How do I breathe the TI Way?

It has been a great learning experience so far with TI. I used to be exhausted and wound up after every swim earlier due to a terrible form. The drills from TI is certainly helping me make great progress.

I recently attended an "Effortless Endurance Level 1 Workshop" and can see enormous benefit in the "Superman Glide, Recovery, and Skate Drills" however, I still seem to have problems with the breathing Drills.

I can do the "nod" with both "goggles immersed under water" however, when I try the "Whale Eye" I tend to loose balance and sometimes the water enters my nose. Am I doing something wrong here or is this as "balance" that would develop over time and practice.

Note that I used to swim in the past with a terrible form and every breath I used to take required me to lift my head. I just love the way every TI Coach/Guru turns to take a breath and would love to get there.

[WFEGb]

Hello hrishirajr,

seems you're on a good (TI-)way of improvement!

...when I try the "Whale Eye" I tend to loose balance and sometimes the water enters my nose. Am I doing something wrong here or is this as "balance" that would develop over time and practice....

If you loose balance try to find out, what happens just in the Moment before you feel your Balance disturbed, anywhere between looking with both eyes submerged to going to whale eye and try to fix that first before going further. Does it happen on both sides? Or what's different of them?

Most simple way to get rid of the water in your nose, blow out through your nose slightly. It will also help to relax.

Learning to breathe the right way is not easy and needs a lot of patience for most of us. And even (most?) coaches will have to work on an even better breathe one and than.

So stay mindful and patient with this step in your good work!

Best regards,
Werner

[novaswimmer]

Well, the main TI website store offers a DVD/download entitled: '02 in H20: A Self-Help Course on Breathing in Swimming (MP4 DOWNLOAD)'.

This should break down breathing for you in small steps, which is the TI way of learning. I have not actually seen or used this myself, but have gleaned a lot through this forum and viewing other TI videos and materials.

http://www.totalimmersion.net/store/...l#.V9rMhltGaUk

I shared your frustrations for a long time - I read the drill info, advice here and elsewhere, and just couldn't get to comfort.

I was fit when I began swimming again with TI and I read and watched everything I could, and fairly quickly was up to swimming a mile, and still my breathing was a struggle. I was frustrated as I felt I was doing everything right and the only area I couldn't 'get' was breathing...

Then, after a lake race I spoke to an 'old pro' who is very pro TI and he laughed, and went on to give me the advice which addressed my breathing issue straight away.

He said - you're swimming too fast for your 'swim fitness'.
Not fitness - swim fitness - that's the crucial difference.

He made me get back in and swim two 750m loops, and to slow down to 60% of my 'race pace' and focus on breathing and relaxing. The sun was setting, it was August in a beautiful swimming lake in Southern England, and I spent the time (on his advice) enjoying the sunset, the view, the swans etc.

As I got out he asked how it was, and I said it was amazing, lovely etc - but I'll never win races at that speed.
He suggested I reapproach my view of comfortable speed with a view to slowing down to speed up, in the words of the great Terry L.

For the next few weeks, although I kept one CSS (speed) session going, I had 3 'slow and comfortable' swims weekly - the aim being to slow down if at any point breathing felt laboured.

It worked - I now swim faster for 1500, 3 and 5k than before taking this approach - but the crucial difference is that because I'm swimming just within my aerobic limit I can 'change gear' and speed up at any point. I also don't feel like I'm going to die if I miss a breath, which I bet most people racing in lakes feel like most of the time.

A long reply, apologies for the verbosity, but this was the biggest breakthrough I had.

Slow. Down. To. Speed. Up.

Might not be your issue, but I think this advice could help a lot of people rushing to results too quickly.

Originally Posted by haradoo

I shared your frustrations for a long time - I read the drill info, advice here and elsewhere, and just couldn't get to comfort.

I was fit when I began swimming again with TI and I read and watched everything I could, and fairly quickly was up to swimming a mile, and still my breathing was a struggle. I was frustrated as I felt I was doing everything right and the only area I couldn't 'get' was breathing...

Then, after a lake race I spoke to an 'old pro' who is very pro TI and he laughed, and went on to give me the advice which addressed my breathing issue straight away.

He said - you're swimming too fast for your 'swim fitness'.
Not fitness - swim fitness - that's the crucial difference.

Haradoo, it would seem to me that advice given to you by the 'old pro' re: 'swim fitness' is a bit opaque.....if a newbie who is aerobically fit tires after swimming one length in 20 strokes, are you saying swim at a pace of minimum of 30 strokes per length?

[wie]

I think the main point is to let the breathing determine your speed.
If you cannot swim fast with relaxed breathing, swim slower.

[novaswimmer]

Sounds to me like the OP's problem is more 'inability to reach air', rather than exhaustion (although exhaustion and hypoxia would soon follow!).

So to 'reach air', that is mainly a balance (horizontal in water, and technique) issue. But I think it would be hard to pinpoint how to rectify this without seeing a video. Keep in mind that some of us have a less-than-ideal natural balance in the water (head to toe horizontality). This must be overcome with drills and mindful practice.

Just a few things to ponder:

1) Improper head-spine allignment? Are you fishtailing or bending at the waist?

2) Do you feel your legs/hips are sinking? Are you lifting your head for breath? (no-no)

3) Are you dropping the elbow after spear and at the start of a stroke? Are you pushing down with the stroking arm at the beginning of a stroke in order to push up your head for air? (no-no)

4) As your stroking arm spears and strokes, is it crossing over your body's imaginary midline running from head to toe, throwing off your balance?

5) When you initially push off the wall, does your first breath come more easily? That is, can you easily reach for your first breath of air? This is likely because your legs and hips are up where they should be. But shortly after, they start to fall?

6) Possible over-rotation? Or even possible under-rotation?

Originally Posted by sixtiesguy

Haradoo, it would seem to me that advice given to you by the 'old pro' re: 'swim fitness' is a bit opaque.....if a newbie who is aerobically fit tires after swimming one length in 20 strokes, are you saying swim at a pace of minimum of 30 strokes per length?

No absolutely not - in fact, slowing down for me tends to mean less strokes, not more. Slow down the entire movement, trust your body (and technique) to float, when the water feels like a pillow supporting my (submerged) head, and when I miss a breath because of a wave/minor collision in a lake race or whatever, it doesn't matter, that's when I know I'm on a decent pace - last 1km sure, go all out, but slowing down to speed up took 7 mins off my 3k time last season!