If you take the time to truly observe children who have just started swimming, you will see that they immediately have TWO swimming styles: 1. they use doggy-paddle with a near vertical body which produces very little forward motion; 2. they swim horizontally very effectively underwater, then stop and stand up every 3-5 metres. If you look closer, you will see that when using doggy paddle, they also hold their breath, stop and stand up every 1-2 metres! jraines @tferriss — breathing to both sides is (slightly) overrated. If your stroke is already decent, a little gallop can help you get in the zone about 11 hours ago The idea of making yourself long or “swimming tall” is to extend your body as much as you can. Longer bodies are faster, just like longboats. Training Intensity. The best way to measure your training intensity is to count your heart rate immediately after each swim. You can estimate your heart rate by counting your pulse rate for six seconds immediately after each swim. Add a zero to this count, and you will have your approximate exercise heart rate per minute.

After a recent knee injury put a temporary halt to my running, I decided to turn to swimming to try to stay fit. My problem was I hadn't swum in so many years I was concerned about my technique. If you keep your arms extended as much as possible in front of you, you will achieve this. Always ensure at least one arm is in front of you. So when you switch arms on the stroke, always ensure you have one arm in front of you.The Total Immersion Method teaches the basics of fluid mechanics and learning to optimise your position in the water, which is fundamental to learning how to swim as an adult. Daley here, the triathlete and winner of your weekend challenge a few months ago. Huge congrats on the swimming man! Like golf, swimming is a technique sport that requires very precise form. And also like golf, swimming is a sport in which strength and power are not essential for excellence. When I first started swimming with a masters program I was astonished that 50-year old women were beating me up and down the pool despite my superior athletic ability and muscularity. Once I improved my form and stroke mechanics I finally felt like I was ‘gliding’ through the water like a canoe not pushing it like a barge on its way out to sea. Sadly, these older women still beat me up and down the pool, but I no longer huff and puff after 1500 meters. I could not agree more about learning stroke mechanics first before getting into volume training.

There are many drills and practice sessions in the book to help you adapt to this, as it can feel strange at first! Key Take-Aways Oh yes, this isn’t really lengthening, more like creating space, but I find breathing with my chest as well (using the intercostal muscles between the ribs) also gives a very good feeling, and the action of reaching with each arm can help to accentuate opening the chest. Make sure to keep your shoulders and arms relaxed and avoid tensing up as you swim. This can take some practice, but with time you’ll be able to swim more efficiently and with less effort. Focus on body rotation: Swimming downhill” is a phrase coined by Terry Laughlin, the founder of Total Immersion, to describe the sensation of swimming with proper technique. When you swim with proper TI technique, the water should flow over your body, making it easier and more effortless to swim, and it should feel like “swimming downhill.” It basically means you’re using proper technique and the natural buoyancy of your body to swim efficiently. Personally, I would really recommend this method if you are an adult beginner as the fastest way to learn to swim as an adult.Like many folks who read and enjoyed the book, I'd love to find a way to attend one of the author's clinics - my sense is that's he's an excellent coach/teacher. This technique can be used by anyone, from beginners to experienced swimmers, and is designed to help you swim faster, farther, and with less effort. As several other have pointed out the “Swedes” are a cheap yet phenomenal pair of goggles. I used them swimming competitively for almost ten years. For open water I would suggest the darkest pair you can find. Even the slightly more expensive metallic pairs would be a good investment to help with the sun. Reading W. Edwards Deming you can tell that the system is in chaos when you rely on heros to get anything done and nothing is repeatable. This is clearly true of the current US education system and probably most of the worlds education systems. We rely on the “Super Teacher” and great parents to get anything done. The model works in some neighborhoods but not others.

iSwim @tferriss Tim, If the water isn’t cold skip the wet suit. The biggest difference is visability, no lines! I posted to your blog as well. To learn more about Total Immersion Swimming directly from the creator Terry Laughlin, you can grab his book here. Or head over to this YouTube channel for some free tutorials.For those who are not fond of books or who need video demonstrations, then getting the DVD will be a better option. Terry Laughlin, the world’s #1 authority on swimming success, has made his unique approach even easier for anyone to master. Whether you’re an accomplished swimmer or have always found swimming to be a struggle, Total Immersion will show you that it’s mindful fluid movement—not athletic ability—that will turn you into an efficient swimmer. This new edition of the bestselling Total Immersion features: I’ve always been surprised that so few people know about TI, imho this should be the standard for teaching people how to swim. The difference between trying to powerhouse through the water vs. effortlessly gliding through the water is simply night and day. Some of the best video content on Total Immersion Swimming is a series of lectures in which you can not only get to know Terry, but also better understand the ideas behind his approach.