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Swimming
Mattwebster83
Posts: 15
in General Chat
I'm awful at swimming but have been dragging myself to a pool in Bloomsbury (next to where I work as my Home pool Harlow has closed) to try and improve it. Trouble is I think I am making just about every common error that you can make. I dont think its fitness that is leaving me gasping after 10 lengths but technique. The pool doesn't offer any sort of coaching (just a sleepy life-guard) so I went out and bought the total immersion swimming book and it helped a little but I'm worried that I'm burning all my bad habits into my stroke.
Has anybody tried the triathlon swimming in a weekend type courses? they seem quite expensive but if I could just get the basics down then I could start improving. It seems all the swimming lessons that I find are switching to open water at this time of year which may be good for me in the future just not yet!!
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Had read the TI book previously and a lot of what they teach is similar, but you can't beat having someone there showing you how to do the drills and giving you direct feedback. Alot of what I was trying to do from TI I was just getting wrong or couldn't visualise what I was supposed to do.
IMO money well spent.
Alternatively join a tri club and get 50 people to tell you what you are doing wrong and then write your own book......
i think they do that at tri central so i might go and have a go
I'm having lessons at local council place, personally I don't think I'd get as much out of a weekend as I'm not fit enough to swim for an entire weekend, and I'd probably forget loads. But having a lesson once a week is brill. I learn a few drills, get told what's good and what's not, then go practice. Sorted. When I get better and want to really refine technique, then I might go for coaching but at the moment local pool is good for me.
Must be somewhere surely...
Anyway, I completely agree with flavadave - the SwimFortri weekend workshops are great. I learned loads in a couple of days, and they give you plenty to take away and work on yourself. Can't recommend them highly enough. Course is £225 for 2 days in the endless pool, including a technique/drills DVD, a DVD of your own stroke and some printed material too. Worth every penny.
Still, I did 500m ( stopped twice, 1st time as my goggles steamed up and the 2nd time was because some tit decided to "bomb" into the water about 2 ft from my head- we had words!!)
I felt smoother and more relaxed by the end but my shoulders ached a bit and I was pretty tired TBH
More time in the water needed and I am looking forward to it.
.....my god that's not rubbish!
I'm getting down to see Mr Kiddle asap. I struggle to breath to the right when doing FC.
And it wasn't fast mate - seriously slow.
I'd be last out the water in a sprint event [X(]
Tri club would be ideal but I have this whole science PhD thing that I'm finishing this year, great for fitting random bike rides, runs, gym and swimming in but terrible for being committed to a fixed place at a fixed time!
Looking forward to finding some sort of coaching though, a guy at work said I should do the black water tri in September, 'only 750m swim.' I'd be looking at a finishing time measured in days rather than hours!!
I've taken a weekend off work so I can see Kiddle.
He better be good cos I blood need help!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Always considered myself to be a competent swimmer and always thought I had gone as far as I could with my swimming until I tried Total Immersion coaching in an endless pool. There are numerous places around the country and the methods are in all the latest tri mags.
I went to Tri'n'swimwell in Rochford Essex, http://www.trinswimwell.co.uk/ and was put through numerous drills.
My swimming technique has improved and I've knocked time off my PB. If you get a chance I would highly recommend it.
It's excellent coaching, you can wear your wetsuit and you don't having to worry about tumble turning. It's the best pool based Tri swim training you can get.
I'm 35 and despite what they say you CAN teach an old dog new tricks!
Hands off that's my spot [8|]
I've done 3 endless pool session with http://www.trinswimwell.co.uk in Rochford and I cannot speak highly of them and the experience of an endless pool!
Swimming is by far the worst discipline for me and I went in after clocking a 12 minute 425m swim in my first tri and now I have got that down to 9 mins (last month's Aquathon swim time) after drills and plenty of practice! I had my technique analysed and was able to see the play back on the tv screen as well as have a dvd made for me to watch at home of where I was going home.
As I have entered a few tri's this season where the swim is in a lake rather than pool I also used Tri N Swim to purchase a wetsuit which was great as I'd never really used one before so needed the advice (especially putting it on!) and having the endless pool there also helps with actually trying it out in water!
Go for a session, you'll not be disappointed. If you go to Tri N Swim in Rochford, Dawn and Gill will help you with anything you need, otherwise there are a couple other endless pools dotted elsewhere.
Good luck, Craig
Massive massive difference. I used to get confused by people saying "go at this pace for this long and then step it up" etc but now i know what they mean as im not just thrashing around like a pregant elephant!