Help / Advice needed

#1 06-27-2017

Hi guys.
In the last week I have returned to swimming after many many years away from it.
I am from the UK, 57 years old, weight is around (18st / 252lbs, heavy built) and would like some advice on how to be more efficient in the water.

I read the book many years ago and it really taught me alot, especially about the glide section of my style.
I have a Garmin swim and today I was doing 25m in 31-32 seconds, 50m in 103 - 110sec and 100m in 2min :19sec - 2min:30 sec, I don't do a proper turn. My stroke count is between 13 to 14
I do struggle with floating and have been told my legs drag below me.
I am a black man and there is a romour that we do not make good swimmers.
Any advice would be appreciated

Regards
Keith

Streak · #2 06-28-2017

Hi Keith,
I started swimming in my 50's so good job on returning.

I would re-read the material you have but also watch some of the videos here

http://swimlikeshinji.com/videos.html

to get you back in the swing of things.
There is a good chance that your bone density will be higher than your Caucasian counterparts. This should not put you off at all, just means you have to concentrate more on keeping your head down, improving your streamline and maybe upping your stroke rate slightly.

The experts will chime in with more advice.

Welcome.

Danny · #3 06-28-2017

There are a lot of marathoners on this forum, and some of them have no body fat at all. It's a problem, but not insurmountable.

At 252 lbs, you are either scary strong or you have some fat along with your muscle, and that can increase your buoyancy. In any event, whenever anyone starts to swim they always think they are sinkers until they learn the balance. I wouldn't worry about it. If you stay at the surface when you hold your breath in deadman's float, you're not a sinker. If you can sink to the bottom with lungs full of air, then you are a sinker.

Zenturtle · #4 06-28-2017

#5 06-28-2017

Hi Danny.
Thanks for getting back
Yes there is some fat (which I intend to reduce) with the muscle. As for a sinker I fill my lungs and sink, in fact I will do 25m underwater on a single breath, whereas in the past people have told me thay have problems staying down

#6 06-28-2017

Hi Staurt.
Thanks for the advice and support. I will have to buy the book again as it has been years since read it.
Good thing we have Youtube
Keith

#7 06-28-2017

Hi Zenith.
Thanks for providing all that stuff, I intend to swim at least 3 times per week, rest of the week I do archery.
I really enjoy it, and want to improve, not just "play" in the water if you get what I mean
Cheers
Keith

#8 06-28-2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zenturtle

posture
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5V5PYspkknE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmx4nctdyFs

Those video are pretty great, it seems to me that our posture in the water should be the same (or a slight exageration) of a proper posture on land (and buyoancy is here to help and counter the effect of gravity on dry land). My posture is terrible BUT through efforts it improved signifficantly (I also consider buyig a corset/girdle to helps while I'm sitting as I'm failling to fight decades old habits).

There are many thing on land that work against us, gravity but also SHOES. Damn those raised heels are a reason behind a lot of issues, they promote the pelvis to tilt forward, exagerating the natural slight S of our spine. From there...

Drifting toward another (related) subject.
I've flat foot along with proper attention to my feet (and matching shoes) swimming is helping a lot resetting them in a more proper position. Doing so I realise something (may be more natural to people with better feet), I'm over pronating my feet like crazy. I learned most people do (to various extend). I found that thinking about supination while kicking help settting the foot the best (most aligneed with the leg) position, now I focus on my big toe (the first metatarsal bone actually trying to keep the toes as relaxed and flexible as possible) and pushing it backward. Doing so have me naturally tilting my pelvis into a more correct position (as I tighten my glutes/butt (?)).
Feet in a proper alignement do a much better job at keeping the lower body up and also promote a better poture win-win. (NB like with "claddding" the core body, the trick is doing so with the proper amount of relaxation).

It creates a moderate strain on my plantar fascia (which is normal with flat feet held in tight shoes for too long). The feet are incredibly important, in swimming and overall, they are too often overlooked. Swimming can help getting feet healthier.

#9 06-28-2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by a16ksb

I am a black man and there is a romour that we do not make good swimmers.

When I read such a non-sense I hesitate between trolling and ignorance. This is completely unfounded.
Nowadays, many said "black" swimmers compete at the highest level: Simone Manuel, Lia Neal, Alia Atkinson, Coralie Balmy, Mehdy Metella, Cullen Jones, among others.
Who is able to divide the mankind in defined groups such as whites and blacks, anyway?

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomoy

There is a good chance that your bone density will be higher than your Caucasian counterparts.

In my opinion, it is better to not write anything if one cannot back up one's assertion with serious data. This sentence is utterly absurd. In this forum, nobody knows anything about the OP's bone density nor whether it would have any real impact on his swimming. In fact, it has been shown that floatability has none to little impact on swimming performance, rather "The span, the length of the lower limbs, the bi-acromial distance, the surface of the master-couple, are related in decreasing order of importance to the swimming performance, whereas there is no correlation between the Performance and the flotation index " (Tests statiques et dynamiques en relation avec la performance en natation, Caterini, R.; Chollet, D.; Micallef, J.-P., Staps : revue internationale des sciences du sport et de l'éducation physique, 12 (1991), 25 , S. 45-56, Lit.).

Such "rumors" are at best groundless, and were originally and happily used to despise minorities in certain regions. Disseminating such "rumors" does not serve the swimming community and should be banned by everyone with a minimum of reason.

Danny · #10 06-28-2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by a16ksb

Hi Danny.
Thanks for getting back
Yes there is some fat (which I intend to reduce) with the muscle. As for a sinker I fill my lungs and sink, in fact I will do 25m underwater on a single breath, whereas in the past people have told me thay have problems staying down

Hi Keith,

Swimming 25 m underwater doesn't make you a sinker. The real test is to lie face down and be still. Let your legs drop into a vertical position, if that is what they want to do. This is what I mean by "dead man's float" because you are not moving. Now, in this position, with your lungs full, do you sink to the bottom? If so, then you are a sinker.

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