Why am I writing about this particular individual over all the others. He wanted Total Immersion, he wanted to get this so bad, he is determined and yet came to me with an open mind, no reservations, no preconceived notions. An open mind is like a freshly tilled field waiting for planting, it is exciting to plant the seed and watch it grow. What grew in 45 minutes is unreal. Our brief encounter changed his oppinion, from I can’t to I can! He felt like a swimmer when he left, he needed to give me a hug as he wanted this so bad and in his mind felt it was out of reach.

I encounter so many people and most of them hang on to survivor stuggles with a death grip. They try to relax, but there is always something that creeps back in. They want to work hard at swimming to get it, I want them to work less and get relaxed, the difference in our approaches sometimes creates a need for a number of lessons. This last student made me realize that when you want something bad enough that you will do anything, you will probably succeed.

I am still at 16 spl but getting smoother. Catch hand is finally relaxed. That was a tough change for me.
Everyting still needs much improvement but most all areas, including breathing, are becoming more natural.
My plan is too continue work on the high elbow catch in hopes that the spl will drop.
Will start getting more serious with Tempo Trainer this week.

Thanks again.
As always, defy the odds,
Clay

Gail

I was hoping that I could thank you again for your help and patience.
So THANK YOU!

All of you up in Edmonton have a real gem of a coach.
You really must give her a try.
I should mention that she a nice person too.

Defy the odds,
Clay

http://distancedave.com/ if you use this link you can reach Dave Cameron regarding your questions. I know he has the answers for you. Gail

I have tried to start a new thread in the forum area but in vain. Hope my message here won’t bother you too much.
I recently read a few books on TI, honestly, I totally agree with the points stated by Terry, especially on balance, streamline, arms extend and body rotation, I notice a lot of swimmer do not bother (or don’t know) to do this, including me, because I have a 9+ son who has been in competitive swimming for almost 2 years.

I shall surely ask my son’s coach to include Terry’s drills in his coaching lesson. But just one question regarding certain techniques, like two-beat kick and relaxed recovery, I am not sure whether these technique will help when it comes to short distance racing? Or are there any other books by Terry which just focus on this aspect, I mean specifically for competitive swimmers?

Hope u cud shed some light here.

CS Lee
Penang, Malaysia