My swim coach vs. TI

[mreverie]

A little info about myself. I am 53 and hired a swimming coach to help with my freestyle swim in the triathlon. I needed help and still need to be on my back for a third of half mile swim. So far my coach has been emphasizing my kick, arm position, catch and breathing on both sides. I just ordered and received the TI freestyle video and noticed that it is very different from what my swim coach has been teaching. I just viewed the video once so far. Has anyone else had this experience? Do I throw out everything that my swim coach has taught me or incorporate both? I just completed a sprint triathlon on Sunday and still spent a third of the time on my back swimming.

[westyswoods]

You will find many of us have experienced exactly what you referenced? A couple of quick thoughts not knowing what your coach is suggesting.

1. Kicking is very energy ineffective for tris. The benefit you receive vs cost is a net negative. With TI the kick is used primarily for helping with keeping the body in balance and initiating core rotation, which in turn is the propulsion.

2. If you are having to spend time on your back it indicates your breathing needs are not being met. Bilateral breathing will not help as you are getting less opportunity to breath and your CO2/O2 balance will be compromised. It takes a great deal of comfort, balance, and practice to bilateral breathe effectively. Find a comfortable side for now. Bilateral can come down the road.

Arm position and catch are part of whole stroke swimming and very important, not knowing what you are being coached it is difficult to comment. I do feel comfortable in making the above statements about kick and breathing.

I am sure you will get many responses to your questions. If you could be a little more specific to the challenges you face or better yet post a video the feedback will be more beneficial.

Welcome and keep coming back.

Westy

[josefpinel]

pre-TI, I couldn't go past 2000 mts in a 50 mts/lap pool ... now I can easily do 3000 mts, and could go very well beyond that mark ... and consider that I am light years from being aTI master ...

[naj]

I agree with Westy, if your trying to use your legs and arms to propel you then you'll tire very easily. Breathe on the side that is your natural one and worry about bilateral a bit later. If you have a friend who can videotape you that would let us be able to see what your coach is teaching you. he may very well have incorporated TI skills into his/her coaching (many have benefited from Terry's method).

I would suggest watching the video again and see if things are similar to what your coach taught you (i.e. mail slot entry, hip drive, lead elbow etc) This would give you a better idea of whether or not TI skills have been incorporated into you're coach's teaching.

Naji

[The1Raven]

I just started learning TI thanks to my sister, who just picked up the book and a disc. I've only been practicing for about two weeks, so I am nowhere near good at the stroke yet....

.....yesterday, I was politely ridiculed by one of the coaches at my local rec center, who noticed I was working on TI....she doesn't like the stroke and was quick to tell me I was wasting energy because of the way I was spearing my arms through the water.....what was a little funny to me is that her student, a couple of lanes over, was using about 4 times as many strokes to go the length of the pool....Yeah, it's different, and can evidently provoke hostility in otherwise friendly people.

I'm 40 and have been comfortable in the water for as long as I can remember...I wish I had learned this stroke 20 years ago. It already feels much more efficient than any other freestyle I've been taught. Maybe my training or coaching was lacking in the past, but I'm definitely not disappointed with TI.

I don't know what you're being taught, but if you're spending that much time on your back, then it certainly can't hurt to give TI a chance.

[atreides]

Originally Posted by The1Raven

.....yesterday, I was politely ridiculed by one of the coaches at my local rec center, who noticed I was working on TI....she doesn't like the stroke and was quick to tell me I was wasting energy because of the way I was spearing my arms through the water.....what was a little funny to me is that her student, a couple of lanes over, was using about 4 times as many strokes to go the length of the pool....Yeah, it's different, and can evidently provoke hostility in otherwise friendly people.

I used to get the "you need to lengthen out your stroke" comment also. I actually noticed that Terry and Shinji don't spear at the opposite elbow extended either. So I did lengthen it a little because I seem to generate more power and my balance issues aren't as acute anymore. Just the other day, a masters coach who is very conventional commented that my swimming was a "lot better". Once I overcome my breathing issue and can go a lot longer I have a feeling that I might get asked a question or two. So my advice is to stick with it. Others are watching and once you can demonstrate the superiority of the TI technique in "efficient" swimming others will want to know how you do it. Not that I will ever look as asthetic as Terry but if I can come anywhere close, I don't see why some one that struggles won't want to know how its done.

[ames]

Originally Posted by mreverie

A little info about myself. I am 53 and hired a swimming coach to help with my freestyle swim in the triathlon. I needed help and still need to be on my back for a third of half mile swim. So far my coach has been emphasizing my kick, arm position, catch and breathing on both sides. I just ordered and received the TI freestyle video and noticed that it is very different from what my swim coach has been teaching. I just viewed the video once so far. Has anyone else had this experience? Do I throw out everything that my swim coach has taught me or incorporate both? I just completed a sprint triathlon on Sunday and still spent a third of the time on my back swimming.

I have been practicing TI for about 7 months now and have made loads of progress but also have been feeling like I'm at a bit of a plateau (mostly breathing-related) so when my gym began this week to offer adult swim lessons (conventional-style), I signed up. There is actually quite a lot about TI that is exactly the same as conventional swimming, but there are some things that are directly opposed to it as well. It's tough, especially if you are new to TI to sort it all out. One thing about TI though, although it is very much a philosophy rather than just a method, I think most proponents of it are at least somewhat open to other ideas and will give them a try. That is what I am hoping for, a new outlook or some new feedback to help me, while staying true to the method/philosophy that has got me this far. Conventional swimmers, on the other hand, either don't know what TI is or are quite hostile to it. You may end up butting heads with your coach.

By the way, I kept quiet about how I learned to swim during my class. Then afterwards, talking to another student, he told me, "One thing that really helped my breathing was I got these dvds... They're called 'Total Immersion.' Ha!
ames