Thinking of trying some swimming and someone mentioned total immersion. Just wonder what people think to it.

Good if you are starting from complete scratch, but if you’re aiming to swim fast/competitively (triathlon/xterra) then its worth seeking out a proper swim lesson.

Where are you based and i’ll try to recommend someone.

Doug (ex-competitive swimmer, triathlete, and swim coach!)

Doug,

I’m in Leeds and need training prior to the Great North Swim, anyone you can recommend?
Cheers M

Cheers Doug. I’m in Nottingham. Not been in a pool for a few years, just thought that if I was going to use it for some cross training, I ought to do it properly rather than just thrashing my arms and legs around until I’m gasping.

I started learning to swim properly in october. When I started I couldnt swim a 25m length. I had lessons and my coach gave me drills to do along the way. I have since seen that they are used in TI. They must have done some good because im now down to doing 400m intervals in 8 min each with relative comfort.

One thing a friend (former county 100m champion and hence good swimmer) told me though, was that I was overgliding, I have corrected this myself, and found it knocked a couple of seconds per length off. I have read that TI can make you an overglider, just something to be aware of.

Have a look at the swimsmooth website, its great.

you’d be better to get a couple of lessons from a coach, who can troubleshoot any issues you might have.

i am currently considering getting some lessons from here

http://www.roko.co.uk/nottingham-gym/nottingham-swimming-lessons.html

As i am also trying to learn to swim properly at the moment.

Doug,

Just to add my name to the list, do you know anyone near Cambridge that would be able to teach me how to swim in anything but breast stroke?

partyboy1101 – Seek out Simon Ward at the http://www.thetriathloncoach.com/

Onzadog – Have a search of triathlon clubs/coaches in the Loughborough area, its very much a hub of sporting activity. Bound to find something useful.

Thanks Doug

I went from 25m maximum at a go, to 7:30 for 400m with total immersion (just the book). So going from non crawl to medium/slow crawl swimmer, it can be good. I think at this point though, I’ve got better technique now from coaching at a local tri club, which is nice, but total immersion made a massive difference at the start, well worth the few quid for the book, and a great base for more training.

There is also swimsmooth, which a lot of people recommend – our tri club sessions are based on it. It is a similar type of drill based thing, but with a slightly different take on it, slightly more competitive focus.

Total immersion gave me some good tips. It explained to me that swimming is very much about technique. And just some very simple things helped improved my technique massively. Got my 800m times down to very competitive tri level.

Wear proper trunks rather than baggy shorts, that’ll take 2-3 seconds a length off.

I still wear baggy shorts, do proper trunks make that much difference ?

willard – Member
Doug,

Just to add my name to the list, do you know anyone near Cambridge that would be able to teach me how to swim in anything but breast stroke?

Parkside Pool in Cambridge used to do good swimming courses & probably still do.

good fitting swimmers over baggy shorts makes a difference yes

TI is a good enough place to get started if you just don’t want to be rubbish, if you’re going to do swim competitively or do triathlons then….

… don’t they are a good bike ride interrupted 😉

Good if you are starting from complete scratch, but if you’re aiming to swim fast/competitively (triathlon/xterra) then its worth seeking out a proper swim lesson.

Where are you based and i’ll try to recommend someone.

Doug (ex-competitive swimmer, triathlete, and swim coach!)

Not the case in my experience Doug.

TI made a HUGE difference to me as a swimmer. I also know quite a few competitive swimmers & triathletes who say its improved their swimming.

Does anyone have any experience of how the Total Immersion and the Swimsmooth books compare?

@ Onzadog – Paul who coaches at Long Eaton LC is very good. He uses the SwimSmooth stuff.

Moved me from a struggling 8:30/400m to easy repeatable 7:40/400m, now doing 2km open water with no worries.

Doug, Mary, thank you both for the info.

I was planning on having swimming lessons this year (but I seem to have ended up with a running coach instead!) but I’ll still like to get sorted at some point. I was leaning towards SwimSmooth personally, seems to have a slightly larger UK following whereas TI seems to be very popular in the US but a bit less over here. I really like the SwimSmooth website and their “Mr Smooth” app though, it’s really really good and defo worth checking out!

I’m sold on the idea of either though, have tried some of the drills solo and they definitely help. It seems to be you really need someone watching you and ideally videoing as well to get the most out of it.

Can anyone recommend a good Swimsmooth or TI style coach in Kent? (Closer to Canterbury the better!)

forgive my ‘hignorance…. but “total immersion” swimming as opposed to what…??? Didn’t think the immersion bit was optional when swimming

If I had to guess I would say it refers to immersing the mind as well as the body. Very zen. Maybe.

OP most swim schools have the same core principles at heart and merely differ slightly in emphasis. The exceptions to this will include the current rejection of the s-shaped pull. I have followed both TI and SS for a long time and believe that they are more similar than different. Paul who runs SS hates these debates however as he believes that SS is a very inclusive and adaptive approach. TI is more one dimensional IMO. The key difference is that TI places a great level of emphasis on stroke efficiency. It is also very good and drilling correct body coordination. The main danger of TI in my opinion is that the message can be misunderstood and the result is dead spots in the stroke and over-gliding.

I prefer SS as it is more flexible but have adapted lessons from both in my LT swim development. I would suggest you do the same but choose SS if you only want one place to research! Paul and Adam are brilliant as is their website.

Right, just ordered some proper swim shorts, im hoping they will get me to 7.30 for 400 🙂

you don’t need a book, this…

[video]http://youtu.be/4InLAsnmKhY[/video]

…plus ask on here, find more stuff on youtube, google. then swim at least twice a week regimened sets.

or, as has been said, get lessons from a recomended coasch. i’ve been swimming a year solid, self taught like that (well over 10mins for 400 down to 6m55 last april, not timed since but damn do believe i’m being timed next week) and have literally just started weekly technique with my local run/tri club and they are pulling my technique to pieces.

just remembered another reason why lessons are a good call. i started teaching myself to roll turn before xmas, was getting on ok. suddenly about 3 weeks ago i started twisting badly and could’nt shake it, rolls literally stopped. chatting to a local coach who teaches my kid on weds she suggested it was due to leading with my shouder (they went pear shape the night i had to swim a lane anti clock as against clock that i always do). she suggested a few tricks to sort it and last night within 3 or 4 attempts i’d sorted it with a few further refinement tweaks to work on by the club swim coach later on. so weeks of frustation on my own, cured by one question to the right person.

Lesson , lesson, lesson.
Foret all the books, videos, hype.
You need only 2 or possibly 3 pointers to work on, and practice that for 18 months…. Honestly….

Fwiw, I swim masters level.

I still wear baggy shorts, do proper trunks make that much difference ?

god yes, stunning difference. get jammers.

baggies cause drag, you can see people in a pool with them with their ass way under the surface and thus the body angle causes drag.