Hey, solo swimmers! :wave: Welcome to the thread for all of us who train solo. Whether you train on your own due to a lack of a Masters team in your area (or for any other reason), this is our virtual locker room. Please post training tips that you think would be helpful, or anything else you would like to share with the rest of us. Have a rant? Go ahead and vent here! :rantonoff:
I'll start with a tip:
The most frustrating thing for me training solo is not having a coach on deck to evaluate my stroke and keep me on track, so I bought a waterproof camera and enlisted the help of my husband to periodically shoot video of all four strokes. Shooting underwater video became a knee/back buster, so I bought a camera mount and attached it to PVC pipe, so my husband could stand up straight to shoot underwater video. The camera gets dunked underwater, and he twists the pipe to pan the camera as I swim by.
Today, I bought a 2-pack of 12-inch "Gear Tie" reusable rubber twist ties (available at Home Depot), so I can tie the PVC pipe to the pool ladder (located in the corner of the pool) and shoot video myself. (If I angle the camera just right and keep it on wide angle, I can video me coming and going.)
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After each video session, I upload the videos to my desktop computer and compare my stroke to my favorite Go Swim stroke videos to see what I'm doing well (or not). I also post them on the Forums for feedback.
Ok, solo swimmers, what's your tip?
I'm sorry to hear you're discouraged, ssumargo. As Denise said, a lot of people don't belong to a team, or they only compete with a team, but train on their own. That's the case with me and many people on my Georgia Masters Killer Whales team. The only time I ever see my teammates is at meets.
Regarding the workouts on this site, don't give up on them so quickly, because they are excellent! :agree: Workouts are offered for so many types of swimmers that I am sure you will fit into one of those categories. As for not being able to swim butterfly, there is no need to feel ashamed! There are many Masters swimmers who don't (or can't) swim fly, so you're not alone! Just substitute another stroke any time you see "butterfly" in a workout. The same goes for dolphin kick. Substitute another kick; it's that easy! Many swimmers do just that.
Giving up and quitting is not the answer. :nono: How would that make you feel about yourself? Denise's suggestion to find a coach is an excellent suggestion. I live to far away from the closest Masters team, so I went to the closest public pool and asked if they could refer me to a coach. They gave me the name of the kids' swim team coach who has a program at that pool. We worked out a deal where I paid him by the hour for occasional sessions. I also had my husband shoot video from time to time, and I would post them on YouTube and send my coach the links. He would "coach" me via e-mail after viewing the videos and give me things to work on in between our sessions.
Don't discount watching videos. I disagree that you can only learn so much from them. I watch them daily, and I am constantly learning new things! Sign up for a free account at http://www.goswim.tv , and they will e-mail you excellent instructional videos. Swimspire also has some on her site: http://www.Swimspire.com , and I search out Total Immersion videos on YouTube.
In addition, Swimmer Magazine has excellent instructional articles and photos in every issue. Check out the back issues for what you missed before you joined!
Hey, it's time to make lemonade out of lemons, ok? I was down, because it was just too logistically difficult to train daily with a Masters team. Instead of quitting, I did some research and made things work for me. I LOVE Masters Swimming (and just bought the shirt at Swim Outlet :D ), and I will NEVER quit until I'm dead!
I'm sorry to hear you're discouraged, ssumargo. As Denise said, a lot of people don't belong to a team, or they only compete with a team, but train on their own. That's the case with me and many people on my Georgia Masters Killer Whales team. The only time I ever see my teammates is at meets.
Regarding the workouts on this site, don't give up on them so quickly, because they are excellent! :agree: Workouts are offered for so many types of swimmers that I am sure you will fit into one of those categories. As for not being able to swim butterfly, there is no need to feel ashamed! There are many Masters swimmers who don't (or can't) swim fly, so you're not alone! Just substitute another stroke any time you see "butterfly" in a workout. The same goes for dolphin kick. Substitute another kick; it's that easy! Many swimmers do just that.
Giving up and quitting is not the answer. :nono: How would that make you feel about yourself? Denise's suggestion to find a coach is an excellent suggestion. I live to far away from the closest Masters team, so I went to the closest public pool and asked if they could refer me to a coach. They gave me the name of the kids' swim team coach who has a program at that pool. We worked out a deal where I paid him by the hour for occasional sessions. I also had my husband shoot video from time to time, and I would post them on YouTube and send my coach the links. He would "coach" me via e-mail after viewing the videos and give me things to work on in between our sessions.
Don't discount watching videos. I disagree that you can only learn so much from them. I watch them daily, and I am constantly learning new things! Sign up for a free account at http://www.goswim.tv , and they will e-mail you excellent instructional videos. Swimspire also has some on her site: http://www.Swimspire.com , and I search out Total Immersion videos on YouTube.
In addition, Swimmer Magazine has excellent instructional articles and photos in every issue. Check out the back issues for what you missed before you joined!
Hey, it's time to make lemonade out of lemons, ok? I was down, because it was just too logistically difficult to train daily with a Masters team. Instead of quitting, I did some research and made things work for me. I LOVE Masters Swimming (and just bought the shirt at Swim Outlet :D ), and I will NEVER quit until I'm dead!
