Exhaling

UPDATES!

While not great, i am making it 25 meters at about 50% less tiredness, and made it 50 meters yesterday! ( woohoo) pathetic i know :)

So i know my breathing is one of my limited factors. i was attempting the skating drills, and even this one --> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0ePIQb7bXw

No matter what i do, i cannot stay on the surface in this manner (total immersion or this guy Robb)

I have tried the following:

1. Push armpit down more
2. variable degrees - 90-45
3. push forearm/hand shoulder in different positions

it would "SEEM" that if i can do this drill well, it would in a major way help my breathing, because i could significantly slow down

Sidenote: ive started bi-lateral breathing as well...it actullay seems easier to catch a breath on 3rd stroke...(not sure if thats a good thing to continue at this point)


Thank you all in advance

Originally Posted by CoachBobM

The two things that affect whether your hips are sinking are:

1) Your head position: Have you relaxed your head into the water with your nose pointing down?

2) The position of your leading arm: You want the wrist of your leading arm to be lower than your shoulder and you want your palm turned down and your fingertips angled slightly down. You need to experiment with how low your leading arm needs to be to bring your hips up so they're level with your shoulders.

In freestyle, you want to be going back and forth between your skate position on one side and your skate position on the other side. The switch drills in the TI training materials (spearswitch, swingswitch, overswitch) are designed to teach you to coordinate your body roll with your armstroke and recovery, and to perfect your catch. A lack of body roll doesn't really create drag - you will just end up relying purely on arm strength instead of drawing on your core body to power your stroke.

Breathing every 3rd stroke is definitely better than breathing every other stroke, provided that you are getting enough air, since this will force you to alternate breathing sides, thereby making your stroke more symmetric. If you find that you're not getting enough air that way, another alternative is to breathe on your right side on one length of the pool and breathe on your left side on the next length, and so on.


Bob

you might try a pair of short fins to get you moving a little faster....use a compact, gentle kick and keep your head in the water looking at the pool bottom directly below your head....

roll to breathe -- do not lift your head.....

when you roll for air, you will be looking backwards and up -- not looking forward....

your head and spine need to remain relaxed and aligned -- no tension

[Tom Pamperin]

Originally Posted by jboosted92

UPDATES!

While not great, i am making it 25 meters at about 50% less tiredness, and made it 50 meters yesterday! ( woohoo) pathetic i know :)

Not pathetic at all--I have a friend who says that an expert is nothing but a beginner with experience. I vividly remember not being able to complete a single 25y length when I started. Keep at it!

Originally Posted by Tom Pamperin

Not pathetic at all--I have a friend who says that an expert is nothing but a beginner with experience. I vividly remember not being able to complete a single 25y length when I started. Keep at it!

UPDATES!!

1. My wife took a video....very eye opening... (having trouble uploading...here)


1a. I am definitely Scissor kicking when breathing. i 100% never felt it...saw it in video. Any tips/drills for fixing this?

1B. im still struggling with skating... i sink i sink i sink...I try all sorts of ways. Could it be too much tension in my upper back? i have a developed upper back ( body building) and i notice when i reach arm striaight up in air, alot of tightness. Could the tightness in the skating, cause me to sink? is it my kick? looking for sliver of hope on this one :)

[CoachBobM]

Originally Posted by jboosted92

UPDATES!!

1. My wife took a video....very eye opening... (having trouble uploading...here)


1a. I am definitely Scissor kicking when breathing. i 100% never felt it...saw it in video. Any tips/drills for fixing this?

You might try vertical kicking with quarter turns: Go into water that is over your head, fold your arms across your chest, and then keep your head above water by kicking. Periodically do quarter turns, first in one direction and then in the other, to learn how your kick coordinates with your body roll.

1B. im still struggling with skating... i sink i sink i sink...I try all sorts of ways. Could it be too much tension in my upper back? i have a developed upper back ( body building) and i notice when i reach arm striaight up in air, alot of tightness. Could the tightness in the skating, cause me to sink? is it my kick? looking for sliver of hope on this one :)

Relaxing is definitely a factor in achieving balance! We've had a number of people come to this forum over the years who were struggling with balance, and it hasn't been uncommon for them to report at some point "Today I relaxed, and suddenly everything worked!"


Bob

Originally Posted by CoachBobM

You might try vertical kicking with quarter turns: Go into water that is over your head, fold your arms across your chest, and then keep your head above water by kicking. Periodically do quarter turns, first in one direction and then in the other, to learn how your kick coordinates with your body roll.



Relaxing is definitely a factor in achieving balance! We've had a number of people come to this forum over the years who were struggling with balance, and it hasn't been uncommon for them to report at some point "Today I relaxed, and suddenly everything worked!"


Bob

Thanks Bob...

STill trying the skating, but having trouble.

Also, im looking for resources on swimming, but even when i do a good job of turning my chin for Air, the AIR feels rushed, as if im not getting enough...and i can "Feel " the tension when i put my head back down....:(

Originally Posted by jboosted92

Thanks Bob...

STill trying the skating, but having trouble.

Also, im looking for resources on swimming, but even when i do a good job of turning my chin for Air, the AIR feels rushed, as if im not getting enough...and i can "Feel " the tension when i put my head back down....:(

back and forth :(

seems when i get better at breathing, i notice other issues in my stroke.... today, my braething was better, but i felt tension ( maybe not enough body roll).... even when i have a "good" breathing lap ( maybe a 4/10 or 5/10 quality), i still feel tired....

i try balance drills in between....but still "Working" too hard, in my opinion....hmmm stumped

I'm new to swimming and downloaded the TI DVD's to self coach. Not sure if the following is of any use to you but...

When you say you have tried "Balance Drills" what do you actually mean?
I'm new to swimming but I plan a pool session of 45 minutes as follows:

1. 15 mins (approx) of superman glide but I don't push off the wall.
I stand in 4 foot of water. Position hands out in front of me under the water surface with my hands submerged under the water, approximately, at waist height. (This will be the same position my hands will be in when I am lying flat on the water, i.e. with my head facing down towards the bottom of the pool I can just catch my thumbs out of the corner of my eyes - I know now head and hands are correctly positioned). I push gently off the bottom, end up horizontal as above and a dolphin flick of the legs just to get my entire body to stretch out. I try maintain this while exhaling slowly from the nose. This can be anywhere from 3 - 7 seconds long. I do this repeatedly but it is in my mind all the time to RELAX.

2. 15 mins (approx) of using off (similar hands as above) wait 2-3 seconds for body to pop up (water pushes me up - buoyancy) to the surface and THEN begin stroking. I stroke with my left arm first and then while the right arm is recovering I try and incorporate a breath. This involves looking at the side of the pool and seeing it. I'll do this on both sides. I continue another 2 strokes to ensure I am full exhaled and then stand up.

3. 15 mins (approx) I now try and incorporate the above efforts into swimming a length. Then I wait 20 - 30 seconds to make sure I'm fresh again and repeat same. Towards the end of this 15 mins I find I am getting less tired and breathless and can do the lengths more comfortably. (I believe this is just that my technique is improving bit by bit)


I found, for myself anyway, I had to be very disciplined and focused. Essentially, not be concerned about what anyone else is doing in the pool, what's going on elsewhere just repeatedly keep trying. I was hard on myself initially but then something just registered that I had to be patient - Rome wasn't built in a day kind of thing. i also found that I had to relook at the DVD's (at least 50 times now) as there was always something I missed!