bite of air

[cm67]

Originally Posted by Burger

CM67

Spearing deeply "helps" keep your legs up. But keeping your legs up is a combination of arm spear, head and hips position. Just like saying if you spear deeply but have a very high head, the "possible" net effect are dropped legs.

Ok,so if I spear a little more horizontal it should help with my breathing?
Basically what im finding is that when i go for air I have to wait a fraction longer than I would like before my mouth emerges and then I lose rythym...frustrating !!!

[RadSwim]

Spearing deeply is a necessary evil for a couple of reasons:
1. To get the feel of horizontal body position, before you figure out how to do it with core muscles.
2. If you have poor shoulder joint flexibility and cannot maintain a more horizontal arm position, you are stuck spearing deeply until your flexibility gradually improves (took me about 5 years).

The cost of a deep spear is pulling yourself too deep, with resultant difficulty getting to air. Then, many of learn creative compensations like head lifting, neck craning and thoracic spine bending.

The other risk is imprinting a less-than-desirable posture that has to be unlearned later.

I started TI swimming in 2005 and am just now getting rid of the last vestiges of the deep spear. Breathing gets much easier with a higher spear, catch and pull positions.

RadSwim

[cm67]

Originally Posted by RadSwim

Spearing deeply is a necessary evil for a couple of reasons:
1. To get the feel of horizontal body position, before you figure out how to do it with core muscles.
2. If you have poor shoulder joint flexibility and cannot maintain a more horizontal arm position, you are stuck spearing deeply until your flexibility gradually improves (took me about 5 years).

The cost of a deep spear is pulling yourself too deep, with resultant difficulty getting to air. Then, many of learn creative compensations like head lifting, neck craning and thoracic spine bending.

The other risk is imprinting a less-than-desirable posture that has to be unlearned later.

I started TI swimming in 2005 and am just now getting rid of the last vestiges of the deep spear. Breathing gets much easier with a higher spear, catch and pull positions.

RadSwim

could you spear... deep, deep, shallow ....to co-incide with breathing?

[cynthiam]

Originally Posted by cm67

could you spear... deep, deep, shallow ....to co-incide with breathing?

That's what I do, though I worked a lot on balance & keeping my head down before getting to this point. I still work on these things each time I swim.

A sort of eureka moment for me came when I started really opening my arm pit and extending my arm from there (while staying streamlined). It gives me more time to breathe & keeps me relaxed.

[cm67]

Originally Posted by cynthiam

That's what I do, though I worked a lot on balance & keeping my head down before getting to this point. I still work on these things each time I swim.

A sort of eureka moment for me came when I started really opening my arm pit and extending my arm from there (while staying streamlined). It gives me more time to breathe & keeps me relaxed.

Hello Cynthiam....whats your breathing interval?

[cynthiam]

Originally Posted by cm67

Hello Cynthiam....whats your breathing interval?

Funny you ask... I've been working on every 4 in the pool, though I need to add a breath toward the end of 25m. I think as I get better at every 4 that I'll eventually be able to be comfortable at every 3. That's what I prefer, though until now it has been leaving me a bit out of breath after 25 or 50m.

I know, it sounds strange to feel more comfortable every 4 rather than every 3! There's something calming about every 4, maybe because I don't have equal comfort on both sides. But what's really strange to me is that I used to be much more comfortable breathing to the right, and now it's the opposite.

In open water, I usually breathe every 2 with the occasional every 3. I switch sides, though I breathe more to my left since that's become more comfortable. If the water is calm (and I'm relaxed) I breathe every 3, but it's usually at least a little choppy at the times when I swim.