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1st Swim Last Night - How to progress?

Hi guys,

I know you get a lot of swim questions and I've had a good look through the threads, so I do apologise but....

Done my first swim last night, felt I got some technique right but didnt have much stamina so this fell off a bit towards the end of my allotted half hour. Managed 16 lengths (25m) but couldnt string two together, was stopping at each end for about 10 breaths. Think I need to concertrate on breathing and think my legs are too deep creating drag.

Anyway my question is where does this rate as a first proper swim session and how would you progress from here? I have an open water spint tri at the end of May. I plan on taking some coached sessions when I have the cash with the local tri club.

Thanks guys

Comments

  • Sorry to copy and paste this from another thread, but its relative!

    I'd say that's a great start, just keep building up the number on consecutive lengths and get some coaching or go to a group session!

    After years of debating getting a swim coach, I went went for it last night with some caution on what I would gain from it!

    We had one to one swim coach for an hour went halfers with a training bud. £21 each including a lane all to our self's!!! We were the envy of other swimmers in the zoo lanes!!

    in one session the coach has got me from avg 18 strokes per length down to 14!!!

    I'm not swimming any faster yet but, this is how I want to be swimming for sure!!

    Anyone thinking about a coach for some gains in the pool should def go for it!

    cheers
  • 16 lengths as a forst session is fantastic, it's also the 400m needed for a pool based sprint tri, so you're out ontot he bike already. Time may not be good, but hey ho.

    Seriously, it's all about the breathing. Get onto YouTube abd search for swim drills. It's worth spending 10-15 minutes eash session just working n the drills. Try swimming with your body rotated at about 45 degrees, just kicking, and head in the water. Look down, not forward, this will help raise your hips. Then rotate the ehad to take a breath, and carry on. Repeat but on the other side. Once you;ve got the hang of it, then throw in a couple of strokes. It'll take a while, but you'll get there.

    Quicker option though is some coaching, even if it's only one hour, you'll learn mor in that house than you'll probably ever teach yourself.
  • Great stuff guys, that breathing drill sounds interesting will look it up. Also lessons are coming, ive been invited down to the sessions held by my local tri club so hopefully next week.

    My OW swim is 750m, I've already planned for OW swims in the weeks leading up (when its warmer!). I have planned my training to be doing 800m continuous swimming before the race, is this achievable/normal practice?

    Thanks again
  • An OW swim willbe different to a pool swim because of the wetsuit. The wetsuit gives bouyancy, and it feels as if your are out of the water. Some find it easier, others think it could be slightly slower, but t does feel different. Make sure yout get some OW pracitce before the day though.

    I know some try swimming with a pull bouy between there legs, this lifts there legs up, which gives similar effect to the wetsuit.

    If you can swim 800m inthe poolcontinuous, then 750m OW swim is easily do'able. However, you'll need to think about sighting. This is navigating in OW. In a pool it's easy, you have the line on the bottom to follow. In OW, there's nothing, just some bouy in the distance. You can practice sightning inthe pool, between breathing have a quick heads up and focus on somehting at the end of the pool, then head back into the water and resume normal stroke. Again, google and it'll be better explained.
  • I'm in pretty much the same position!!

    I've also got my first sprint in March (pool based!) and train by doing sets of 400m. If it's any comfort, I started and couldn't string 2 together but by, believe it or not, slowing everything down and allowing a 'glide' before 'pulling' the water I've began to string 2 together and am now getting onto 3!!! I alternate now and do 4 front crawl, 2 breast stroke then repeat 3 times. When I feel my front crawl is improving then I simply add a front crawl and remove a breast stroke.

    I picked this link up which I've found useful in learning what I SHOULD be doing!
    http://www.swimsmooth.com/
    Download the program and you can watch the front crawl at whatever angle/speed you choose in order to better study it.

    Good Luck!! (Good to hear someone else at the same point as me)
  • largeadelargeade Posts: 166
    Having breaststroked as fast as freestylers for years, I taught myself front crawl 14 months ago for my first tri, and ur describing exactly the way it was.

    I did four things

    1) I bought the book Total Immersion by Laughlin. It is brilliant (the first half anyway) and showed me exactly what I was doing wrong.
    2) I went to the pool three times a week (once or twice did not seem enough).
    3) I did as much crawl as I could, and when I couldnt do any more I did breast stroke until I got my breath back, and then I crawled again.
    4) When I got tired and the technique was going wrong I stopped (dont teach yourself bad habits)

    2 and 3 are along the same lines as teaching yourself to run. "You cant run until you can run" is a conundrum that only hard work will get you over.

    Currently I'm at 40 seconds for 50m, regularly do 2km, and just today I beat my best breaststroke time - 29 mins for 1.5km. Its only now that I'm beginning to think a lesson might help...

    Ade
  • Quick question Ade, was it worth learning to front crawl?
    (my breast stroke is as quick as my front crawl yet much easier to do!!)
  • largeadelargeade Posts: 166
    My breaststoke was only fast because of my leg kick.
    I'm old (40) and these days my knees are hurting when I do a lot of it (inside tendons).
    Plus In a wetsuit, my one anyway, it just plain doesnt work as well because your legs slip through the water and the neck gapes between the shoulder blades which doesnt make for bouyancy.
    Also (and now I'm a crawler I'm qualified to say ;-) breaststroke is really antisocial in the fast lane...
  • AtomicAtomic Posts: 126
    I've come from a swimming background but breast and butterfly were my strokes and not crawl.

    I started swimming crawl only about 6 months ago. Struggled at first to get the distance in but stuck at it and it soon came together.

    You should maybe think about doing pyramid sets (1 length, 2 lengths, 4 lengths, 6 lengths,4 lengths, 2 lengths, 1 length or so with 30 sec intervals). Once you get used to these you can push the distance up and the rest time down.

    I would really encourage getting some coaching though.
  • And breaststroke is using those valuable leg muscles more than crawl. You'll be needing them for later
  • Just found out that the local pool does open swimming lessons for adults, only £4 so I'm gonna go along tonight - see what happens!
  • Well, did the swimming lessons and...WOW!

    It's amazing how having someone watch, who knows what they're doing, and can point bits out can improve your technique!

    My kicks were too long and therefore creating a LOT of drag. Merely by kicking shallower and fast it's increased my speed significantly (well, it felt like - I'm gonna time it properly next time I go). I'm a convert - coaching is money invested!!
  • Just found out that the local pool does open swimming lessons for adults, only £4 so I'm gonna go along tonight - see what happens!
    What pool did you go to for the lesson
  • MATTmatt wrote:
    What pool did you go to for the lesson
    Just to my local pool, so unless you live around Chesterfield your scuppered! but it was Sharley Park 7.30pm to 8.15pm. It felt a bit awkward at first, being 'back at lessons' (felt like school!!), but got over that and it was really really useful!

    They do different strokes each week but the teacher said she's happy for me to do just front crawl every time I go.
  • If you look at the Mansfield tri club web page they do club swims on Wednesday nights for 1 hr and it only costs £3.
  • Yeah I've seen that Matt, I'm keeping my eye on both Mansfield and Derby Triathlon clubs with the view of eventually joining one of them - not sure which one? Unfortunately, I'm learning spanish on weds so can't make it.

    To be honest, I feel a little...anxious about starting with a Tri club, especially the swimming, because I have the idea they'll all be super fit athletes and I'll rock up fat belly, poor technique and sh*t kit!! but as soon as I pick up the courage I'll head down one day :roll:
  • Ok 3 Sessions in and Im up to 22 lengths (550m), and managing to string 2 or 3 lengths together so progress is coming and I think 750m shouldnt be too far away before my first OW Tri on the 29th May. I guess I'll just have to keep going and building on taking less rest/more lengths without a stop.

    Does anyone else find that when your first learning FC that one length technique will just click and then the next you feel (and look?) like your drowning?! I feel Im lacking consistnacy but at times the technique feels really good and I move faster and smoother at no extra effort? Might still be down to consistantly getting the breathing right?
  • eddiescooper wrote:
    Does anyone else find that when your first learning FC that one length technique will just click and then the next you feel (and look?) like your drowning?!
    VERY DEFINITELY!!!

    I Find it's down to me just being knackered, or my breathing getting out of 'sync' :roll:

    I guess we just need to develop 'swim fitness'
  • eddiescooper wrote:
    Does anyone else find that when your first learning FC that one length technique will just click and then the next you feel (and look?) like your drowning?! I feel Im lacking consistnacy but at times the technique feels really good and I move faster and smoother at no extra effort? Might still be down to consistantly getting the breathing right?
    Worry not, it's not just when you're learning. At Masters sessions, I can fell good for 1000+m and then for some reason it'll go tits up for a couple of lengths as the mind wonders, or I try to inject a bit more speed. Once I slow down then the form returns and I'm good to go again.
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