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 so tempted to ask the lifeguard to critic my form...
Better idea: Have somebody shoot video of your stroke, upload it to YouTube, and post it on the Forums in a new thread. If you ask for feedback, you will receive great critiques from your fellow Forumites. Many of them are FINA World Record holders, USMS American Record holders, or Top Ten swimmers with great advice! :agree:
P.S. I'm not one of those (top swimmers)! :shakeshead:
Awesome! Do you think the coaching clinics are good? I wouldn't mind attending one but there's none in my area and I have no clue as to what they involve.
This one isn't strictly a swim coach. She's a Triathlon coach, so there is no expectation that everyone is an experienced competitive swimmer. There was a wide spread of abilities and ages. So she starts with, let me see you swim 200y to warm up, to see what she's working with. Then starts with a number of drills, explaining what part of proper technique it develops and why, then tells each person in turn what they need to do to better their stroke for that drill. It was a 2 hour session so there was quite a few drills, plus she took videos and emailed them later with commentary.
:bighug: Think positive thoughts, and be optimistic that things will :cheerleader:get better! Good luck!
Thank you! I'm trying. But not being able to swim just kills me.
Better idea: Have somebody shoot video of your stroke, upload it to YouTube, and post it on the Forums in a new thread. If you ask for feedback, you will receive great critiques from your fellow Forumites. Many of them are FINA World Record holders, USMS American Record holders, or Top Ten swimmers with great advice! :agree:
P.S. I'm not one of those (top swimmers)! :shakeshead:
Don't worry I'm not top ten either. The biggest honor I ever had was I was a relay member of a 400 yard Im that was All American in the US in 1977 but only Florida and California and a handful of other states have community college swimming. I did the butterfly and if I could do that time now I would be number 1 or 2 in the 55 to 59 age group but I'm a lot slower by several seconds.
Don't worry I'm not top ten either. The biggest honor I ever had was I was a relay member of a 400 yard Im that was All American in the US in 1977 but only Florida and California and a handful of other states have community college swimming. I did the butterfly and if I could do that time now I would be number 1 or 2 in the 55 to 59 age group but I'm a lot slower by several seconds. I mean a relay All American for community college which is a lot slower than four year schools.
Hello,
newbie solo swimmer here. It does get lonely swimming alone. I'm never alone in the pool, and have always wanted to approach and meet people and perhaps one day "swim together". At the same time, the last thing you want is to be that person that tries to talk to you when all you want is to go swim. So I bought a waterproof mp3 player and swim alone. I'm so tempted to ask the lifeguard to critic my form...
For me, a good coach and good pool will trump convenience every time. I guess you have to figure out what works for your schedule. Good luck! It sounds like you'll be in a great spot for some good choices of pools. Lucky!
I ask because in December we're moving to Md and it's either the LA Fitness a few miles up the road or a really excellent olympic swim center 20 min. away. We're in Fairfax County with some of the most awesome pools I've ever seen minutes away and I'm very sad to leave them. I wondered what the regular swimmers here consider reasonable to travel for a good pool.
Those are great pools you're leaving. I'm sorry to hear it. I do have the option of splitting between pools. The one right next to my office isn't ideal. The water's too warm, and the schedule is not always reliable. But when I don't have the time to drive 20 minutes, I use it. When I do have the time (like today), I absolutely drive that far for a better pool.
I ask because in December we're moving to Md and it's either the LA Fitness a few miles up the road or a really excellent olympic swim center 20 min. away. We're in Fairfax County with some of the most awesome pools I've ever seen minutes away and I'm very sad to leave them. I wondered what the regular swimmers here consider reasonable to travel for a good pool.
I drive 28 minutes to my pool and swim 5 days a week. There is one a 5 minute drive away but it's hot & has terrible hours. The next closest is 20 minutes and although the hours are better, it's also hot. I'll use the 5 minute away one in a pinch...if it happens to be open (rarely) but I've got my membership at the further pool.
