Things I've been watching - Page 10

azamy · #91 09-30-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Talvi

For me swimming is about enjoyment not about performance/endurance/power/speed/etc It's about "being", not "performing"/"training". Generally, I pursue "being"/mindfulness, and from that the "learning" and "training" emerge (when the pupil is ready, the teacher will appear). I even walk mindfully! What a complex thing walking is!! Like the ad that came with the vid says: "When exercise is a pleasure, fitness is easy". When you dance for joy you want to go on forever, until you drop from tiredness, or until the tiredness sucks out the joy of movement. Great for your body and for your spirit. So, I just love the way "good" swimmers move: like dancers, like cats; seemingly effortlessly, lazily. When I downloaded the churningly powerful olympic Youtube videos (and others) recommended here I slowed them down to 1/8th speed. THEN they look cool, like Shinji

))))

Beautiful statement! We are in the same boat Talvi, that's exactly how I pursue my goal of becoming a better swimmer. Enjoyment and mindfulness is priority no 1.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Talvi

Better technique translates into better efficiency ie more speed for the same power. However any technique can deliver more performance simply by adding more power. Of course I'd love to have the power of youth with the potential of age, but being "goal oriented" is problematic. There's a great story my Tai Chi teacher passed on that goes like this:

A student comes to the master and says: "I am eager to learn the Tai Chi. How long will it take me?". The master replies: "Ten years". The student, disappointed, asks: "How long will it take me if I practice twice as hard?". The master replies "Twenty years.". The student asks again: "I am eager to learn. How long will it take if I practice day and night, never taking time off?". The master replies "Thirty years.". Confused by this the student asks: "How is it possible that the harder I practice the longer it will take me?". The master replies: "If you have one eye on your goal, you have only one eye for your practice.".

I find that as I get older this lesson becomes more and more important to reconcile oneself to.

What an insightful and scholarly post is that one. Thank you

Talvi · #92 09-30-2012

encouraged by kindness, I'll recklessly venture some more words onto the table, like a gambler on a roll ...

I've been gazing (again!) on the Shinji vid, and it reminded me of the way cats walk across wet ground! I tried to find a YouTube video to illustrate the point but failed to find anything good. I think that anyone who has watched a cat getting its paws wet may be able to relate to the thought though.

A cat places it's front paws down on the ground, almost gingerly, deliberately, carefully. When the ground is wet they lift each paw up, with some distaste, shaking the presumptuous water off with a twitch, before reaching forward and placing them down again. That's what I saw Shinji doing: lifting his arm and shoulder disdainfully clear of the clingy water, before carefully reaching forward to slip it down under the surface again. There seems to me to almost be a pause after his arm exits vertically from the surface. Time for that pesky water to drain off!

Edit:
Stumbled on an Ian Thorpe video that shows the striking difference in this hand entry between "normal" and "TI" . I think I also pinned down the pause in Shinji's out-of-water arm movement. It's just before his hand enters the water. His hand pauses only for a fraction of a second, but it stays about 10cm over the water just for a moment before slipping in. he looks almost as if he's picking his spot. It really does look just like a cat!

This is the Thorpe video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=2b1Fiw9uekM

azamy · #93 10-01-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Talvi

encouraged by kindness, I'll recklessly venture some more words onto the table, like a gambler on a roll ...

I've been gazing (again!) on the Shinji vid, and it reminded me of the way cats walk across wet ground! I tried to find a YouTube video to illustrate the point but failed to find anything good. I think that anyone who has watched a cat getting its paws wet may be able to relate to the thought though.

A cat places it's front paws down on the ground, almost gingerly, deliberately, carefully. When the ground is wet they lift each paw up, with some distaste, shaking the presumptuous water off with a twitch, before reaching forward and placing them down again. That's what I saw Shinji doing: lifting his arm and shoulder disdainfully clear of the clingy water, before carefully reaching forward to slip it down under the surface again. There seems to me to almost be a pause after his arm exits vertically from the surface. Time for that pesky water to drain off!

Edit:
Stumbled on an Ian Thorpe video that shows the striking difference in this hand entry between "normal" and "TI" . I think I also pinned down the pause in Shinji's out-of-water arm movement. It's just before his hand enters the water. His hand pauses only for a fraction of a second, but it stays about 10cm over the water just for a moment before slipping in. he looks almost as if he's picking his spot. It really does look just like a cat!

This is the Thorpe video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=2b1Fiw9uekM

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