Confusion on Gliding and Overgliding | Total ImmersionTotal Immersion

Since I became a Total Immersion Coach in August of 2010, I have seen many forms of TI criticism. The number one concern I have heard is that TI teaches slow swimming. These comments are often from people that haven’t actually tried TI techniques or they have simply done a few drills and they feel it hasn’t helped them to get to the other end of the pool faster. My experience has been a very different one and so has most, if not all, of the people I have taught over the last 18 months. My half mile open water time went from 23:30 in 2005 before TI to 10:55 on the same course in 2011 (and was in the top 30 of all 600 racers). Anyway, I could spend a series of blog posts describing why I don’t believe TI teaches slow swimming (and maybe I will someday), but what I want to focus on heavily in this post is a criticism that I have heard a remarkable number of times over the past few months and I have a nagging itch to write about. Here is the criticism in a nutshell: "TI puts too much emphasis on the glide”. I want to spend some time talking about the “glide” in swimming and hopefully clear up what TI is teaching, what I teach as a TI coach, and why I think some people misunderstand glide.

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http://janedoemuc.wordpress.com janedoemuc

I think the objection regarding overgliding is right when I read about the almost obsession regarding SPL or SR. If the focus is only on SPL/SR athletes start “to cheat” by building breaks into their movement cycle. That is IMO what overgliding means. As the passive waiting until the momentum fades, slows them down and increases energy expenditure when they need to accelerate again with every stroke. That brings your SPL down, but is the contrary of efficiency. Only my 2 cents. Cheers. janedoemuc
http://www.tribasetraining.com CoachRyan

I completely agree that cheating by building breaks into the movement cycle is not a good thing. Artificially lowering SPL with breaks is not efficient. However, breaking streamline too early is not efficient either. There are only two elements to your swim speed, Stroke rate and stroke length. Speed = stroke rate x stroke length. Those are the only two things you can change to go faster and the one that is most often neglected is has the potential (for the average swimmer) to change speed the most is stroke length…hence the TI obsession with it. Unfortunately, some misunderstand and artificially increase stroke length and gain nothing. People are really good at increasing stroke rate when they want to swim faster but they often lose length at the same time. The point of the teaching on stroke length is to find ways to maintain stroke length when you try to swim faster.
http://janedoemuc.wordpress.com janedoemuc

I think the obsession on SPL/SR is too much. I think if everything else is executed correctly (i.e. alignment, streamlining, body tension, rhythm, timing, balance etc. – everything that TI teaches) then the SPL/SR will fall in its place by itself – without the “danger of overgliding”, as it is out of the focus.

I am convinced that this obsession with SPL/SR and the overgliding (in my definition) is the result of being goal oriented instead of process oriented. Not the stroke rate is the focus, but the overall improvement of every aspect of the technique, which results in an decrease of stroke rate/number of strokes per length.

If you are goal oriented you try to measure, control and count, hence trying to find any way to achieve that goal. If you are process oriented you focus on the process – on the moment, you perceive, feel and appreciate what you do and what is happening around you and to you.

IMO only in that way you can improve e.g. your swimming technique – instead of counting the strokes until touching the opposite wall. You will be easier and faster achieve “the goal”(without even thinking of the goal) with process oriented attitude, without being overly focused on measuring, controlling and counting. Swimming is not quality management and not accounting. But a lifelong process in improving and change. Only my 2 cents. Cheers. janedoemuc
swimmingpaul

You are definitely right. People put too much emphasis on SPL which makes them over glide and have a slower stroke due to this idea of always having a lower SPL=faster time. The real issue is that when swimmers believe that a lower stroke count means a faster stroke it is only true when you have tempo as another variable which Terry has made clear in the workshop I attended. Also, there is a table which indicates SPL by height and skill level for swimmers to know exactly where they should be. As Terry mentioned before,(which is what I tell clients or those that are interested in TI) speed is meaningless if you do not have SPL AND tempo. If you only have one variable you cannot measure speed. I have found with my clients and myself is that using a tempo trainer helps maintain proper alignment without over gliding so that speed is easily measured.
Hope this helps! ;D