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I noticed that you mentioned wanting to increase your distance with swimming. I used to have a similar problem and don't anymore; now I can crawl about half a mile nonstop, and it was not something I had to train for or work up to. I just realized that in the water you can push as hard or as easy as you want to, and you'll still stay afloat and keep the same form. Of course, you'll slow down. But if you're interested in swimming a certain distance or time without stopping (which is where the serious meditation comes in) losing some speed shouldn't matter.
Anyway, that's my advice. Try relaxing the amount of strength you apply to your stroke more. The water doesn't care how hard you push on it :) I'm not sure how this jives with TI but I'd assume it would be the same...
Because the Olympics are on?
Partly, for sure. I never thought swimming fast was possible for me, and now I find myself imagining my times in the 200-meter medley. It makes the Olympic swimming much more fun to watch, not to mention Phelps and his insane freestyle.
I am enjoying the Games, even though I've had trouble finding the judo broadcasts.
Tim
I used to be a competitive swimmer turned semi-pro triathlete. Injuries have sidelined me, but TI helped me transition from an inefficient sprinter into an efficient distance swimmer.
To correct your goggle eye cup problem, I recommend using Swedish Original Monterbara Goggles by Malmsten (they're $4, I buy them at a local shop, but also found them here http://www.swimoutlet.com/ProductBrand.asp?Bran...). You tie the nose strap to the size you want, and it stays in place.
I've used these for countless 20 hour swim weeks in pool and in massive group starts for triathlons and have found them to be the most functional goggle around.
Best of luck in the pool,
Evan
I've experimented with a few other lifestyle-change suggestions on your site with good results, so I'll be sure to pick up the Total Immersion stuff too.
Thanks!
-Jason
David
I couldn't but I said "of course I can, look" and went into the pool, without my kick board, put all the energy and will power and YES, magically started swimming...
I find swimming as one of the most fun work-outs (next to dancing) and my tip to swim long distance would be: try to relax every single muscle of your body and make consistent movements, avoid jerk movements.
Oh Tim, did you really recommend Speedos? Ay... I find board short extremely sexy on guys, I know it may be hard to swim in them though...
This is the same method (in principle) used in ChiRunning. The ChiRunning folks and Total Immersion folks are good friends and occasionally partner up on workshops too. So for those of you with the same fear of running that want a solution similar to Tim's swimming, check out ChiRunning.
www.chirunning.com
I can't imagine you afraid of swimming, but I'll go with it ... :-)
-Don Makoviney
Great to see you overcame your aversion to swimming, it is one of life's great joys.
I was a competitive swimmer in my early teens, my career ended by illness.
I had the pleasure of being coached by a former Olympic gold medalist and the right instruction makes all the difference. Although I don't swim anywhere near the 6 times a week I once did (I'm now 22 and ended competition aged 13), when i do jump in the I get right back into a great stroke and swim 1500meters to 3kilometers no trouble.
Are you mastering the other strokes? Freestyle is great, but the incridble workout of Butterfly for your shoulders is hard to beat, or the satisfaction of mastering BreastStroke - arguably the most difficult and of course the different sensation of backstroke. And then there is the dive and tumble turns to master - then your on track to take on Phelps.
Finding the right goggles is difficult. What suits one person will not suit you, buy a bunch and find what works. It depends on the shape of your face basically. Also some goggles are designed specifically for sprinting competition - you want a training goggle that will keep its seal. An anti-fog solution can be helpful too.
Have a great day and happy swimming,
Bill
what a weird coincidence. I've been trying to get into shape for a few months now and have been having pretty good success with weights and running (though a foot injury have put me off for the last week or so), but recently I decided to set a bigger goal for myself and attempt a triathlon. Of course, I'm not putting some silly time limit on myself and planning to do it in X months or anything, but it's something I really want to do for myself.
The one big issue is that I'm a horrible swimmer -- I never learned properly. Earlier tonight my wife and I were at the bookstore and I started looking through books on triathlons to get a sense of what I'm in for. On the way home I was describing the whole thing to my wife and we began talking about my biggest weakness -- the swimming part. Imagine my surprise to discover your post on exactly this issue. Thanks for the pointers. I've already requested Terry's book from our local library and, if it's helpful, will buy a copy of it and the DVD.
Now, I've got to go up to the nearby rec center tomorrow and see if I can get in to use their pool! ;~)
Thanks again for all the wonderfully useful info!
Congrats -- that's a really impressive turnaround! (wouldn't expect any less from you). Now that you've conquered swimming, I'll have to get you out kiteboarding!
Dave
I just tried to teach a friend how to swim a few weeks back. Since I don't know what it's like to not be able to swim, it was pretty difficult. I'll definitely point her in this direction.
Another thing to look forward to: If you keep this up, as the swimming becomes easier you'll find you get into The Zone after about 500 m. You'll forget everything around you. It's mobile meditation. Brilliant.
Have fun,
A.
Thanks for your article. I was especially hitted by your last paragraph when you said that you hated swimming and now likes it. Those are the words that convince me to give your method a try. Nevertheless, is the DVD suitable for someone who does not know how to swim crawl but only breaststroke ? If so, I'm gonna order them and follow your advices. Otherwise I may consider a few lessons with a teacher before.
By the way, this is my first comment here since I discovered your work and your blog a few weeks ago. It's a pleasure to read it and it already began to influences some part of my life.
If you ever come to Switzerland, I would be pleased to help you,
Cheers,
Xavier
One other thing, when I taught swimming to both children and adults, I asked all of my students to draw me a picture of themselves swimming and to bring it back to me for the second lesson. I wanted to fix in their minds and emotions the idea that they could swim and could picture themselves doing so. Just a tip for those who teach swimming.
I'm going to share with you the MOST efficient swimming training program ever.
When I was four years old, my father tossed me off of his shrimp boat and said "sink or swim boy". It may sound inhumane and cruel but I finished first in my Marine Corps swim qualification training on Parris Island 15 years later. Try swimming a few laps with boots, blouse, trousers, 80-lb pack, Kevlar (helmet), and a rifle. Not to mention 80 other guys that don't know how to swim flapping around like drowning gorillas pushing you under ever stroke of the way.
So remember, when it's time to teach your children how to swim... rent a shrimp boat and throw them overboard at a very young age. :)
ps- Will be in SF labor day weekend, would love to interview you for our upcoming podcast "Losing The Shackles". It's about Modern Day American Slavery and the struggle to escape. I'll shoot an email to your publicist.
A couple of months ago I discoverd TI for myself and found it really interesting. There's not much more to add to what you said, here's what I found was the most important for me:
- swimming length after length just to increase your weeks mileage is a waste of time. My 2nd IM swim was 1:10h with about 130k training, my 3rd IM swim was 1:07h with about 20k training. If you swim you should have a trainer with you or practice drills. Only swim longer distances once in a while to check your time or a couple of weeks before the event.
- practice front quadrant swimming. In Shinj Takeuchi’s video you can see that when he pushes back his front arm, the other arm is already in the water. This makes your body longer and faster in the water.
- if you're out of breath, your technique is flawed. It's never a question of physical strength.
I attended one of Terry's seminars a few years back and he was able to fill in the gaps that are missing from the book and DVD. It was amazing how much of a difference just a few suggestions from an expert had on my form and strategy. I was basically a dog paddle swimmer trying to prepare for a triathalon and it made a huge difference. In BJJ it would be like having Royce Gracie walk you through an arm bar. You think you know how to do one until an expert shows you all the little details you never knew existed.
thanks for the post..love the blog
Doing the Iron Man has been on my list for quite a while. I'm several years out, but maybe it's time to pick up another book.
-Designate you want to swim and what you need to do to get there
-Eliminate unnecessary expense of energy, drag in the water, etc.
-Automate yourself by training muscle memory
-Liberate yourself from your fears!
Maybe not exactly the way you might do it in lifestyle design, but close!
Congrats again. Will Michael Phelps have a challenger in 2012?!?
I'd never thought of the theories in your book, but was inspired to apply them in my work and side project ever since.
I'm possibly more inspired by this simple post, though! I too have always been embarrassed about my inability to swim.
My ass sinks and I just feel like I'm struggling for life the whole time. Then I look in the next lane and see some 80 year old guy leisurely banging out 50 laps.
Can't wait to try this out. Thanks!
I have been training for a triathlon for most of this year. While my experience at the pool was not painful, I always knew that I could be more efficient. Your post here will pay dividends for me...I am heading over to the pool tonight just to try a couple of these techniques.
By the way, one thing I did early on was to ask a couple of the teenagers at the pool (lifeguards who are involved in competitive swimming) to watch my form and give me pointers. They were honored to be asked for their expertise and gladly helped me to hone my skills. It's a great way to get free coaching!
For your goggle problem try Swedish Goggles. They don't look comfortable, but once I switched over to them I have never looked back. I even used them at state meet in High School.
As a bonus, they are really cheap.
http://www.swimoutlet.com/product_p/1147.htm
* As with any skill and muscle memory sport you'll improve light years faster training 3x week with a coach, such as through US Masters - http://www.usms.org/lmsc/.
* Propulsion really does come from rotation around the hips and core. Rotation, rotation, rotation. I use Total Immersion drills to retrain my body if I haven't been swimming in a while.
* Relax. Concentrate on distance per stroke, not speed, initially.
* To train for open water you've got to occasionally train IN open water - get used to no bottom, the taste, the chop splashing your face, the sun in your eyes... try Aquatic Park or China Beach in the SF area.
Do you have an event picked out? Let us know.
Dr. Nicholas S. Romanov, a 2-time Olympic athlete has developed this method into several areas such as jumping, biking and swimming to name a few. A lot of triathletes use his methods and he is the coach to the members of Triathlon National Teams of the USA, Great Britain and Mexico.
I can vouch for the decrease in knee pain while running. You may want to take a look at the swimming information that he has available.
Great job Tim on overcoming a fear. When I was in bootcamp and officer candidate school for the Navy, it amazed me that there were people who didn’t know how to swim.
It's books and DVDs like that, that makes me kick myself in rage... I have been a swimmer since I was able to put my head under water without breathing, at about 4yo probably; and since then, swimming has been the sport that I enjoy the most! But lord, I was slow... very slow... and I couldn't do more than one length in front crawl! But about 2 years ago, I decided it was enough, and I worked on my moves: conserving energy, extending reach, reducing draft and deploying strength more efficiently. I basically crafted the same technique explained in this book and DVD and that you used with much success. An I have been coaching friends and family for nothing since the beginning of this year... I could have written this book and I should have produced this DVD! I want to kick myself for not using this as a muse... now I am moving on to running, where I have always been so bad, maybe I can make good use of it! :))
You story is very similar to mine. I have felt swimming to be a weakness of mine, and after swimming not very far I am exhausted, but I can happily run 10miles or cycle 50+. Looking at tri-athlete resources a lot suggest Total Immersion. I've got notes about it in my "someday maybe" files.
Thanks for sharing all these notes and bits of information. I previously borrowed a tri. training book from the library and it was far too daunting to attempt the techniques - it assumed you were already a relatively strong swimmer :-(
I never realised how much goggles made a difference until I started scuba diving - the mask made a big difference. As a glasses wearer, I didn't realise how cheap prescription goggles were. Going to get me a pair when I get around to swimming properly.
Great post, it's renewed my enthusiasm for getting this sorted.
Appreciate how you consistently add value for your readers. Grace to you!
I had asthma growing up and steered clear of endurance sports, even though they looked fun to me (soccer, swimming, etc). I've outgrown the asthma (finally) and really want to get into swimming but I want to make sure I have a sound plan of attack for the breathing demands.
Thanks again for the post!
I think next up for you is golf!
The guy in the example...wow is all i can say, looks completely effortless but yet he's gliding at a great pace!
Thanks again, definitely picking this up, in hopes it can help me out before the Malibu and Orange County International Triathlons hit in the next month or two.
I recently was speaking to a friend who trains for open water 10k and hopes to represent Canada in 2012. She mentioned her greatest learning when starting out was to double cap: cap1/goggles/cap2 (once you find the right pair that is).
On another note, I'd like to send you an email; may I please have your address?
Swim Strong.
Thanks so much for the great comments! Here are a few further suggestions for a 1k swim, from Twitter at www.twitter.com/tferriss :
@MichaelHiggs check out hypoxic training to build endurance. At first it's like being in the 3rd round down on points and taking a beating... about 2 hours ago
@tshults @tferriss re:1k free. take your time, long slow strokes, and keep your breathing relaxed. don't switch to another stroke. stay in the free. about 4 hours ago
@rsskga @tferriss I'm all about sidestroke. Scissor kicking gets me where I'm going w/ minimal effort & keeps my head above water. Non-competition. about 9 hours ago
@Lifestyle_Proj @tferriss Final one! Practice looking up every few strokes in so you maintain a straight course o/w! Pick a reference point in the distance. about 9 hours ago
Lifestyle_Proj @tferriss Also, concentrate on your kick to arm stroke power distribution. Too much kicking power and you will tire early. about 9 hours ago
Lifestyle_Proj @tferriss If it's wetsuit temperature make sure you have tested flexibility in water for sizing. Know your preference, i.e. shortie or not
@mathewbutler @tferriss You don't need to kick ALL the time. Stops you needing breath. about 10 hours ago
@titanas @tferriss 3-4 strokes / 1 breath. Leg sync with strokes. Good iron / ferritin levels. about 10 hours ago
@jraines @tferriss -- breathing to both sides is (slightly) overrated. If your stroke is already decent, a little gallop can help you get in the zone about 11 hours ago
@Malach @tferriss Start slow, slow enough that you feel you could swim forever. Use your legs more than your arms. Breathe deeply and slowly. about 11 hours ago [Tim: Note that I have found the flick-like method of minimal kicking to conserve the most energy]
@AlmostaGeek @tferriss take it easy and breath every other stroke. about 11 hours ago
@nohypeActivist @tferriss also: as your legs are your biggest muscles, try to not use them like you would in the 100m or 200m. less legs, more arms about 11 hours ago
@nohypeActivist @tferriss always check your stroke frequency. you gotta feel like your increasing it. that way, you will stay within it. helps tremendously about 11 hours ago
@LorenCastillo @ tferriss if the water is cold use a wet suit, remember to warm up by running and pace yourself
Daley here, the triathlete and winner of your weekend challenge a few months ago. Huge congrats on the swimming man! Like golf, swimming is a technique sport that requires very precise form. And also like golf, swimming is a sport in which strength and power are not essential for excellence. When I first started swimming with a masters program I was astonished that 50-year old women were beating me up and down the pool despite my superior athletic ability and muscularity. Once I improved my form and stroke mechanics I finally felt like I was 'gliding' through the water like a canoe not pushing it like a barge on its way out to sea. Sadly, these older women still beat me up and down the pool, but I no longer huff and puff after 1500 meters. I could not agree more about learning stroke mechanics first before getting into volume training.
A great Olympic event to watch that is coming up is the Marathon swim. Women’s event is 8/20 at 9:00 AM, and the men’s is 8/21 at 9:00 AM as well. These athletes epitomize streamline swimming and energy conservation. Check it out.
Cheers!
Next up for me? A week on the play with my kids at Burning Man! I'll be video blogging the experience on my personal blog. Should be a hoot!
Alexis
Congrats! That's awesome that you are learning to swim the proper way.
I actually created my "muse" that is my living now from a swimming idea- swimming for triathletes (I'm a former collegiate swimmer who turned to the open water after college). Here's a few tips for ya from a triathlon/distance perspective:
1. Hand Entry. Slice your hand into the water right about at your goggle line, and drive it forward. Many swimmers attempt to get as much “air time” as possible by reaching the hand out before entering into the water, but it is actually more efficient to go through the water with your hand as you rotate from one side to the other.
2. Head Position. Keep looking straight down when swimming freestyle. It’s important to keep your head down with only a small part of the back of your head out of the water. Also, as you rotate through the water, try not to move your head with the rest of your body rotation.
3. Pull. In freestyle, your hands should pull all the way back past your hips. The last part of the stroke before recovery (arms coming out of the water) should be an acceleration behind you, and not up out of the water.
4. Kick. Try minimizing your kick as you train for swimming. Most people will kick extra hard to make up for lack of balance in the water. Minimizing your kick will allow you to improve your balance, as well as conserve energy.
5. Training Intensity. The best way to measure your training intensity is to count your heart rate immediately after each swim. You can estimate your heart rate by counting your pulse rate for six seconds immediately after each swim. Add a zero to this count, and you will have your approximate exercise heart rate per minute.
Good luck and keep the posts coming! Would love to hear how your swimming comes along.
Kevin
If you could swim two lengths when you started, you didn't "learn to swim," you learned to swim further. This makes your headline a bit of an oversell, don't you think?
I've been a competive swimmer for about ten years and I have competed in over 30 triathlons. There's definetely some technique adjustments. In open water, every 3 or 4 strokes, you need to raise your head straight up to take your breath. That way you're able to stay on course. Your goggles can also change as well. Don't go for tinted, obviously the water will be darker in a lake than in a pool. Also, go for wider goggles, you use your peripheral alot more in open water. In your wetsuit choice, I would go for sleeveless. Long sleeves can restict range of shoulder motion. Generally, focus on rotation and distance per stroke.
Good Luck!
The reason that most folks subscribe to your blog is to hear how to make money. Please don't write about swimming and how people escape the Amish - the economy is melting down and we need to hear how to survive it from folks like you who seem to have a good grasp on how to run a business. Thanks.
I know you have written about Arthur Jones' work in regards to strength training and I wanted to take this opportunity to suggest you look at SuperSlow Training. SuperSlow began as a particular strength training protocol back in the Nautilus days that was originally designed for elderly osteoporotic women. Long story short - it turned out to be the most effective, efficient, & safest protocol they had ever developed.
In essence it is a slow motion movement (20 second reps) that is done in a circuit style in approximately 20 - 30 minutes about every fourth day. It's one of the hardest things you'll ever do but it beats all other strength training styles in terms of results.
Check it out sometime. www.superslow.com.
Ciao!
Thanks!
Congratulations on finding your inner swimmer. Though I never swam competitively, I rediscovered my love of swimming about 8 years ago myself. I too started with Total Immersion training and have since moved on to other strokes. A 1K warm-up is not unusual now! There are a couple of sites you should add to your swimming favorites.
The first is GoSwim.TV, Glenn Mills has developed the site and it is filled with lots of great swimming information, instructional videos and drills. My profile there has a bit more about my journey that started with swimming.
Consider joining a Masters swim team. You don't have to be a great swimmer; there are all levels at every club. Being a Masters swimmer will provide a great group of people to swim with all over the world.
If you can't find a Masters team to practice with while traveling, visit SwimmersGuide.com. They list pools all over the world.
See you at the pool,
Jim
That is awesome!!! I have been swimming since I was a baby, and I always try to tell non-swimmers how important of a life skill it is, but it often falls on deaf ears. I am a coach for an Iron man training group, a swim instructor, lifeguard instructor and played water polo in college, but I still learn more about swimming all the time. I am going to purchase the book to use some of the analogies when I'm teaching.
Thanks!
Since you've now mastered your fear of swimming and you don't seem to shy away from trying new things, I dare you to try learning one of these sports next: Water polo, Dragonboating or Synchronized Swimming. I've done them all. You choose.
Synchronized swimming is by far THE most challenging sport there is. (I realize I may get some flack for saying that. Whatever.) Take away the music, the outfits, the make-up and you have an absolutely insane sport that combines strength, coordination, endurance, breath control, timing, flexibility, focus, and more than an ounce of insanity. And yes, I've seen the SNL skit...
As for the tips, they seem to be great for novices who wish to add swimming to thier training regimen. However, if you are really planning to participate in an open water 1 km race, you may want to adjust your training.
Open water events are an exhausting endeavor. I would recommend swimming longer sets or taking far less rest during your sets. By doing sets of 300s, 400s, or better yet 500s you will build up the necessary endurance for a longer race. Especially if you are not concerned with how fast you complete your race, doing 4x500 with :30 to 1:00 rest each work out will help immensly with endurance. I only mention time since swimming is a sport where to swim fast in a race you have to train far longer than the actual race for months and then taper your training down in order to swim at your very best.
I do not know if you know how to do flip turns or not. If not then I would recommend learning if at all possible. This goes for anyone who wants to swim for exercise. Not doing flip turns will wear out a swimmer faster than anything else once you start doing longer sets. Even doing sets of 100s you will save tons of energy by doing flip turns. Which will in turn allow you to do longer sets.
Great read.
The meditation part of swimming is the best, isn't it? When you hit the groove, it feels like you're dancing with the water. The techniques you describe indicate that you've intuited that hull speed is a function of waterline length -- the longer you stretch, the faster you'll be able to go.
Now that you've learned the rhythm of water, try actually dancing. You get to practice the rhythm, but with great music and an attractive partner to boot :-).
Oh my god, this is awesome. I'm not a pro-athlete by any means, but I have the same exact problem. I've tried to swim, but the main problem is that I just can't float horizontally at all. Everyone says - oh, you're just panicking or something like that. Nope, I'm cool as a cucumber, and even though I'm calm, after about 1 minute, I found myself at the bottom of the pool (I can easily hold my breathe for 2 minutes, and it's a 5 foot pool, so I have no reason to panic).
I've run half marathons, I can bench over 200lbs, leg press 700lbs - I'm no slouch. I've been skinny when I tried it (11% body fat), and not so skinny (21% body fat), and neither way worked.
When I was a kid, I went through numerous lessons, and I sucked big time. It's good to know that there is someone else in the world who has had the exact same problem.
I am going to try this stuff out this weekend.
A few things that make it easy and comfortable for me:
- I love cold water. Learn to love cold water if that is going to be part of the race. Train in it, learn to think clearly in it.
- I meditate when I swim. My body checks out once I get in a rhythm and have a pace, breathing is much more important in long-distance swimming than anything else. I once swam two miles across a glacier-fed lake in the Rockies without getting cold or even struggling by just concentrating on breath.
- I never train in a pool. If you associate swimming with a controlled, safe, and sanitized environment like a pool that puts you at a huge disadvantage when facing the unpredictability of swimming long distances outdoors. Take the training outside.
Good luck.
also, hows your flip turn doing? thats a huge part of any swimming race, if your turn is fast and efficient, you can lose ground on it, its also the basis for a good streamline coming off the wall (stream line is when you are under the water doing a dolphin kick with both hands extended above your hands and your head down, making your body like a bullet)
http://GoSwim.TV Excellent Swim Instruction and Demonstration Videos
http://SwimmersGuide.com Database of places to swim all over the world.
Swim well,
Jim
Add me to the list of those who were going to recommend TI.
Since you mentioned open water in you tweet, I'll give you some of my triathlete/ocean lifeguard tips:
* Learn to breath on both your right and left sides. If there is a chop, it really helps to be able to comfortably turn your head away from the waves to breath. If not, you are choking...not breathing.
* Know the water. Open water swimming is fun, but it can be dangerous. Know if the area gets rocky, shallow, is known for high currents, know for debris (see below).
* If there was a storm the day before, be very careful. Ocean floors can be loose and unstable, thus causing rip-currents. Oceans, rivers and lakes tend to have more debris after storms.
* Get a good sense of landmark distances, then remember in your mind how many lengths of the pool it translates into. Crossing a river or lake might only be 1,000 meters, which on land does not look that far. But in a 25 meter pool, it is 40 lengths with no turns to leverage, to walls to grab, and no bottom to stand on.
* If possible, swim with a friend.
There is something cool and primal about open water swimming that you don't experience in a nice pool with lane lines. I do it whenever I can. Enjoy!
JT
Tim has been most generous in sharing tips on how to experiment with changing your own stroke. I'll offer some distilled advice on how to take a "TI Test Drive" without buying anything or even doing a single drill. We have a free downloadable pdf that would help open the lid on the "black box" that swimming is for many people. I don't have the url at my fingertips but will return and post here as soon as I get it.
These are focal points for Freestyle:
1) Release your head's weight to the water, so your head and spine align.
2) Focus more on using your hand to lengthen your bodyline, less on pushing water back.
3) Relax your legs until the kick blends easily with your stroke.
4) Swim more quietly - minimize waves and splash.
5) Count strokes.
I'll also note that the Freestyle Made Easy DVD which Tim used has now been replaced by what I feel is a program that is easier to follow and answers many of the questions people most commonly ask. That's called Easy Freestyle: 21st Century Techniques for Beginners to Advanced Swimmers. Info and sample tips at http://www.totalimmersion.net/easyfreestyle-dvd...
The question isn't precisely whether kicking costs more in energy than it returns in speed. It's what's the right kind of kicking for your goals.
No one would argue that if your goal is to swim 100m as fast as possible, a strong steady "6-kick" is nearly essential. That's Natalie's goal and why she kicks as she does.
My racing goals are more for 1 or 2 miles to 5k in open water. My health and well-being goals are to be able to swim for an hour or more and finish feeling better than when I started, and to look forward to my next swim. For those goals I use a relaxed 2-beat kick, which I have worked diligently to "tune" to my stroke. It takes minimal energy, relies on fatigue-resistant core muscle, rather than fatigue-prone leg muscle and added enough boost to my stroke to allow me to swim 28.5-miles around Manhattan in 2002 and 2006 with no fatigue or strain, and enough speed to break National Masters records for 1-Mile and 2-Mile open water swims.
Would you agree that most followers of Tim's blog are more interested in swimming for endurance, fitness and enjoyment than to race 100m all out?
And if so, that a more relaxed kick would probably suit their goals quite well?
Happy laps,
Terry
I see people effotlessly swim 20-30 lengths whilst i get tired after one length despite being fairly sporty.
Whenever i go on vacation, I regret it as i feel real uneasy doing water sports - and even wear a life jacket to snorkle!
I keep meaning to get lessons - but wanted a short cut. Looks like you have found one!
So whats the next challenge? What you planning to do with your new found swimming skills?
S
While doing yoga poses I use my breath to sequence my awareness. Inhale notice my feet, then exhale, then inhale notice what my knees are doing, exhale, then next breath move my awareness to hips, spine, arms etc. I notice each part and adjust them where appropriate.
With swimming, if there are lots of things to remember, especially when learning, can focus on one thing for two to three strokes (or one breath cycle if you are breathing every two or three strokes) then move your focus to the next item on the list. So might start with focusing on what the upper body is doing, then on what the arms should be doing and then the legs. Then back to the upper body again. If possible try sequencing so that the key element is taken care of first. (or whatever you think the key element is).
As you improve you'll find it easier to feel everything at once.
For maximum body length you can break down you body into "parts." The easiest parts of the body in which to gain length are the waist and neck and shoulders. (that's assumiong the knees and elbows are already straight)
To lengthen the waist you can focus on drawing the ribcage away from pelvis, for a long neck draw your head away from your ribcage.
While standing or upright, pull head back and up and pull chin in so that cervical spine is maximally straight and then your neck will be as long as possible, while supine or swimming, push the back of your head back or up, almost out of the water so that neck is long.
With your neck long then your shoulder muscles have maximum amount of room to operate. Then you can lengthen your arms by pulling your shoulder blade towards you ear.
I'm finding that in whatever I do, especially yoga, the more I lengthen my body, the more I create space in it, the better it feels.
Oh yes, this isn't really lengthening, more like creating space, but I find breathing with my chest as well (using the intercostal muscles between the ribs) also gives a very good feeling, and the action of reaching with each arm can help to accentuate opening the chest.
also, opening the chest as you breathe you can use the same muscles you breathe with to help roll the ribcage with respect to the pelvis. Twisting of the spine is an action not only of the obliques (side abs) but of the intercostals. So the more you breathe using your ribcage (and diaphragm) the better you'll be able to twist.
I've always been surprised that so few people know about TI, imho this should be the standard for teaching people how to swim. The difference between trying to powerhouse through the water vs. effortlessly gliding through the water is simply night and day.
You are inspiring me to get back in the pool Tim, was prego and had a baby as few months back so it's been about a year since i've been for a swim. hmmmm
Jessica - they do teach you how to breathe properly. One of the things about TI is that you turn your whole body to take a breath vs turning just your head which constricts your airway (and makes it tough to take a breath!). I used to get really winded when swimming, almost gasping at times, but after learning TI breathing is natural and easy.
BTW...Please, Please PLEASE!....Fire up the GEAR segment! Your adding all this great stuff! Please delegate someone to pull it together for us, the starving masses..lol It says its coming soon...so lets see soon! Keep up the good work Tim...You inspire us more than you know.
I went to the pool and applied these techniques in real-time after reading this post today.
Guess what? I went from an average of 19 to 13 strokes!
If you said, "Can I get a witness?" I'd say, "Amen!"
Interestingly, I've been preaching to my friends about TI (at least those friends that are active) as much as I've been preaching to them about 4HWW. And here you are now posting about it! Awesome.
Is there a triathlon in your line-up of things to do? Ironman is on my list, although I've got a ways to go (I still haven't done a sprint triathlon yet or a full marathon, but I'm getting there!).
Awesome stuff.
AK
Without even knowing I have practiced your method and now I see your blog...
I do daily 40 laps of 50 metres now and go across with a single breath...
I did it in just 40 days now... Ofcourse I added ABS training and 2 hours swimming, 1 hour cycling and weekly 5K jog.
I lost 18 kilos in just 40 days... Ofcourse I was on soup diet...
Ofcourse, my body aches to the extent my shoulder joints are sore...
And... Hey I got an excellent V shape... all weight across waist gone with a flat ABS...
Thanks for proving me right...
SRINIVAS VR
Thanks for the continued tips and feedback! Here are some more goodies from Twitter at www.twitter.com/tferriss:
@swanson_scott @tferriss get a good rhythm going. notice how phelps has a little 'hop' to his freestyle? leverage your breath to 'hop' w/ each stroke w ...
@danmonfre @tferriss instead of keeping your head down, you'll recover after your breath by looking forward every 3-5 strokes to see where you're going
@superwomen @tferriss to avoid getting punched from ppl swim around crowd, sleeveless wetsuits are the best. Sports basement has a bunch for rent.
@iSwim @tferriss Tim, If the water isn't cold skip the wet suit. The biggest difference is visability, no lines! I posted to your blog as well.
@biltonpw @tferriss Use a triathlon wetsuit - full legs and arm flexibility. Quality and price from Promotion in Hood River http://tinyurl.com/56ke63
@squawkfox @tferriss 1K Swim Tip: Most important is to relax and breathe. A tense swimmer is a sinker.
@squawkfox @tferriss 1K Pool Swims: Use minimal kick, keep stroke long, bend elbows. Rotate in the water, work the wall. Start slow, build, practice.
@squawkfox @tferriss Open Water Tips pt3: Try on MANY wetsuits. You don't want excess neoprene. It must fit tight. Excess material welcomes water.
my idea is fairly simple, people donate thier old and working computers, and then the charity would give them to underprivileged schools and familys who can use them. now i know, similar programs allready exist, but heres where mine differs. my idea is to target gamers as the core donatory. why gamers? becuase they are a relativly unexploited nich, and with childsplay as an example, they are very willing to give back. further more, gamers tend to upgraded thier computers far more offtened than your average person, and thier old parts take longer to go out of date for general computer use. further more, they are more likely to upgread a few parts, but not the whole computer, which means they upgread more regularly. many gamers end up with old parts sitting around. what if we took those parts in as donations, built computers with them, and gave them to those who can use them?
with that I have thought of an idea on how to give back to those who need it most. while i have thought out many of the benefits to my idea compared to other ideas, and how to go about getting the word out and get donators, im not sure where to look to make sure that those donations get to those who need it. is there any way you could help me? i know you have many connections and alot of experiance with this sort of thing.
i know a little off topic, but i wanted to get the idea to you. any help you could give with this would be much appreciated.
I got a problem with treading water in the vertical position. I tried to follow the DVD's instruction of compact kicks but I still sink. I can tread only on my back with arms sculling. Any tips from any of you guys would be great!
Great post!!!
BTW... if you want to get really, really lean... really, really quick, swimming can do that for you. On average, I can lose between 5 and 6 pounds of fat per week just by increasing my swims... I don't even have to change my diet (I know this is way more than experts recommend, but I'm not trying for this fat loss, it just happens!!). Swimming is HARD WORK, but the great thing is that since you're in the water, you don't get overheated like you can on a run (your legs can get a bit itchy though when you begin to sweat), and your circulation is increased from being in a horizontal position vs. a vertical position.
Here is a link to some great workouts (you can choose your ability level and other variables):
http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/swim-cgi/
Have a great day!!
Enjoy
http://totalimmersion.net/easy-freestyle-bookle...
I forgot to mention, how about a 'minus' rating for comments so that we can detract from certain people's comment ratings?
Christine's comment far up above just totally irks me haha. Do some people just NOT get your message at all that the end goal isn't to make money, but rather to streamline one's lifestyle design?
There have been some really powerful athletes, swimmers, and dancers in both sides of my family. I can feel the connection between dance and swimming, and I have always experienced being exhausted while swimming.
Now I understand what I have needed to do with my head, arms and legs, and that the way I was taught to swim as child in camp,etc has literally been a drag. Also I am recovering from a severe injury and have intuitively known that swimming would help restore me. I'm looking forward to getting back in the water again. It seems like this immersion method is more of a natural way to swim. I can be one of those 50+ women just gliding along.
http://www.totalimmersion.net/extraordinary-exc...
Thank YOU! The lede photo is beautiful.
@Mike re: philanthropy
I think your idea is excellent. How to ensure you implement the donation program correctly? I'd just reach out to a few successful donation programs -- whether you see them in big box retailers like Best Buy or you learn of them in an Amazon box -- and ask one or two executives 2-3 precise questions via e-mail.
Another approach would be to work with one of these programs for a short period of time to get paid to learn how the system works.
Best of luck!
Tim
The TI series is indeed a very good series. As a coach on the U.S. National Team, I can say that many of these techniques are used in coaching the top level athletes (although more time is spent putting in yardage!). TI gives you many techniques to think about, but I would tell you the main thing to think about is body position and body line in the water. In my experience, many people (particulary masters swimmers) get SO caught up in the little technical things that other areas are sacrificed (mainly racing!)
Lastly, one suggestion for open water swimming: your head is going to ride much higher as you are constantly seeking your bearings, so the "flat line" body position will change a bit so to fight waves, people, etc...
As a swim coach, I appreciate your post! Enjoy the Games!
Ron Turner
USA National Team Coach
2007 US Pan-American Games Coach
The kind of treading water I'm familiar with is called the eggbeater. If you get a chance to watch any water polo in the Olympics pay attention to the underwaters cams - they get great shots of eggbeater.
Eggbeater is really just an upright, modified breaststroke kick done with each leg individually. (You want to be careful of your knees when your practicing this at first.) You can try holding a kickboard at the surface with your arms draped over the flat portion. Then try doing a few breaststroke kicks upright. Then try doing a breaststroke kick with one leg at a time. (This might feel a little awkward.) Then shorten the kicks so you're doing shorty, squatty breaststroke kicks with one leg than the other. Eventually you will end up with a fluid motion (kicking one leg after the other) that actually looks a bit like an hand-crank eggbeater used in baking.
Caution: This is definitely something you'll want to try AFTER you feel comfortable with a few strokes and with deep water. It's a great skill though. You can tread water, have a conversation with folks and feel comfortable treading for long stretches of time. Safety first. : )
Practice only makes perfect when you are able to first practice perfectly.
a smile for you Tim
Best regards
Marco
Some other tips that I found helpful--getting a breathing rhythm down. When I breathe, I only inhale. I slowly exhale through my nose while my head is under water and over the course of three strokes. Then I inhale my next breath. That way, I don't have to feel panicked like I used to when I was both exhaling and inhaling when taking breaths. This led to sometimes not getting enough air, leaving me gasping by the next gulp for air, increasing sense of desperation and creating a vicious cycle. By only doing one thing, I guarantee getting enough air until my next breath.
I really rely on my hips when I swim. I point my hips to the bottom of the pool so I'm using core body movements instead of arms/legs to get myself into the horizontal position. Makes swimming almost effortless. In fact, I hurt my feet two years ago and swimming was my only form of exercise during that period. By using TI stroke technique (point of hand entry into water, hand/arm extension, gliding through an 'S' arm stroke, focusing on efficiency of motion rather than powering through water), rotating my hips, and changing my breathing, I can swim about 20-30 minutes (my average workout) without kicking at all. Now, I still do a small kick, but only as a balance check.
Totally agree with you, once swimming became a beautiful thing that I wasn't scared of, it absolutely increased my self confidence and belief that I can do things that I set your mind to.
in response to Tim Ferris: thanks for the response. i should have thought of the contacting them by email idea, its in your book after all!
ohh and as an added note to your suggestions for swimming.
while i agree it is much easier to swim in a speed weather the old banana hammocks or the more modern European shorts design (They are much less revealing and more comfortable than the banana hammocks for those who would be uncomfortable in them). dont just rule out wearing the bord shorts while training. once you have gotten the form down, they are a great way train endurance and strength, because as you stated, its like swimming with a parachute. you can train in them, and get used to havening that extra drag, then when you jump in the water for the race with your speedo, its like takeing pounds off. i cant realy think what the name of the methodi w would be callled, but its like running while pulling a dragging tire, it makes your muscles work harder, and builds up their strength and endurance.
i will say, after getting used to the speedo type suit, i much prefer it to the bord shorts style, its so much more comfortable than the lining in those things, and if you want, you can very easily wear a normal swim trunks over them.
ohh and if your useing a swim cap, spend the few extra dollars and get a good one. the cheap ones tend to pinch and pull the hairs, and will rip easier, not to mention are harder to put on. they arnt that much more to get a good amount of improvement, i think i paid about $10 more for the cap i used then the cheap ones, and i used the thing for several years before it riped on me, and as i said, was much much easier to put on by my self, and wouldn't pull on the short hairs on the back of my head.
please contact me! Linando needs you!
Greetings from Germany
cu Marco
PS: I love your book, honestly!
short travel essays and the first few are about water sports. I really hope
that you get to try boogie boarding and surfing, because it's a wonderful
world. Everyone should swim, it's makes summer perfect.
I tried swimming lessons in my 30s and thought I was making progress, until a substitute instructor showed up one day and asked me, "Who taught you to do THAT?" like I was the biggest freak in the water. Never went back.
I'd like to swim for fun and actually enjoy it, so maybe I'll check out these resources. And I'm sure they'll be helpful for my former-triathlete husband as well.
I think that Michael Phelps has inspired many people to take up swimming. I don't think I've ever enjoyed watching the Olympics like this before. I signed up for Pilates at my Rec Center and swimming might get added to the mix depending on my budget.
I'm in Vietnam at the moment, hitting the beach daily trying different methods. Today was the first day I felt at ease, I focused on taking longer strokes( like you mention) and noticed I was getting so much further on my usual energy reserve.
Then I log on this evening and here it is in black and white for me to follow. I'll continue to follow the tips and will certainly get the book once I get settled again.
Thanks for sharing the hope.
- Richard
I have the same hatred/fear of swimming, and I'm watching the DVD right now. One question though: did you use a coach, or did you just try to remember all the tips and figure it out on your own?
I'm now also working on back stroke the TI way and loving it as a recovery period between freestyle. Seems to balance the antagonist muscle groups well.
@All,
I have not used a coach yet. I have only used the DVDs and book, attempting to focus on a single principle for 2-4 lengths at a time. I know it's working if stroke count decreases and/or if each length causes less oxygen debt.
@Ron Turner,
Thank you so much for the comment. I'm honored to have a national team coach reading my very novice attempt at describing swimming! I'm sure all the readers would appreciate any tips or suggestions you have for pool swimming or longer (1km+) open-water races.
I can't seem to hit the flip turn at all. I have trouble with choosing flip distance and have trouble planting my feet high enough for a good freestyle flip (I sink too far as I'm trying to flip and slightly turn).
Thanks to all! Just had my first open ocean practice today and LOVED it. Pool again later tonight.
Good luck and have fun everyone,
Tim
I tried TI too through a TI instructor. But for some reason, we were not successful. I am taking a temporary respite from training.
After reading your article, I feel resuming my training.
thanks.
I watched the TI video a few times, and memorized a couple drills to work on, mainly the balance and rotation. I did 250 consecutive yards without pause, the only reason i stopped is because i realized how far i'd swam without being winded - it didn't even feel like i was working out!
Thanks for the inspiring work. I might just have you next martial art challenge. I know you've been in Brazil and you played Jiu-Jitsu. But another widely practiced martial art in Brazil is the Capoeira (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capoeira)
After you are good you can take a trip to Salvador, Bahia. In my opinion that is the capoeira capital in Brazil.
Best,
I taught swim lessons for years and one of my favorite students was a grandma (65) who wanted to learn to swim, so she could swim with her grandkids. Had her swimming (barely) by the end of the lesson and comfortably swimming in 4 lessons! So cool!
Which googles have you decided worked best for you? Did you try the Swedish ones?
Best,
Jose Castro-Frenzel
if your sinking to far, it sounds like your not flipping over fast enough, so practice that. as for getting the distance right, that takes some practice and really varies based on your body. you generally want about half a body length between you and the wall when you do the flip. best way to do it it is take a breath a stroke or 2 before that, when you do the flip, have your body follow the arm as you stroke. i generally would hit the wall about mid way up, you want to push off straight, not angled down, and not much up, you want to use the push off the wall to streamline through the water with a dolphin kick, it will be one of the faster parts of your length.
once you get that down, you get the fun of learning a backstroke flipturn. if youve wondered what the flags are for above the pool (Assuming the pool you train at has them) they are for the back strokers. those flags are set a standard distance from the wall, so you learn how many strokes from the flags to the wall it takes you, and on your last stroke you flip over, do 1 frontcrawl (freestyle)stoke into your flip turn.
Really interested to know - who was the 'kiwi friend' who started this all off for you?
I've stumbled upon TI-like techniques through a combination of experience & experimentation. Specifically, after successfully competing nationally during my early teens at swimming, I 'transitioned' to surfing, which I enjoyed much more at the time. I also took up yoga in my mid-20's, and got back in the pool a few years ago to stay fit once the surfing time dried up (mid-30's now, 2 kids...)
So, I started putting the yoga practice to work in the pool - I focussed primarily on mindfulness & efficiency, and have come up with many of the same findings and great outcomes as TI brings. While I was already a decent swimmer, the change in attitude and technique has made it much easier (especially recovery) and enjoyable.
So, another challenge-from-a-kiwi for you - try using your TI techniques on this programme:
http://www.surfline.com/community/whoknows/whok...
--> you can use this programme to try a variety of kicks and stroke-rates, as its designed to mimic a typical session in the surf (long paddles back out to the break zone punctuated with short bursts to get in / adjust position and catch waves)
Once you've done that, you can try surfing! (Where, of course, it gets very difficult to roll your shoulders...) Drop me a line when you're next in Aotearoa, I can show you a few spots to get your bottom-turn humming :~)
Best of luck
Tom
I was wondering when you were going to ask about the Fabulous Flip Turn ;). I competitively swam for around 10 years and taught swim lessons for 5. When I was teaching, I always had my students stand in the middle of the pool and do somersaults. Not wimpy, slow ones. Fast, powerful, splash the person in front of you kind. I always turned it into a game, which one was the fastest, who has the biggest splash, etc. When you flip your legs over, you want from your knees down to "smack" the water. Notice to do this your body cannot be in a tight ball. This will help with hitting the wall high enough with your feet.
Each person is different as to how far away from the wall you need to be before you do your flip turn. Stand about 10-12 ft from the wall and swim in to get a feel for where you need to be to "flip." Flip turns are meant to be powerful; I always looked at them as an opportunity to gain time on my opponents. Pick up the speed a bit before your flip turn. Also, after you flip and are under water, make sure your streamline is tight and you are kicking hard off the wall until you surface to start your stroke again.
Once you get the hang of this, move into your next challenge: The Backstroke Flip Turn. There is a reason those flags are hanging above the pool and it isn't to celebrate the UN or some 6 year old's birthday. It is to start counting your strokes until you flip. It's a shame you aren't in Michigan, I would show you myself how it's done ;).
If you are practicing before a big event, wear multiple suits, webbed gloves with weights, even grow out the facial and chest hair, and practice "tapering" (no this doesn't involve anything related to duct tape).
I am also a fan of swimming while listening to music. You can purchase cases to put your ipod in that are completely waterproof.
Speedo Swim Mits:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Speedo-Aquatic-Cross-Traini...
Waterproof Ipod Accesories:
http://www.h2oaudio.com/
Tapering:
http://swimming.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.ht...
Open Water Tapering:
http://www.active.com/story.cfm?STORY_ID=6500&a...
Effects of Shaving (not just a practice for women, fellas):
http://www.soloswims.com/shaving.htm
I hope this helps! I think you should eventually video tape yourself swimming so the rest of us can see your progress :)!
Thanks so much for the fabulous tutorial on flip turns! I'll give all a shot when I'm next at the pool. The mid-pool flips should be a good "comfort exercise" for those of you who have read the 4HWW.
Just FYI, I just swam my 1km today!
It was a total surprise, as it was a solo open-water ocean swim, and I'd expected to stop before the 1/2 mile target I'd set. Lo and behold, I hit my groove about 65% of the distance to my marker and just kept on going. Sweet feeling.
For time: I started briskly walking at approx. 4:04pm (after texting my brother I'd probably be done around 5:30pm), I entered the water after walking 1/2 mile based on landmarks the lifeguards provided, then I swam the total distance -- 1km or slightly more -- and exited the water. I walked back to my beach bag over about 200 meters and sent my brother a text at 4:39pm.
If my walking took a total of 15 minutes -- I general earmark 30 minutes per mile for walking when hiking -- I completed the 1km in about 20 minutes.
Not sure what that means, but that seems to be what happened. I freestyled for about 90% of it, with two short backstroke recoveries, which I cut short because waves were throwing massive quantities of water into my nose and mouth. I felt so good after the 1k that I went for a 15-minute run, which I also never do.
Total time from 2 x 20-yard length (40 yards) exhaustion maximum to 1 kilometer (1,093.61 yards) with no exhaustion? July 20th to August 17th -- 29 days. Total Immersion rocks.
Now I just need to get into racing form :)
Pura vida,
Tim
Phelps won because his last 1/2 stroke was better than his opponents. By his fingernails.
i always hated taper during swim season lol.
tim, nice time on the 1k. once you get into a good grove with swimming, and even running, you can go on for a long distance like that. i would useualy just end up thinking about random things when we did 500meter or 1k swims during practice and get into a flow.
and if you do come to Michigan and meet up with erin, let me know, if its the same area of Michigan im from ill meet up with you 2 for some swimming, its been a few years since i competitively swam so im a bit out of shape compared to back then.
also, you ventured on to the starting blocks yet? they are alot of fun once you learn to use em and are an important part of a swim race.
-Tabs
Let me start by apologizing for the off topic post. According to your contact page this is one of the only ways to get in contact with you.
At 2:23 on Disc 2 Track 6 in your audio book version of 4HWW on the chapter about Dreamlining you mention, quite briefly, that you brought students to 10k in extra income per month within three months. You did not elaborate on this. I have been very curious how you went about doing that as I would like to learn and share with other inquiring minds.
Thanks so much!!
-IM
From your interest in diet and now in swimming, I think you'll find this quite curious: http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2008/08/int...
Cheers,
M
Another great post. I have never been that skilled at swimming, but next time I hit the pool I will certainly attempt the hand swap.
Chris
Tim, nice work on the 1K swim! It is amazing what you can accomplish in a short amount of time with proper instruction!
All this talk about swimming is leading me back to the pool. I am also going to check out the TI DVD. I have friends who just finished a triathlon in Chicago and are always hinting that I need join in on the fun. So I can see this happening in the near future for sure. Plus, it is a good excuse to go somewhere warm and fun during the winter months here in Michigan!
Here's a couple other tips that I forgot about when writing my above post:
If you are using a latex swim cap, after you are done swimming, dry off the inside and sprinkle with baby power. It keeps the sides of the cap from sticking to each other.
To cut down on drying time (not to mention future laundry duty), get yourself a Chamois.
http://www.speedousa.com/product/index.jsp?prod...
Oh and Tim, you have blonde hair which may turn a dash of green due to a lot of chlorine exposure, which I am sure you don't welcome unless it is around March 17. http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/115/shampoo
As with any activity one can certainly increase their heart rate. What TI allows individuals to do is to swim farther and with practice faster with less effort. Once one has ban able to establish a streamline position with good balance and a proper spearing of the hand, arm and hip drive, then it is a matter of increasing the stroke rate to increase the speed and increasing your heart rate. It is all exercise and all good for you. If you have targets for your heart rate you can experiement with stroke rate as to what that has to be to achieve the heart rate you want. I think you will find you are in very good condition with an nice easy pace though. As with all things it depends on what your goal is. TI can help you achieve it.
I am sorry to hear that you did not achieve success in your attempts to lean to swim with TI. Please call TI in New Paltz, NY, explain your situation and they will see to it you succeed.
There's some good stuff here, but a couple things I noticed as a former All-American swimmer that will make a big difference.
In the TI video, there are 2 minor problems with the technique as demonstrated. First, the head position is too low. This is not a huge problem, but the increased drag that comes from getting the head alignment wrong will slow you down. Secondly, the elbow is leading on the pull. It is a good idea to keep your elbow behind your hand underwater, as this opens up more of your core muscles and allows you to generate more power. It is also easier on the shoulder joint. Instead of thinking about pulling or pushing water behind you, think about creating a paddle with the arm and returning it to the body.
Many of the observations about length of stroke rather than stroke rate and the importance of body roll are right on, but the addition of a high-elbow will increase that distance per stroke even more.
The way to test if your eye pieces are at the right distance is to push them into your eye socket without attaching the strap to your head. If the goggles hold your eyes for 8 to 10 seconds, you have the right fit. If they fall off before that, adjust the distance between them.
PS - Some people love Swedes, but I always found them painful to use. They also tend to leave you with raccoon eyes for a while after working out.
Until we meet....
(1) Finding a pair of leak-proof goggles was a challenge for me. Evan W above mentioned "Swedish" goggles; they are highly recommended by many, but I found them to be very painful. TYR makes a similarly-shaped, but only slightly less minimalist goggle called the "socket-rocket" that has a small (but very helpful) amount of rubber padding on the rim that spreads the load of the goggle over the eye socket better than the "swedes" solid plastic. Dry, comfortable and cheap (under $10).
http://www.tyr.com/shop/socket-rocketstm-p-180-...
(2) As for Total Immersion (TI), congratulations on the find. I came from a competitive running background and blamed my swimming problem on an "inability to float." The (preposterous) implication was that I was too lean to swim. Which, of course, is why you see so many Olympic swimmers with beer guts.
A TI clinic (and the hours of useful practice that followed) helped turn my triathlon swims from a nightmare to a joy (the chilly, choppy Escape from Alcatraz swim is still my favorite). The workshop cost me hundreds of dollars, but considering the frustration it has saved me, it was well worth it.
Cheers.
I'm asking because you sound like you've been trying to learn exclusively from books and/or on your own, in which case it's no wonder you found it difficult. I took swimming lessons when I was sixteen, and I learned rather effortlessly. I think it must have taken me no more than a couple of months before I could swim a mile without stopping.
It wasn't because I was some sort of swimming genius. I'm sure it would have been just as easy for you, since you seem to be someone who really wants to learn. There are lots of competent swimming teachers out there, so nobody should make learning to swim any harder than it needs to be.
This is a concern frequently expressed among those who, like Rich, swim primarily for fitness. It's clearly an important question as there are far more people who do swimming as an "activity" than do it as a "sport."
The most useful insight for those interested in swimming for better health is something I knew intuitively for years but had confirmed when I read this article in Popular Mechanics last November http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/mili...
It documents that human swimmers are typically only 3% energy efficient - compared to 80% efficient for dolphins. After reading it, I did a google search on the phrase "energy efficiency of..." for other fitness/endurance sports - running, cycling, x-c skiing, rowing. I learned that, on land, elite athletes are typically 21 to 34% efficient (Michael Phelps is 9+% efficient and the limit on human efficiency in swimming seems to be about 10%.) A bit more research revealed that recreational athletes are about 10% to 20% less efficient than elites in land sports. In swimming, recreational athletes are 300% less efficient than elites.
The takeaway from this is that, on land, the recreational athlete improves performance primarily by "building the engine." In water, the recreational athlete improves mainly by "reducing energy waste." As the primary reason for energy loss in swimming is drag, the way to do that is to "improve your vessel."
Getting back to Tim's experience, when he could only swim 2 x 20 yd laps, he was a "three percenter" with 97% of what he describes as quite good "land fitness" being diverted by drag, instability, reacting to discomfort, etc. Now that he's swum a 1k, I'd guess he's probably improved to something better than 4% efficiency. In other words, he's now converting over 33% more energy expenditure into forward movement than before. His upside is still huge, which should keep his interest and motivation high.
The obvious question is was he getting more fitness benefit before -- working very hard for a minute or less -- or now -- working more efficiently for 20 minutes nonstop?
If you've done mainly land sports for years, what works in the water will be counterintuitive. If you want to swim for fitness, the best route to your goal, will be to "obsess about saving energy" rather than on how long/hard you're working.
Here's a more comprehensive response I gave on the TI Discussion Forum http://www.totalimmersion.net/talk-back.html to the same question.
>>What about Fitness?
In writing about training I don’t mean to suggest that fitness is unimportant. But instead of training to “get in better shape,” train to "improve your swimming." Let conditioning be something that "happens to you" while you improve your swimming. To illustrate:
Redefine Endurance. Webster’s defines endurance as “the ability to sustain a prolonged stressful effort or activity.” TI defines Swimming Endurance as “the ability to repeat effective swimming movements for a duration and speed of your choosing.” That definition places as much importance on *nervous system development* as aerobic system development. The critical difference is that when you train the nervous system, the aerobic system also receives the training it needs; when you train the aerobic system, there’s no guarantee the nervous system will be trained the way you wish.
Many of those who take up TI swim purely for fitness, rather than speed or performance. A common question among fitness swimmers is: “If I swim easier, will I lose fitness?” You won’t and here’s why: (1) A quality workout is one that makes good use of the body. Practicing efficiency makes better use of the body than conventional workouts, minimizing the chances of injury and increasing the likelihood that you’ll be able to do healthful training consistently. (2) Motivation matters. If you enjoy and are engaged by your fitness routine, you’ll continue for the long term; if you don’t you’ll lose interest. Kaizen – Continued Improvement – Swimming will keep your interest higher than training “because it’s good for you.” (3) Increasing intensity is always an option. Once you begin to master the basics, you'll find yourself able to swim longer – and faster – with less fatigue.
Should I Increase Yardage? In Kaizen Training, the primary reason for swimming more yards is to increase opportunities to imprint efficient movement. Will fitness increase as you do so? Yes, but your swimming will benefit only if that increased fitness accompanies improved skill. So if increased yardage causes you to compromise form, don’t do it.
http://www.finisinc.com/products-tr-tempotraine...
Congratulations on your 1KM swim!
Great post. Have just had a major knee op which has brought my rugby career to a close. I have had to swim as part of rehab and have found it really boring and have struggled to enjoy it.
I had never heard of this but have tried some of the demos on the web and it has made life a lot easier.
I would recommend this to anyone trying to get back into exercise after surgery.
Cheers
Andy
Wonderful news :)
Have u tried a finis alignment board, that's v cool to help with your stroke, and spilt fin flippers 2 help with flow?
Wishing u happy-swimming,
heard of Milton Nelms, he's the swimming whisperer American based in Aus, helped Thorpey master freestyle?
Namaste,
Carrie Eddins
www.chocolaterehab.com
Great work!
Tim
I think it's about time you turn such wonderful approach to golfing. Not sure if you play golf or not or how good you are. If you can come up with a program to turn a golf game around, you will be bigger hero. Please!
Thanks for your response. I will try to contact TI as you suggested.
BTW, does anybody here know of a coach in D.C. area who has been very successful in teaching Adult learners?
Thanks.
I took swimming in college and learned how to swim the "correct" way. Before that I was very clumsy but somehow managed to swim.
I've always wanted to do a tri but I can't swim very well. I've tried lessons but it just hasn't worked.
I'm going to give this one a shot. After all I couldn't run very well til a buddy introduced me to a program like this and I ended up doing a marathon.
I'm so glad you gave TI a test and thumbs up. I always wanted to try it but it sounded too good to be true. Thanks for being a guinea pig!
Best,
Jake
Firstly Congratulations for daring to give it another go with the swimming. I've been swimming since I was about 5 years old. It's my favourite sport! When I was little I was into the distance swimming... and one thing that I always do is count... count the strokes, the turns, the breaths between strokes... The kicks off the wall when tumble turning... They all make a difference. I also did competitive swimming to Uni National level in the UK.
Key things that come out of training are...
Long boats move faster - stay streamined & remember to reach.
Being comfortable in the water builds up your confidence - therefore play!
Do breathing excercises under the water to increase lung capacity - great for those with asthma too! (hold breath and swim under water for as far as you can each length for a few as part of a training routine!)
Getting the balance between breathing and strokes is all about timing... breathe when your body naturally pulls your head towards one side near surface... mid arm coming out of the water and over the head..
Don't over extend but do reach
Never cross your central line...
Swim like you are in a tube that is just wider than shoulder width all the way round (for fc and brst)
Don't roll too far as you loose your central line and end up crossing.
Ask others that are swimming well for advice and tips. :) I always offer tips to others that comment on my speed and technique. Others I know who are also good swimmers are happy to help too... not many know how to break down a stroke into easy to implement instructions. So for those offering tips in the pool, offer one tip at a time... otherwise the person implementing has too many things to think about all at once.
And most of all have fun with it! Swimming is always best when you relax into the stroke and glide through the water like a fish :) (or like Phelps)
Not knowing how to swim kept me from getting a coveted, foreign military badge- the German Armed Forces Profiency Badge (GAFPB). To make matters worse, I had qualified in all of the other events to get the Gold, but, no matter how much I tried, I could not complete the 200m swim! I was so ashamed and discouraged when the majority of my class stood in formation and got the coveted badge pinned on their chests and I had to stand off to the side and watch as I fought back the tears.
Two of my best friends just completed their first triathalon and I'd like to complete one next year. I'm ok with the bike and the run, but that pesky swimming part... not so much.
Thank you for all of these helpful tips! I've passed article on to my fellow nautically challenged and I can't wait to start training.
I will definitely make sure that my children learn how from a very early age. It's an important skill to have.
Not knowing how to swim kept me from getting a coveted, foreign military badge- the German Armed Forces Profiency Badge (GAFPB). To make matters worse, I had qualified in all of the other events to get the Gold, but, no matter how much I tried, I could not complete the 200m swim! I was so ashamed and discouraged when the majority of my class stood in formation and got the coveted badge pinned on their chests and I had to stand off to the side and watch as I fought back the tears.
Two of my best friends just completed their first triathalon and I’d like to complete one next year. I’m ok with the bike and the run, but that pesky swimming part… not so much.
Thank you for all of these helpful tips! I’ve passed article on to my fellow acquatically challenged and I can’t wait to start training.
I will definitely make sure that my children learn how from a very early age. It’s an important skill to have.
I have a friend who is a certified TI instructor and from what he's told me, most people would actually enjoy swimming if they knew how to do it "properly". Chronicling your experience will hopefully encourage more people to try TI out.
I wonder if jogging is something else you are into? If so, you may want to check out Chi Running. I hear it's to running what TI is to swimming.
Thanks Tim for the great post - and for motivating me even more to swim better. I can hardly wait for the triathlons next year :)
My name is Helemano and I am a four hour work week junkie. Love the book, trying to setup 3 companies with help of Brickwork India........
I will definitely outsource my whole life........even my niece who is presently unemployed and I got her to sign up for gigs on Gru, Domystuff, and Sologig so she can outsource her skill sets, amke some cash, and reate her own business and social networks
ANyway, I teach aquatics for the Red Cross and came across Coach Terry at the Ironman in Hawaii where I live. I was able to purchase his products and teach myself how to TI.
I especially teach adaptive p.e. to blind and visually impaired kids who are blind like me...............parents are at first scared shitless and when all is said and done, blind kids are going back and forth swimmingly along.
In regard to your comment, "I’ve never had a coach or supervision," Jim Littlefield's reference to "inner swimmer," and Guy Giffard's reference to swimming lessons: I'm reminded of the Inner Game of Music by Barry Green in which he explains how his brother won in their race to learn how to ski. His brother learned through reading a book and jumping right into it. Sometimes, though certainly not always, well meaning people can have a negative impact on our ability to learn or perform through giving too many directions all at once, which can be a helpful lesson to those in the field of teaching.
Someone mentioned they didn't want to hear about your swimming. I can't help but wonder if your new found ability is more than a physical break through but a psychological one as well. Whatever it is, congratulations on being able to enjoy a new activity.
I also followed Tim's HIT work out as well and it works!
Tim, how do find all these good stuffs?
Moxie
I read your account on the TI Newsletter which I receive now having taken a weekend workshop over a couple years ago. Your post was uncanny: I had many of the exact same experiences you had: being in decent shape, but breathless after one length; Speedo Vanquisher goggles (love them), and I also view swimming as moving meditation. When I decided to take it up (b/c of back injury), I thought I'd be bored by swimming. But b/c TI is also a well design pedagogic system, you can always concentrate and focus on various parts of your swimming. Who needs a waterproof iPod? It's easy to be really mentally focused while getting a great low risk (of injury) workout.
TI's made an amazing difference to my freestyle. My home stroke is breaststroke- I could do that till the cows come home. But I wanted to improve my freestyle and it really has. I swam competitively a little in high school in FL where I grew up, so I've always been very comfortable in water. When I took up swimming again (my other cardio is cycling), like you, I could barely get across two lengths. And, for 25m, it took me 25 strokes. I can now do 30x100ft non-stop (maybe longer), and I brought down my stroke rate to 13-18 strokes in 25m. I never thought I could do the 2 beat kick- I used to love watching the Olympic hopefuls in my high school swimteam kick so slowly and rhythmically.
I was on a 7 dd backpacking trip in eastern Yosemite, and brought only that book by Terry. I did the drills 3-5x/wk in the pool. I got a DVD, then decided to do the 2 day workshop. It's really paid off.
One of the TI ideas I like is that you're catching as if rowing, trying to swing your body forward past your anchoring hand, the way a rower applies power by extending his/her legs to "swing" the boat forward, past a blade just after the catch. So concentrating on plunging the recovering arm forward like a harpoon, rather than pushing hard with the power arm to move water backward, makes a lot of sense. I also like the idea that kicking is to help you with the rotation of your body, the way you anchor you feet for a racket or bat swing.
It's a great system and I recommend it to anyone interested in learning or improving their stroke.
Cheers
Total Immersion technique is fine if you want just to improve your movement in the water and to understand that water is an element where you have to relate with friction.
but if you see this video of Phelps while he does freestile: http://it.youtube.com/watch?v=ax77_hHq9Dc
You can see that his head is not looking to the floor of the swimming pool and his head is half out of the water, water arrives on the forehead.
He uses much more his legs and the moment of stop of his arms is when they arrive at the maximum lenght in front of his head.
http://it.youtube.com/watch?v=7HfG3MeKG7g
From Italy with love!
Thanks a ton for taking the time to share this with all of us. You inspired me to give swimming another shot. Previously I could only swim 2 x 25 lengths without having to stop to catch my breath. After only 5 swims I did 25 x 40 this morning. I now look forward to my laps 2-3 times a week.
Thanks Again! Charlie
Ps. As part of my information diet I cut the data plan on my crackberry today. Big boost in concentration and productivity.
Recently, I have only been able to swim a few laps at most, and ended up winded every time.
Trying to use the TI way of swimming, I did not get winded! I did maybe 5 or 6 laps, and I wanted to do more! I only stopped because I thought my form was slipping and don't want to develop any bad habits with this.
Afterwords, I felt exhilarated! This was very much what I felt like when I first discovered playing in the water. I was a little tired, but it was a good kind of tired. I'm actually remembering how fun it is to play. I know I may be gushing here, but while I am typing, I still feel GOOD from this.
My body and I thank you for posting this, and thanks also to Terry Laughlin and the people demonstrating in the linked videos.
Ravi
(now I need to get the book/dvd and see how much better this can get =) )
No matter, I went from not even being able to swim 1/2 way across the pool to swimming nonstop whenever I feel like it. TI is awesome:)
I was convinced in May of this year that I will learn to swim. I am 36 years old and all that my childhood swim lessons accomplished to do was to discourage me from swimming. Just last summer I was still sitting by the side of the pool or holding the pool edge.
I started lessons at my local Y this June, and at the same time I discovered TI from doing research on line. I purchased the book and eventally the dvd's, and was instantly hooked.
Five months later, last night i just did 1-1/2 hours of non-stop effortless crawl back and forth at the Y's 25 yard pool. It was the TI drills that helped me be effortless whereas the Y's kick-pull drills tired me out.
I hope to do a TI camp in the future. My long term goal is to learn to surf.
I now tell everyone proudly how much i love to swim.
You've humanized yourself by admitting this lifelong struggle, and I'm happy that we both had breakthroughs this year in the same area. My friend learned of TI as a step toward her first triathlon, and recommended it to me. Neither my husband nor I can swim, such that we even put "life jackets" on our wedding registry! We brought and watched the TI DVD on our honeymoon, and the most peaceful, memorable moments of our lives were spent in our private villa pool in Phuket being able to glide through the water without panic.
I thought it was just a fabulous swimming instruction approach until I read your more scientific and goal-oriented assessment of the method's design for efficiency. Glad to know I stumbled on the best method, as tested by you. Thanks for sharing.
Great post though!
I left a comment on 9.30.08 letting you know what a tremendous difference this has made for me. I am now up to a mile worth of laps a few times a week. I absolutely love it! With a fair amount of practice I have also managed to learn the flip turn. It's not that hard once you get the hang of it.
It's a Good Life, Charlie
Congratulations! I'm slated to go swimming tomorrow :) A little cold here in SF, though. Ouch!
Tim
I've watched endless egg beater tutorials on youtube and still don't get it, I can't do the butterfly and pretty much all I manage is a quirky freestyle, I will try these tips.
You didn't say much about legs however, what I find is after a few meters my legs start to drop further and further so that my arms are doing all the work!
When you come down to Bali we'll go bodysurfing. It's the best use of swimming ability that I've ever found! (Check 'wedge bodysurf' on youtube)
Time slows in the tube-- done right you'll live forever.
Swimming grades in my athletics class are going to destroy my overall athletics grade, that is essential to the outcome of my German Abitur. But there is hope now, if this works. I will start practicing as soon as possible :) Thank You!!
• As one person noted, the correct goggles are all about your face shape. With the right ones, you should not have to adjust more than once per session. I can only use a pair made by Speedo that has a fixed nose piece (in other words, it's one piece of molded plastic all the way across), everything else makes me go cross-eyed underwater.
• For longer distance swims, start off at what feels like an unnaturally slow pace and let the effort increase for a while very gradually. Just like running a 10k or longer race, you're actually going faster than you think when you first start, so you have to consciously pace yourself.
• Try mixing strokes to max out your distance—it's a lot easier to go 400 or 800 meters by alternating freestyle with breaststroke every 100 meters. After you done that for a week or two, just go for a 1000 one day, all freestyle. Once you commit, you'll find your second (and third) wind without even looking for it.
Cheers, Jon
I thought I was the only adult who couldn't swim! I was in the lifeguard training program in high school, and almost drowned when a friend played a prank. I immediately forgot how to swim, and haven't swam since. This just inspired a New Year's resolution. Thanks for the interesting posts.
Happy Day!
Paul
Paul, regarding guitar:
I know you're asking Tim, but I'll share my experience if it helps. I think overall if you approach it methodically you can show fast improvement. Here are a few tips that can save you some time:
1. I wasted a great deal of time trying to pursue multiple styles on multiple types of guitars. I believe the most essential thing is to really decide what you're trying to learn. If you don't focus your goal, you're not going to get anywhere. This also impacts the techniques you will use to learn. If you want to learn to play funk, you need a lot of rhythm drills, if you want to play rock solos, you need to do a lot of scales. This is not to say you can't "learn it all", but you have to focus on one style to make real progress.
2. Buy a metronome. Build all your practices around it. When you start playing along with recorded music or other people your ability will be in direct proportion to the amount you use a metronome.
2. Do drills for BOTH hands. You need to perfect your strum if you want rhythm, and it's also important to do picking drills. A lot of beginners try to learn scales, and just run them end-to-end, over and over with no other real drills. You end up with a sore left hand and a bored right hand. You should definitely do some scales, but also try this: hold a single note and pick it in time with the metronome, three times per tick, at a very slow speed. Slowly get faster, but make sure you don't sacrifice quality for speed. You get faster and sound good by perfecting your technique at slower speeds. Gradually add other drills that include more than one note, but still include the fast drills with fewer notes.
3. Find a song you love and absolutely master it. Use sheet music if you can find it, and also try to find a video of someone playing it (in person is even better). It helps to break the song into sections. Don't focus on playing the correct notes, focus on the song sounding perfect. The important thing is to absolutely master it before you move on. Play along with a recording, try to get comfortable picking up in various places from the middle of the song. Try to insert variations or color into how you play it.
4. As I alluded to in the previous tip, record yourself. Record backing tracks and try to play along with them.
-t.
I took swimming effortlessly for granted as I grew up on an island and went through a couple of years of competitive swimming when I was a kid, but I now remember the kids who where struggling in the swimming pool at school (and my schoolmates making fun of them) and I wish they could have somebody like you to share your experience at that time (I was too shy to even think about trying to help back then - stupid)
I'll keep your article in mind next time I meet a not-so-confident swimmer willing to improve next time!
Great description of TI! I am a podcaster, nuclear engineer, triathlete, and student of lifestyle design (yes, I have successfully implemented many of your methods, but that is another story).
My experience with Total Immersion was similar to yours although I've had time to take it to new levels. When I decided to become an Ironman Triathlete, I had never swam, biked, or run competitively. TI helped me complete my first Ironman swim in under 1 hour and 18 minutes (that's 2.4 miles in the open water), and still have plenty of energy left to bike 112 miles and run a marathon. Since then I've done it again and completed many shorter triathlons.
Total Immersion was a key to my success.
Peace!
Great insight. I have never been afraid of swimming and can paddle around a bit but not efficiently. I am an avid cyclist and I have always avoided triathalons because I do not like to swim. I will give it more thought.
Rick
Stacey
My problem is, I can't seem to pick up the "effortless" part of swimming effortless. Each time I finish one length of a 25-meter pool, my heart rate jumps to at least 140, and usually up to 160. I need to find the equivalent of "jogging" -- swimming slowly and easily enough that I'll be able to finish a half mile or a mile with relative ease.
I've tried swimming slower, breathing every stroke cycle, relaxing as much as possible in the water. But no matter what, my heart rate jumps after just one length. Does Terry/anyone else have any tips? I really need the help, because I want to compete in one or more triathlons this summer.
Thanks!
1. Pay attention to how hard you are kicking, you might be over-doing it.
The thing with kicking is that it adds very little propulsion for the amount of energy that it costs. If you are doing a short sprint, you want to get that extra boost and you can afford to go into oxygen debt for a short time, but if you're going a long distance, you need to learn how to swim with your torso.
2. Maybe body position is the issue? Are you perhaps using energy to stay afloat? Keep doing the drills and try to find the natural spot in the water where you aren't expending any energy to stay up. You should eventually be able to take breaks WHILE swimming. Just turn to your side and take a few breaths. The key is doing those drills enough times and with enough intention that you internalize those skills, not to get through them, keep repeating the drills long past the point where you think you need them, and try to be critical of yourself as you do them
Just my two cents,
-t.
Just wanted to say that your tips had a tremendous impact on my technic. I had watched some videos on YouTube, but those really didn't get to me. All the things that you said were keeping you from liking to swim were the same for me : )
Keep up the good work !
Ott