LONG DISTANCES, STROKE BY STROKE

By Angus MacGowan

TI swimmers are varied enough that it would be difficult to call any one of us “typical.” However, it’s fair to say many people are introduced to the TI approach because they’re struggling to swim more than a couple of laps. My experience has been quite different. In January of 2006, two friends asked me to help them raise money for charities in Australia and the UK by completing a three person English Channel relay in July. I assumed the swim was a hare-brained idea that would never come to fruition, so I felt confident about agreeing to become involved.

I had some swimming background, but I hadn’t bothered the cashier at a public swimming pool for over ten years. In my early 20s, I was a keen triathlete who swam well enough, but with more enthusiasm than grace. After a decade out of the pool, my training diary entry for our first training swim for our Channel relay reads as follows “Swam 1,000m. Felt like I was drowning”.

I knew two things after that first session. Firstly, my teammates were better swimmers than me. Second, I was unable to fathom how I could become a good enough swimmer to cover the 10-12km (6 to 7.5 miles) that would be my share of the relay. These discoveries triggered a desire to improve my swimming dramatically. I was prepared to work hard, but I wanted to work smart as well.

One of my teammates mentioned Total Immersion and I spent some time digging around the TI website. Certain things appealed. I liked the incremental approach that allowed a swimmer to deconstruct, then rebuild, his or her stroke. The concept of efficient swimming appealed enormously to someone who needed to swim a long way across the sea. And I felt welcomed by the non-proscriptive philosophy whereby each swimmer was encouraged to explore improvement at any pace, in any environment, in almost any way.

Half of my workouts are with a Masters squad that focuses solely on conditioning, with little time for any technique drills, let alone TI focus points or stroke counting exercises. Nonetheless, armed with the Freestyle Made Easy DVD and the occasional quiet session in the pool on my own, I started progressing through the drills. I found it took time to absorb the fundamentals into my stroke; one day I’d feel like a breakthrough had occurred, only to find it had completely escaped me next time I got in the water. Nonetheless, improvements have been a constant part of my practice now that each stroke has a purpose other than solely to get me to the end of the pool.

Slowly, I have found ways to incorporate the TI principles into my Masters workouts. At my desk before I leave for training, I write down two or three TI principles or focus points that I will work on that night at training. “Be long & slippery” and “Anchor my catch – don’t pull” may be all I write. However, it makes every set and every stroke a TI exercise. I am a much-improved swimmer – even my butterfly has improved, although I won’t use this much as we cross the Channel.

The most fundamental changes I’ve experienced have been in my attitude. Previously, I had only ever swum to complete the necessary yardage. However, TI has allowed me, in fact, encouraged me to bring a more sophisticated, intellectual approach to swimming. I now perceive swimming as an art both brilliantly simple and extraordinarily complex, and the ongoing process of reconciling this paradox makes swimming an intellectual and physical exercise that brings me considerable enjoyment.

I was planning the last few months of our training programme a few days ago. I realized we have approximately 180 km (110 miles) of scheduled training to go before we push off Shakespeare Beach near Dover and head for Cap Gris Nez in France. Prior to discovering TI, I would have worried how I was going to manage all that yardage. Now I’m only concerned with the very next stroke I’m going to take.

Besides, England to France; it’s only one length anyway.

Angus MacGowan is an Australian who came to work in London in 1996 and is still trying to get back home to Melbourne. This is largely because there are more 50m outdoor pools in Melbourne (which isn’t too hard, as there are none in London). In relay with fellow ex-pat Aussies Adam Kyriacou and Andrew Peck, he is swimming the English Channel in July to raise £20,000 for The Princes Trust (UK) and Life Saving Victoria (Australia), both of which help change and save lives through their encouragement of sporting activities. Donations to the Princes Trust can be made at http://www.justgiving.com/aussiechannelchallenge

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