Blog Entries http://www.totalimmersion.net Sat, 04 Feb 2012 04:12:33 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.totalimmersion.net/blog/More-Important-Learning-from-Maho.html <p>After the Maho Bay workshop I came home with ideas about teaching the cello better. Swim coaching has taught me a lot about teaching with a lot more orderly approach than what I learned studying cello. Because I was a performance and not an &quot;ed.&quot; major, my major focus was not learning how to be a good teacher. I think I've always been pretty good because some of my teachers were very good. One&nbsp;especially was&nbsp;a very curious and enthusiastic problem solver. He gave me extra [...] deb@swimmuse.com Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100 workshop wellbeing Total Immersion TI Terry Laughlin technique swim streamline propulsion practice performance music Maho Bay Maho freestyle focal point cello butterfly http://www.totalimmersion.net/blog/Heart-Rate-Monitor-Information-for-Swimming-from-Polar.html I found this from Polar's website about which heart rate monitors works best in the pool to give accurate readings.<p>&nbsp;</p><p style="text-align: center">Watch For Heart Rate, Laps and Strokes</p><p style="font-size: 11px">We've gone to the edges of the earth trying to find the best&nbsp;swim watch&nbsp;combination for those seeking data, especially heart rate data, as well as laps and strokes data.</p><p style="font-size: 11px">The task is made a bit tougher by virtue of the fact that so ma [...] faster2day@gmail.com Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.totalimmersion.net/blog/Using-the-Tempo-Trainer-with-The-Olympic-Training-Plan.html <p>Following is an e-mail exchange I had with a coach in Idaho:</p><p>Hi Brian,<br /><br />I have a swim school in Boise ID.&nbsp; I have been a long time follower of TI and love the philosophy.&nbsp; I also went to school and swam in your back yard..the Air Force Academy. ;o)&nbsp;<br /><br />I just purchased your&nbsp;Olympic distance tri training book&nbsp;from TI and wanted to get some suggestions from you as to how we might incorporate tempo trainers into the workouts as well.&nbsp; We have [...] flianbrian1@yahoo.com Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.totalimmersion.net/blog/Heart-Rate-Monitoring-for-Swimming.html <p style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px">Monitoring your heart rate is a great way for increasing your efficiency, your performance output or if you are overtraining and need to take a day or two off.&nbsp; The heart rate monitor is a very useful tool to monitor just about every endurance activity. However when it comes to swimming, you will have to make some modifications when you are doing your heart rate zone calculations.&nbsp;</p> <p style="font: normal norma [...] faster2day@gmail.com Sat, 21 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100 Training technique Heart Rate Low heart rate training Heart Rate Low heart rate Maffetone training MAF Heart Rate Low heart rate Maffetone training Heart Rate http://www.totalimmersion.net/blog/Skills-Common-to-All-Strokes.html <p>Total Immersion is unique in its singular devotion to the skills that enable one to move more efficiently through the water. No matter what stroke you are working on, paying attention to balance, comfort, relaxation, streamlining, economy of movement, and pacing will result in improvement. If I hadn't already been convinced of that ( I was), &nbsp;a recent experience really drove the point home.</p><p>&nbsp;I got an e-mail from a young man who wanted to learn Combat Swimmers Stroke (CSS), com [...] flianbrian1@yahoo.com Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.totalimmersion.net/blog/Getting-There...Tempo-Trainer-is-Getting-the-Workout.-.html <p>Well, okay, I exaggerate. (Although I like my new yellow one. It's kinda spiffy.) At least I got in 2,500 yesterday and today. Yesterday I mixed in some IM and some kick work because I felt like it. Today was all Tempo Trainer and freestyle. </p><p>20x100, starting TT at 1.3, then 1.4 and up to 2.00. On the way back down I did 1.95, 1.90, 1.85.&nbsp;etc.&nbsp;Working on balance more at the very slowest speeds as, indeed, my stroke counting starts going up at 1.8. Oh, well...you get the idea. [...] deb@swimmuse.com Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100 workshop Total Immersion TI Terry Laughlin Tempo Trainer technique swim Maho Bay Maho Individual Medley freestyle http://www.totalimmersion.net/blog/Am-I-Even-Close-to-Ready-.html <p>Oh boy...not the best week for practicing a lot so I guess I am stuck being content with smart. Of course I know that is better. While TI has moved past lots of full length 25's and 50's of drills integrated with breathing into shorter distances and then integrating with strokes...while I know that in my cello&nbsp;teaching I work on short, concise passage work to do small bits well...I still have this desire to go harder, faster. What IS that? I know--my competitive side and also my desire t [...] deb@swimmuse.com Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100 workshop wellbeing Total Immersion TI Total Immersion Swimming Total Immersion USAT T TI Tempo Trainer technique swim open water masters Maho Bay Maho freestyle http://www.totalimmersion.net/blog/The-Current-Adventure.html <p>And so, it is January 8, 2012. In a week I will be in Maho Bay working and playing with open water swim techniques with Terry and crew. I am so ready! My husband will be ready to enjoy lounging while I am off cramming in as much as I can. The cats will stay at home--one with a mystery infection, of course--can't be simple. And I, of course, am trying to cram in the end of a semester of cello lessons--interrupted by the sometimes gig and by the recent death of my Mom. Oh. And I'm taking antibi [...] deb@swimmuse.com Sun, 08 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100 technique http://www.totalimmersion.net/blog/How-I-mastered-a-descending-set.html <p>Twice a week I swim with a triathlon group, mostly because I have a great time with the coach and swimmers.&nbsp; Philosophically, however, I challenge myself on every practice by applying Total Immersion principles.</p><p>For the past several months I have adapted each main set to the Tempo Trainer -I also email the results of that to the coach after our practice and he is starting to see that being able to measure what you are doing is a huge improvement over mainly guessing.</p><p>&nbsp;Ou [...] swimti@gmail.com Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.totalimmersion.net/blog/Calf-cramps-from-pool-swims-could-it-be-Magnesium-Defieciency.html Magnesium and Endurance Athletes <br /><br /><br />Are you suffering from calf cramps from speed sets and pushing off?&nbsp; I have been in Triathlon long enough to see some of the long time athletes succumb to chronic muscle tension that won't go away.&nbsp; They finally give up running and become an extra in a team and finally slip back into the routine of their old lives assuming that maybe they weren't built for the sport.&nbsp; This unfortunately is becoming something I see more of .&nbsp; [...] gflint@telusplanet.net Tue, 20 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.totalimmersion.net/blog/I-taught-a-64-year-old-lady-the-silky-magic-today-Part-1-.html <p>One of my regular swimmers, I'll call her Sophie,&nbsp; is a beautifully minded 64 year old woman who drives 90 minutes every other week to take a lesson.&nbsp; I think it's like therapy for both of us. She simply LOVES swimming, and is happy as long as she is in the water.&nbsp;&nbsp; In the summer, after she swims with me, she drives home and then swims with her tri club (mostly 30 years younger than her) in their open water swims in Cheat Lake, WV. &nbsp;<br /><br />Our first half dozen le [...] coach@steelcityendurance.com Wed, 14 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.totalimmersion.net/blog/TI-Thinking-Found-in-a-Restaurant-in-Honolulu-HI.html <p>&quot;The journey is more important than the destination, and the process is always more important than the goal.&quot; &nbsp;Alan Wong</p><p>&nbsp;I saw this in a picture frame at Alan Wong's restaurant while I was in Honolulu, Hawaii the first part of December. &nbsp;I was immediately struck by the words and meaning as being so in tune with what I think of Total Immersion and what I try to instill in my clients. &nbsp;I try to get them to understand that we are not only changing the way the [...] ticoachtodd@att.net Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.totalimmersion.net/blog/Graceful-Ducks.html Spent a day at the Biodome in Montreal watching from underwater as the ducks gracefully moved themselves around with beautiful relaxed &quot; wrists&quot; in &nbsp;open &quot; backhoe&quot; position. Isn't nature wonderful.&nbsp; denise.ullrich@ticoach.net Mon, 21 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.totalimmersion.net/blog/Catching-Silky-Magic.html <p>I can't wait to get into the pool today.&nbsp; Two days ago I had what felt like a breakthrough swim.&nbsp; Those days are so exciting and I hardly wanted to get out of the pool.&nbsp;&nbsp; </p><p>I've made huge improvements in my swimming the past 2 years since being involved as a TI coach. But as always, I want to be better, and faster. &nbsp; While speed isn't necessarily my primary goal, it's hard not to sometimes look around at other swimmers in the pool, know that many aspects of my te [...] coach@steelcityendurance.com Sun, 20 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.totalimmersion.net/blog/Swim-With-Friends.html <p>Swim Around Charleston</p><p>[video:http://vimeo.com/31153123 640x480]</p> inthewater@windstream.net Wed, 26 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.totalimmersion.net/blog/There-Are-No-Medals-For-A-Low-Stroke-Count.html <p>&nbsp;There are no medals for a low stroke count.</p><p>You only get a medal if you win, place or show. Nobody cares how many strokes you take to get there. So why do swimmers and coaches spend so much time obsessing over stroke count, and why are the low stroke count swimmers so often slow?</p><p>There are only two issues that determine how fast you swim: what happens when you're taking a stroke, and what happens when you aren't.</p><p>These two issues determine speed. Being less metaphorica [...] ltharp@overachieversdiary.com Sun, 23 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0100 triathlon Training Tea Party streamline open water Occupy Wall Street Louis Tharp Louis Clay Tharp Heart Rate Low heart rate training Heart Rate Low heart rate Maffetone training MAF Heart Rate efficient swimming aerobic Active Streamlining http://www.totalimmersion.net/blog/1st-Annual-Swim-Around-Charleston-SC.html <p>I am excited to embark on an open water swimming event this weekend that is the first of its' kind! It is a bold move to announce my entry in my first ever blog entry.&nbsp; I mean, now I've got witnesses to my intention!&nbsp;And,&nbsp;I watched the odometer in the car today and&nbsp;it turns out 12 mi. is pretty&nbsp;far.&nbsp; There was time to do multiple radio station scans and break up several backseat&nbsp;squabbles between my kids!&nbsp; &nbsp;The race director, Kathleen Wilson,&nbsp; [...] channelswim@verizon.net Tue, 18 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.totalimmersion.net/blog/Potato-Farmers-Freaks-of-Nature-and-Good-Value.html <p>&nbsp;</p><p>Three of us competed in the Montauk, NY, Mighty Man Half-Iron relay last weekend. We finished second among men's teams, 25 seconds in front of third place, and way behind a team that should have been called &quot;Freaks of Nature.&quot;</p><p>There was discussion among us about whether Joe ran down the runner to capture second, replacing the all-or-nothing talking-to-yourself that occurs after the usual single-person triathlon.</p><p>If you are competing solo, life plays out agai [...] ltharp@overachieversdiary.com Mon, 03 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0100 TI Total Immersion Swimming Total Immersion USAT T open water Louis Tharp http://www.totalimmersion.net/blog/Finis-Tempo-Trainer-Pro---More-than-just-a-swimming-tool.html <img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-1118" src="http://www.tribasetraining.com/main/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/tempotrainerpro-hero-hr.jpg" alt="" title="tempotrainerpro-hero-hr" width="180" height="131" />I have been using a Finis Tempo Trainer in my swimming for about a year now and I absolutely love it. It is the #1 training tool in my swim bag without a doubt. In fact it is almost the only one...no pull bouy, no kickboard, no paddles...just short swim fins and a tempo trainer and a st [...] ryan@tribasetraining.com Fri, 23 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.totalimmersion.net/blog/The-Story-of-a-True-Ironman-saved-by-Total-Immersion-.html <p>Hello All,</p><p>&nbsp;I just posted the story of a triathlon client of mine on my other blog (see the link below to the entire post).</p><p>Brian Whelan was diagnosed with MS in 2004 but has always had the dream of completing an Ironman.&nbsp; He made his first attempt at Cozumel in late 2010.&nbsp; He barely made the swim cutoff (cutoff is 2:20 and he finished around 2:16).&nbsp; Because of the energy he expended on the swim, he was out of gas at mile 75 on the bike and couldn't make the cu [...] ryan@tribasetraining.com Sat, 10 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0100