Comments on: In the Swim Again: Part 1 https://www.totalimmersion.net/blog/in-the-swim-again-part-1/ Total Immersion Wed, 22 Apr 2026 12:52:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1 By: Martina https://www.totalimmersion.net/blog/in-the-swim-again-part-1/#comment-5654 Tue, 18 Feb 2014 21:47:00 +0000 http://www.totalimmersion.net/blog/?p=1218#comment-5654 I love this video! I know what she talks about when she describes making her stroke feel right in the water. I went through the same thing. I started swimming shortly before I became a lifeguard, and I fell in love with the pool. I decided to take some private lessons, and they were a huge help. My stroke got way better. I went beyond and I decided I wanted to be on the swim team. I did not make it onto the team because they only took good kids who had prior swim team experience. Basically the a coach told me I sucked. It was about six months later that I did make it onto a team. I ended up moving to Oregon to live with my grandparents. One thing that excited me was that there was a pool right down the street… and they had a swim team. So I emailed the coach, and he told me to come on down to practice. They take everyone.

So here I was seventeen and joining a swim team for the first time in my life.

I have been on the team for about four months now and it has been one of the best things to ever happened to me. I have gotten in way better shape and improved tremendously. My 50 free best is still at 40,48 seconds, but I drop time almost every meet. Swimming has not only helped me physically, but also with my self esteem and confidence. It has given me confidence that has carried over into the rest of my life including school.

To the swimmer in all of us, it is never too late to learn.

]]> By: keej01 https://www.totalimmersion.net/blog/in-the-swim-again-part-1/#comment-5592 Fri, 06 Sep 2013 13:46:00 +0000 http://www.totalimmersion.net/blog/?p=1218#comment-5592 My TI Adult Story
I was never really a swimmer. I swam in pools as a child and that was it. When I joined the military I once took a test with boots and swam the entire length of the pool, somehow! I was a runner all those years growing up. In 2000, I had a tragic accident that left many scars in my core. This was at the age of 30. By 2005 I had gained 20-30 pounds and I was struggling. I embarked on a triathlon plan and attempted my first sprint triathlon in Galveston of about 400 meters. I breast stroked most of it and every once in a while tried to freestyle. My training and reading in the previous months told me that this was the way. At one point I even had a coach that put me to do the kick board and all. I went backwards when I used that darn thing. Over the next several years from 2005-2010, I just beat myself up. I did sprint triathlons, but I just figured I wasnt good enough to swim. I kicked, I stroked, I would go 25 freestyle and 25 breast. Eventually I would go to 50 freestyle 25 breast. I kicked and stroked and died in the pool every 50 meters. I was getting no where and thought, I must be really deformed and hurt. Why didnt I really learn to swim as a child?

Somewhere after 2010, I went to learn about swimming and found a book about TI. I purchased and read it and said this really makes sense. I tried to learn on my own, but again I was only good for about 50 meters or so. This got me through many sprint triathlons. I could swim a mile, even two, in this method of 50/25, but would never dream about swimming 1.2 miles all freestyle.

At the age of 42, I said that’s it. I need to complete a half iron. I sought out TI and found a Coach in San Antonio. I contacted him and told my wife we going to learn how to swim. We went to six 30 minute classes and I completed the half iron all freestyle two months after. I can now complete a mile under 40 minutes with no sweat all freestyle. I still learn, but I dont kill myself through the water. I didnt use a kickboard, I didnt use fins, I didnt use the “aquaman” hands. TI and basic learning from six classes is all I needed. I have much work ahead of me, but I have come so far. Since then my wife is even better than I am and she has no athletic background. A friend and his friend have taken TI from our San Antonio based Coach, and our lives have changed forever. I love TI and although I am not Shinji, someday I will be….

By the way, I lost those 25-30 pounds, I compete and stay active daily. When I can get to the pool, its the most enjoyable experience. Although I have my challenges, I can at least swim now and get a great workout. My wife and friends are better at it than me, but it doesn’t matter, because I am training and will improve. My kids will learn the TI way first. Thanks to TI from Terry, coaches and all. It’s a quality of life changer. :-)

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