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Swim Technique

LindsLinds Posts: 124
More questions I'm afraid



I haven't done any serious swimming for over 20 years, and I think I'm a pretty good swimmer (apart from breast stroke) and after 4 training swims I can now do 750m in 16 minutes without using my legs to much



I was looking on the tri247 website last night and saw this video [color=#800080]http://www.tri247.com/article_1885_Swim+for+Tri:+full+stroke.html?category=swim[/color] which shows what I assume to be the Total Immersion stroke pattern. After "swimming" round my kitchen last night (and having the wife and neighbours laughing at me) I can sort of feel a rhythm to it and am going to try it out tonight.



My question is does it make that much difference or due to my limited time (the Tri is on 27 July) am I best just using the stroke I currently use and feel happy with?



I'm going to try both in the pool tonight - 750m usual stroke then 250m TI then 250 usual again just to see how they feel.



Oh and finally - are tumble turns allowed?



Thanks

Comments

  • you wouldn't believe how much time i've spent in the pool trying to fathom out which is best - T.I. or conventional.



    I'll shamelessly plug my blog on the matter



    http://sub6.blogspot.com/2008/04/final-swim-results.html



    Conventional is faster for me but uses more energy - T.I. is more relaxed but slower.



    Spose you just have to experiment for yourself

  • BopomofoBopomofo Posts: 980
    From what I've managed to pick up from the TI techniques, it does help you learn to be 'long' in the water, also teaches you to rotate properly. Of course, there are other ways to work on lengthening your stroke and getting your roll correct.



    I have resisted the temptation to go the whole hog with TI. My swim coach has been through it, picked out the bits she thinks are useful, and incorporated some of the exercises into our drill sessions.



    The key is speed = stroke rate x stroke length. Stroke rate only gets you so far before you lose your grip ('catch') on the water. Stroke length is where most people fall down a bit, both with the reach and the catch. Also, many of us don't push out properly.



    Different things work for different people when it comes to visualisation: for me, it was an idea from the book "Swim, Bike, Run" by Wes Hobson et al. who suggests 'ice-skating' through the water: that strong push/glide motion really stuck in my head to sort out my stroke length. It also makes me remember to rotate my hips more - otherwise that big long push will have you curving your back, and you will snake through the water.



    Hobson also points out how much power there is in the recovery phase. Punch your arm over the top, feel your shoulders whip across, and feel the power it transfers to your pulling hand.



    Lastly, try hand paddles - the ones that attach to wrists and fingers. Take off the finger strap to work on your entry. Take off the wrist strap to work on your exit; my hand was pulling backwards at one point - very counter-productive. Fist swimming is another good drill.



    I always think it is better to be more efficient than quicker in the swim, although both would be good. You can put in 50% more effort to go 1 or 2 minutes quicker, then be so tired you ruin your bike leg. If you were able to allocate a percentage of your energy budget to the swim, what would it be? 20%? 30%? Decide on that figure then go at the speed that 'spends' that amount. OK - Impossible to do accurately, but I'm just trying to explain my thinking [;)]



    Tumble turns: most pool-based tris are ok with this, particularly if you are in waves that stay in one lane. You'll be advised on the day in the safety briefing. if you do it badly, you'll burn a large part of your energy budget just tumbling and going hypoxic.
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