Back in December 2010 I attended a speed camp in Florida run by Terry. I learnt lots and posted several blogs about my experience.  Terry spoke of the pleasure of competition and the many ways to use competition to learn about yourself and your swimming.

I arrived home with good intentions and aimed to get into some competition as soon as possible. Like many good intentions numerous things got in the way.  I was very busy at work, I was finding it difficult to fit a Tempo Trainer session into my week, my new TI business was taking up a lot of time, etc etc. However I retired from work in mid 2011 and by September was swimming with a Masters Club once a week. For numerous reasons being overseas, previous family engagement, and my TI business my first competition turned out to be the Australian Masters Championships in April 2012.

I felt overwhelmed; I would have much preferred to do an interclub first. As I had missed several other opportunities I went.  Looking at others times in my age group was rather depressing as there were some very fast swimmers. I remember what Terry had said you are there to learn about yourself.  When in Florida after a 200M swim Terry had asked me what my plan was.  I was a bit stunned I had never thought of having a plan.  My first event was the 100M freestyle; I was so nervous as I got on the blocks and then out of the blue I suddenly thought what is my plan? Between standing on the blocks and the gun I had decided to enjoy myself, swim concentrating on Balance for the first 15 M then slip into streamline and with 15 M to go concentrate on propulsion.

I had a good swim, felt very comfortable and not overly out of breath at the finish. I then looked at the time I had swam a PB by 9 seconds. I had to look at the board several times. That was a bronze medal swim. Where did that swim come from? 
If you are thinking about competing just do it, goodness knows what will happen when you swim.

Am I faster, yes I am.  

Age group 65-70

100M  1:29:33

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Terry spent some time showing us turns, but what caught my attention was his first break out stroke. Terry’s looked so smooth and I wanted mine to be like his. Problem was Terry had spent countless hours perfecting his and I really wanted mine straight away.  The penny was dropping; it was no good wanting instant gratification. If I was to change my neural connections it was up to me to put in the necessary mindful practice. It was good to know I could.

We then set out tempo trainers at a very slow speed and worked our way down from 1.4 to 2.00 counting our strokes as we went with the aim of going back up the ladder and getting back to 1.4 with a slower stroke rate then when we started. We decreased and increased in 0.10 increments. The really slow speeds challenges your balance and you soon know what areas you need to work on.

We then repeated our original set of 50,100.150 and 200 yds at a speed we could maintain for each distance. My stroke rate dropped to 14 SPL per 25yds, it had been 17 SPL last Sunday. Terry suggested we do the 200 faster.  As the mere mention of speed seems to induce a reversion to my old habits I did so with caution and concentrated on maintaining my stroke length. While my speed was similar to my initial effort I am pleased to report I was able to maintain the new SPL for the entire 200yds, which indicated a more effective and energy conscious stroke. As those who were there know I am incapable of counting strokes and laps at the same time, this swim felt easy and I was happy to swim a few more laps than necessary.

Since I have been home I have been concentrating on mindful swimming and using all of the different sets and challenges we were introduced to at least 2 -3 times per week. I have had some good training sessions and some not so good. When all else fails I revert to total relaxation and return to balance drills and focal thoughts. My preference is to swim in the 50M pool but my mindful swimming practice is better in the 25M pool. Terry’s observation that the 25m pool with its extra turns allows you to re focus your thoughts after short bursts of swimming may have something to do with it.

Going to the Speed Camp has changed the way I swim. My focus has changed from muscular to mental. I have been provided with the knowledge and tools to participate in mindful swimming practice that over time will change my neural connections and my speed. 

Today I went to a swim squad I have not attended for over 6 weeks and we did      10 x 100m. I had a race plan, (my first one) knowing deceleration is golden, I started with a balanced focus, changed to streamline and finally added propulsion at about the 60m mark. It was very satisfying passing others on the way home and I swam a time I have not achieved in the last 2 years. Never once did I think of speed and although I was puffed by the middle of this set I was not aware of the effort when I swam.

I am targeting a kilometer swim in November and intend to reproduce a time I swam several years ago and have been nowhere near since. I will be 65 when I do the swim.

In Terry’s words all that matters is to measure how I’m swimming today and try and improve on that tomorrow.

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Today we were going to use the TT (Tempo Trainer) to learn how to manipulate on command the various paces we were introduced to yesterday.   Magic little thing that TT and to think I thought I knew how to use it.

First we re established our 3 basic speeds. With the TT at 1:35 we counted our SR (stroke rate) and aimed to hold the same SR as we increased our TT speed.  My three SRs ended up the same as yesterday: SR 14 TT 1.2 n)    SR 15 TT 1.1:  (n1) SR 16 TT 1.00 (n2)

We swam 3 x 25 yd repeats first at n, then n1 and finally at n2 using our TT and counting our strokes.

 After several repeats we combined them into 75 yd repeats, no stopping but seamlessly changing speed on each 25 section. To me it was heady stuff. Here I was changing speed with no change of effort.  My focus was not on speed generation but on maintaining my technique by giving my focal stroke thought my undivided attention.

We then swam our 25 repeats the other way n2, n1, n.  Have a go and see which you think is the harder.  Needless to say once you have mastered 25 yds switch to 50, 75, 100yds etc.

 Just as we were feeling some control Terry decided we should be able to repeat it all without my new friend the TT.  If I concentrated on each focal point n =balance, n1 = streamline and n2 propulsion then I could maintain my SR and the speed change. No more effort was involved in n2 than n but the speed was different. The same effort and ease was to be used for each speed.

Pick a streamline focal point, swim 25yds and count your strokes. What happens to your SR when you change your focal point to balance or propulsion?

With the TT 1.1 and aiming to maintain the same SR we swam and timed two different paces perfect and race (see Wed.blog). My perfect was 22.5 and my race 20.0 a difference of 2.5 seconds over 25 yds. Terry produced a difference of 4 seconds. With practice the goal is to increase the difference up to 4 seconds while not increasing the effort required.

Something had happened to Florida’s sunshine it had been replaced by overcast skies and a bitter wind. Moving from pool to pool was freezing. Terry had been talking about a cocoon of calm and not letting yourself be distracted by what was going on around you.  I thought he just meant in a race but while we struggled for towels and speed I noticed Terry strolling along somewhat unaware of the inclement weather.

What did I learn from this session?

I think you can. I think I can. You can change/control speed by mental effort rather than muscular effort.  The breakthrough for me is not thinking about speed generation per sec.  As soon as I think speed old habits click in, my perceived rate of effort goes up, I tense up and start pulling and kicking.  If I think only of doing each stroke as well as I can by concentrating on my focal point I can repeat my SR and control my speed on most occasions.  It makes me tingle.

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Terry introduced the concept of 5 if not more paces or speeds.

Started with revision of floating arm forward with gentle soft feel, open the armpit and get the round shape and aim to hold the biggest volume of water you can.

We then tried something very foreign to me.  We swam flat. We were still aiming to do the above skills but while we were swimming flat.    Stable hips were the go. It felt very odd. We needed to concentrate on our hips and nothing else.  Were the stable hips moving? Yes it is virtually impossible to swim with no hip movement.  We then felt what happened as we nudged our hip forward while opening our axilla. No huge rotations here, but a simple hip nudge forward in company with our open axilla to drive us forward.  Finally we added a toe flick. First we used the midsection, then the hip and then the foot. It is a bit more to digest than simply letting the top hip fall down. The concept was forward motion at the hip contributing to forward propulsion. For me a new idea for the hip, I was used to the hip only playing a part in a rotary fashion to drive the arm forward to the new target. No longer only a side to side motion of the hip but a forward one as well.

Introduction of the tempo trainer: TT

Terry spoke of speed as a math problem. SL (Stroke Length) x SR (Stroke Rate) = Speed. He explained that the slowest possible SR was not the goal. You need to find your own most efficient range.

We set the TT at 1.30 and swam 25yds and took our SR (stroke count)         

If we could hold the same rate for 2 repeats we then decreased the TT by 0.05.  We worked our way down to TT 1.00.

 If your TT is 1.10 and you can hold a SR of 15 for 25yds, can you hold it for 50,100,150 etc.     Practice your rates without the TT.

What did I learn from this session?

 That there is an awful lot to learn.  As I was just starting to appreciate that maybe I could exert some control over speed other than pulling and kicking harder, here was someone saying why not have five speeds that you can control, manipulate, measure and play with. Wow. 

The tantalizing little taste of the TT left my mind reeling with practice possibilities.

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Unlearning /Relearning

Following our revision of day one we took our focus points a little further.  Using 3 thoughts we were aiming to develop 3 repeatable but different swimming experiences.

Thought one was just to float our arm forward and swim with no tension and floating arms. 

Thought two was to open our axilla (armpit), on our extended floating arm and feel the water under our axilla  and along  our chest wall.

Thought three was to let our hand drop down and to apply a little pressure by rolling our forearm over, so lifting our elbow slightly. Our arm was now shaped like we were draping it over a large ball.

We practiced several laps of each variation and then were required to link them together into a 75yd sequence. We counted our strokes for each length.

It was pretty sensational because all of a sudden I had 3 speeds I could reproduce on command. Thought one equaled a SR (Stroke rate) of 14, thought two equaled a SR 15 and thought three a SR of 16. The beauty was I was not thinking slow, medium, fast I was thinking floating arm, open my axillia and add some tension. If I kept the thought, I kept repeating the stroke rates. We did them up 1, 2, 3 and down 3, 2, 1. Then I did some mix ups when practicing.

As long as I was careful to keep my push off constant I could reproduce the sequence at will.  The challenge now is to keep repeating them until they are totally engrained and have developed their own motor trace. Once they are solid you can move onto 50yds, then 75,100,150,200,250 etc.  The sequence is limitless.

Terry talked about competition with the ability to maintain a constant or chosen SR throughout your event. Why not start with a balance focus (thought one) changed to a streamline focus (thought 2) and finish with a propulsion focus (thought three) thereby getting faster throughout the race. What would that do to your results?  Don’t swim harder just control your SR.

What did I learn from session 2.

I have been swimming for years but this was the first time I actually felt I could hold the water. The water felt thick. I have spent years perfecting the EVF (early vertical forearm) and intend to unlearn it as fast as I can. Shaping the arm and draping it over a large ball, produced the desired result. Part of the process maybe was the intense concentration I was struggling to maintain. I had never thought and concentrated on what I was feeling in my stroke like this before.

Maybe one could control speed in some other way than by muscular effort. Happy to have a go, be exposed to the idea that swimming harder is your last choice when it comes to generating speed but deep down I was not convinced there was another option.

Thinking of race plans and with an awaking understanding of mental versus muscular speed I am thinking about getting back to some competition.

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Like all swimmers for whatever reason the secret of speed is exciting. I was delighted to see a speed camp that was going to be conducted by Terry ready to go.

• Swimming harder is your last choice
• Avoiding deceleration is golden
• Simple math Subtract drag before adding propulsion
• Build a fast brain ( fast muscles will follow)
• Guaranteed speed. Train for Tempo.

I rushed to sign up. The speed camp was in early December and prior to leaving Australia my work was really busy and although I read the pre camp material I hadn’t given the camp much thought.

On the flight to Florida I spent some time thinking about swimming harder for increased speed is your last choice. Not for me. I am well aware that when I need to increase speed I pull harder and kick stronger. I do this in as well balanced and streamlined position as I can. Avoiding deceleration, subtracting drag before adding propulsion and using the Tempo trainer I dismissed somewhat as things I knew. (oophs). I wanted to learn about a fast brain.

I was excited, nervous and ready to go. We met on SUNDAY for a short session, to get to know each other and complete a baseline set. We had to swim 50, then 100,150 and 200yds (stopped after each distance ) at a speed that we could maintain for the entire set. My stroke rate was 17 and time was 45 seconds for the 50. I maintained that pace and timing throughout the set. Terry commented on my regular pace and then asked me what my plan was.

Plan, what plan, I had to admit I did not have one. We then had to swim 50 fast. I swam a fair bit faster 50 in 38 seconds maintaining SR 17. Then someone in the group said that my stroke looked very different. It was, I took very little breaths and increased the strength of my pull and kick. Swimming harder was my first choice. At the overview of our week Terry had talked about mental energy rather than muscle action, I was looking forward to some more explicit instructions.  

MONDAY Terry elaborated on the intense concentration required to lay down additional neural circuits for new learning. How we had to connect our thoughts to the  sensations we were feeling.

We started with  a balance thoughts in superman; relax your head onto a pillow. I have been aiming to relax my head for some time but the addition of the pillow was sensational. Then we felt the pillow along the length of our arm and maintained the support of the pillow as we took a breath. We felt our fingers float forward. I am always comfortable in the water but have never felt soooo relaxed before. I know I am not going to have any trouble imprinting those thoughts as the sense of relaxation and well being was instant gratification. I have repeated this sensation several times since returning home.

With streamlining our focal thoughts were sliding each hand forward and then just going the smallest fraction further. We felt the weight of the water under our armpits and along our chest walls. We streamlined our legs in a relaxed position behind our torso. Our aim to select a thought process and connect it to the sensation we were feeling. Then to be able to carry that our thought process for an entire 25yds. If we could do it successfully for 25, then we should aim for 50, if successful then 75 and so on.

What did I learn from session one.  First I need to engage my brain. I had better unlearn my somewhat intermittent concentration on any thought stroke I had and relearn to actively apply cognition to really concentrate on the thought stroke we were using and the sensations it produced. 

You should try total concentration on one thought process for 50 yds and see how you go. You must not increase the distance until you can manage without any mind wanders. I have yet to make 75 on any thought stroke. The second thing I noticed was that such intense mental effort was somewhat exhausting. I am glad we only did morning sessions and I had some time to relax prior to session two.

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Having swum for over 50years 88% of which was done prior to any knowledge TI, I have had a serious opportunity /necessity to tackle unlearning head on.

My initial introduction to TI was with 3 friends and coach we knew who although he had done the TI training no longer worked as a TI coach. He gave us a morning session and introduced us to the drill set. There wasn’t much explanation about the underlying principles of the drill and no discussion on how they related to wholestroke.  We were from the same squad and decided to come to the pool ahead of our session to practice our new skills. That lasted for 2 sessions. The blokes couldn’t see any reason for doing the drills they just wanted to swim.  I on the other hand was in 3 squads and trained very hard by myself one other day per week. Needless to say I was a bit tired of swimming  hard, hard, hard all the time. The day I trained by myself and just practiced the drills became my favorite session of the week. It was lazy, languid and luscious. I drilled for over 12 weeks. One day swimming in my squad I noticed a cold breeze on my left shoulder, I was stunned. Somehow skating on the right side with my left shoulder up had found its way unbeknown to me into my wholestroke. I was also passing people and moved from the slow lane to second fastest in the fast lane.

I have been thinking about the question Keith posed as to whether drills or wholestroke is the way to go. Although my swimming took a quantum leap just by my lazy drills (I had no idea I was doing neural training and so providing a base for re learning) I think both drills and whole stroke must be used together. Unless we somehow disturb the entrenched motor trace of years of past swimming we cannot relearn a new way forward. While I had the desire to drill not everyone does but teaching drilling as it relates to wholestroke and

allowing people to experience the drill and then incorporate it into wholestroke provides a broader choice of practice opportunities.

I was still way off understanding mindful swimming but as a physiotherapist I understood motor learning and theory of skill acquisition. I knew if I wanted to change my motor trace for swimming I had to stop repeating the old way of swimming. When swimming in my squads I would think this 200m I am just going to keep my eyes down, the 100m repeats I would think about feeling air on my left shoulder. My repertoire was limited. Each time I swam however I made a little change.  I went onto do a full TI workshop and then became a coach. Little by little my stroke has changed.

The circle of learning/unlearning and relearning provides the basis of lifelong learning.

I wanted more and have just completed the speed camp in Florida with Terry.

Swimming harder is your last choice and building a fast brain was on offer.

Talk about unlearning /relearning. I will be sharing that shortly.

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