? An update: I've started changing up my dry-land workout, and I like it so far. The only objection I have to CCFS's recommendations is the vertical row, which is a common item on lists of exercises to never do. So I've dropped that. I really like the posterior chain. Hadn't seen that one before. I've never been quite satisfied with back/shoulder exercises, but this one hits all the right spots! I've also started incorporating some drills from MS, and they're helping.

ok go for it pick specific goals events find a meet enter it train often swim fast in practice time yourself or have some one time you on fast swims in practice work on kicking faster ask yourself "what do I need to do to swim faster?" I'm a sprinter. In order -- backstroke, crawl, breaststroke. Or I should say, that's what I was. (Although I did win a state-level 500 once -- the only 500 I ever entered. They gambled on me when there was no alternative. I mis-paced it, coming out too strong early, but as it turned out I gained a lead no one else could close. Dumb luck.) We'll see if the years have made any changes. I'm not yet at the point of picking specific goal events. There's a lot of groundwork yet to be done. First, I have to get in swim-shape, rather than just general shape. I have to establish my training routine. Then, I have to judge my performance relative to current times. Once I've done that, then I can start to get more specific goals for competition. But I'm not in any hurry. I'm not going to slack off, either, but it will happen as I make it happen. As for training, right now I have an hour in the pool every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and an hour in the gym every Tuesday and Wednesday, and one weekend day I get 2 hours which I plan to split between gym and pool. One day a week I'll rest. I started with 2000 yard workouts, but this week I bumped it up to 3000 yards. After 3 weeks back in the water, that's comfortable for me in an hour. I'm still figuring out my workout pace. Unfortunately, I can't have anyone time me. I'm doing all this on my own. I have to keep track of it all in my head. A limitation, yes, but not one that I can't overcome. I've added more kicking to my regimen just this week. Leg cramps are turning out to be the bane of my existence. Any advice on stretching would be greatly appreciated. As for "What do I need to do to swim faster?", that's on my mind literally every second I'm in the water, and a lot of the time that I'm out of the water, too. I'm entirely focused on that. There's no way I can do what I intend to do otherwise.

I love this resource and love the stories. Here's mine - so far! I swam a bit as a youngster but was sent to a British boarding school aged 13 where going to church and wearing a suit were the two foremost technical skills taught outside of maths, English and Latin! Consequently I didn't swim much thereafter. My four kids are all in a swim squad and through a stroke of luck (a drop out) i was given a pair of briefs and asked to join the parent's race at a gala. I felt the competitive spirit rise and swam a 25 meter leg for the first time in 30 years. I felt awesome and came in pretty fast. I have been blessed with a swimmers physique which had gone south a bit. The head coach asked me to consider swimming with the masters and whilst I have the confidence I knew my fitness was woeful. I started lap swimming 20 minutes at first up to 90 minutes and four weeks ago started training with the masters. Here is my learning; 1. I was technically so poor no amount of books or youtube videos could or did help. I needed a coach to pick up and prioritise the amends to my stroke. 2. Lap swimming gave me too many excuses to ease off, coached swimming seems to work better for me. 3. The team spirit with the masters is great, we all have different goals and go different speeds but enjoy it. 4. Maglischo Swimming Fastest has been by the bed for a month and is invaluable at helping me understand why I am being asked to do what the coach asks. 5. My kick is horrible - like a dad, in a holiday swimming pool, showing off!!!! 6. I find this website invaluable - damn it - why are American things always better than British things!!! And back to the thread--------Swimming Fastest!! Richard

Thanks for the post... I totally relate! I swam competitively for 8 years as a kid. 5 of those years I was training 5 hours a day, 6 days a week. At one point I moved to Florida to swim for Mark Schubert at Mission Bay. I was swimming at a very high level, but got totally burnt out, and quit when I was 16. I'm now 34 and just started swimming again. I am loving being in the pool again... and trying to figure out how to get myself back into shape. I'm also 'sans coach' as the masters swim team in my area practices at 5am (I am currently a graduate student working on my thesis... 5am is just TOO early). These forums are a great place for inspiration and motivation. Thanks again!

Just an update... I'm still digging the books. When I cleaned off the kitchen table a while back, I moved them, then realized I'd stopped reading, so I started again. ETA: I carry them in my briefcase now. Just picked up another tip from "Mastering Swimming" -- listen to the arm entry on the freestyle. I thought my entry was fine, but I listened, and sure enough heard a "plop". So I changed my hand angle to match some of the photos, and used my own water sense and my ears to adjust. Immediately took a stroke off my pool length. Awesomeness!

Just an update... I'm still digging the books. When I cleaned off the kitchen table a while back, I moved them, then realized I'd stopped reading, so I started again. ETA: I carry them in my briefcase now. Just picked up another tip from "Mastering Swimming" -- listen to the arm entry on the freestyle. I thought my entry was fine, but I listened, and sure enough heard a "plop". So I changed my hand angle to match some of the photos, and used my own water sense and my ears to adjust. Immediately took a stroke off my pool length. Awesomeness! Very cool.

I always recommend Swim Faster Faster It's simple direct helpful and the tips really work. Hope to have an actual book for folks in 2010. in a different thread I mentioned these. here were some suggestions for books about swimming: Jon Urbanchek recommended the Talent Code but it's not about swimming Here's several that caught my eye as I browsed Swimming Fastest ~ Ernest W. Maglischo Age Is Just a Number: Achieve Your Dreams at Any Stage in Your Life ~ Dara Torres Complete Conditioning for Swimming ~ Dave Salo Triathlon Swimming Made Easy: The Total Immersion Way for Anyone to Master Open-Water Swimming (Paperback) Extraordinary Swimming For Every Body - a Total Immersion instructional book ~ Terry Laughlin Slow Fat Triathlete: Live Your Athletic Dreams in the Body You Have Now ~ Jayne Williams No Limits: The Will to Succeed ~ Michael Phelps Beneath the Surface ~ Michael Phelps Mastering Swimming (Masters Athlete) ~ Mo Chambers Young Woman and the Sea: How Trudy Ederle Conquered the English Channel and Inspired the World ~ Glenn Stout The New Rules of Lifting: Six Basic Moves for Maximum Muscle ~ Lou Schuler The Ultimate Guide To Weight Training For Swimming (Ultimate Guide to Weight Training for Swimming) (Ultimate Guide to Weight Training for Swimming) (Ultimate Guide to Weight Training for Swimming) ~ Robert G. Price Gold in the Water: The True Story of Ordinary Men and Their Extraordinary Dream of Olympic Glory ~ P. H. Mullen Fitness Swimming, Second Edition ~ Emmett W. Hines Golden Girl: How Natalie Coughlin Fought Back, Challenged Conventional Wisdom, and Became America's Olympic Champion ~ Michael Silver Masters Swimming: A Manual ~ Blythe Lucero The Swim Coaching Bible ~ *** Hannula The Man Who Swam the Amazon: 3,274 Miles on the World's Deadliest River ~ Matthew Mohlke

Another breakthrough from Mastering Swimming. Over the past week I used their method to teach myself butterfly! What a great book. I highly recommend it to anyone who's starting out, moving from fitness to competition, or getting back in the pool after a long time out. I haven't delved into Breakthrough Swimming much yet, and am looking forward to exploring that one more thoroughly. I have Swimming Fastest on my kitchen table and am slowing making progress. Just got Swimming Anatomy, too, and am quite impressed.