Slow to warm up?

Thanks for the suggestions, etrain. I've been swimming the laps freestyle without stopping or varying the pace much. Last week I did 2.5 miles for the first time, but I like the locomotion idea & will give it a try. I just swim for fitness & never been on a team or competed (really only learned proper strokes in a phys ed class long ago in college.) I'm 39 and swim 3 or 4x/week and do not have much of a competitive streak...just learned to flip turn last summer from the kids' swim coach! I was contemplating working hard alone this summer to maybe join our local masters group for motivation and to meet other swimmers this fall. I'm not sure whether masters is for a beginner like me, however; gotta confess most of these posts look a bit like a foreign language. Also I never learned butterfly. In the 1000 kick/drill/swim set, how does that go exactly? Maryann

Thanks, A "duh" question for you: what is the "drill"? the kick? are you using a kickboard, or just swimming with a really strong kick, or something else? possibly hopeless, but would like to give these a try. Maryann

Originally posted by mgermaine I just swim for fitness & never been on a team or competed (really only learned proper strokes in a phys ed class long ago in college.) I'm 39 and swim 3 or 4x/week and do not have much of a competitive streak...just learned to flip turn last summer from the kids' swim coach! I was contemplating working hard alone this summer to maybe join our local masters group for motivation and to meet other swimmers this fall. I'm not sure whether masters is for a beginner like me, however; gotta confess most of these posts look a bit like a foreign language. Also I never learned butterfly. Maryanne -- Don't fret about what you'll find on a masters team. Most have lanes assigned to various capabilities, so you'd just be directed to the appropriate group (or you'll find it on your own.) You won't be judged (except perhaps by yourself.) I don't fly. Never learned it. Maybe some day I will. When I'm with a masters team and the workout calls for fly, I just do freestyle. Nobody complains. The whole point of masters is for you to get out of it what you set your goals to be. If doing something you hate (or fear, which is a little bit of it for me) will cause you to quit, what's the point of that? Any good masters coach recognizes that.

Wow, the locomotion fast/slow laps made a big difference (ha! mostly just got TIRED a lot faster) but I did notice I felt warmed up much sooner. Looking forward to trying the other drills next... And thanks for the encouragement about joining a team...it's a relief not to think about having to learn butterfly at this stage of the game. As you say, Guvnah, maybe someday.

Tried the fist drill today. Another wow. After a length of that, using your hands normally for the next length feels like such a smooth luxury. I like that drill a lot! Thanks again, Maryann

I tried the fly for the first time yesterday and today. Who made this thing up? And who was the second nut who said-"gee, he looks like he's drowning, I gotta try that!" I think what I do can best be described as a butter-flail....

Fitswimmer04 said..... I tried the fly for the first time yesterday and today. Who made this thing up? And who was the second nut who said-"gee, he looks like he's drowning, I gotta try that!" I think what I do can best be described as a butter-flail.... Fitswimmer04 In the old days... breaststroke, then somebody did the over the top recovery hence butterfly with a frog kick... in 1952 I saw Matt Mann jr (I think the third) do the butterfly using what he called the fish tail kick with one huge beat.... walla then they added another beat they called it the dolphin kick. Hence butterfly, my favorite other stroke. George Park www.swimdownhill.com

thanks- that makes sense. I love breaststoke, and I never knew that was how the fly started. I have to admit it's a great workout. I'm hoping that if I continue to work at it I can move from the flail to the fly.