What is the price for tower 26? What do you get?

Dave has his prices listed, also he is a free resource on here.

Maurice

Go with Dave and FF...he knows his stuff

---

https://www.strava.com/athletes/773280
http://imroycer81.blogspot.com/
teamemj.com
everymanjack.com

I'm in Week 8 of FF. I'm hoping to have more to say after finishing the program. But for now, it is laid out extremely well, and Dave's been immediate with feedback and suggestions. No idea on the Tower 26 stuff.

My wife signed up for tower 26 and I would say it is quite good for a online program. You can get feedback he makes you accountable for watching his videos, listening to tutorials and participating in the discussions. Only reason we are not going to continue is she has hired a local swim coach ( just happens to be Glenn Carlson multiple masters world gold medalist and record holder of numerous age group records ) . If he wasn't around she would probably keep using it.

---

"Be your best cheerleader , not your worst critic.”

I've been using T26 for nearly 3 months and i'm pleased with the program so far. I certainly feel like i'm in safe hands and what he says makes sense, and i'm seeing incremental improvements not just in my actual speed (as we're only just getting to that part) but in my ability to swim "properly". The course takes you back to the basic foundational elements of swimming and then builds on that. There are lots of weekly workouts with accompanying audio files and videos and instructional text that progress you through stages of the whole swimming thing. You also get to use a forum and ask questions and get feedback from Gerry.

I like it, it's making me a better swimmer for sure, I'd recommend it.

As the founder of Finding Freestyle, I think Gerry Rodriguez knows his stuff. He is probably the best "corrective process" person that I know of. I'll break down the ways triathletes are attempting to improve their swims, and you will have a better idea of what that statement means, as well as the difference between the programs, and why I think FF is the best.

1. "Just swim more" - Not going to get deep into this, but it's not the best way for most, as many, many AOS have discovered.

2. A la carte corrections - This is the typical 'hire a coach to watch you swim and identify flaws', and either simply tell you to correct them or prescribe specific drills to address specific flaws.

3. Process based corrections - This is the The Guppy Challenge or the Tower26 programs. It is really great to see an increased recognition for a process based approach to swim development. Where these programs fall short is adherence to a corrective approach within the process, and/or a misidentification of fundamentals. I would paraphrase something Slowman said in a swim video thread recently, "I can't identify a flaw, so I can't help you." I'd counter with "I won't identify a flaw, so I can help you."

In the case of Tower26, there is some emphasis on development of fundamentals, and this is where we could get into long discussions as to what actually constitutes a universal component part of successful swimming. I personally feel that a lot of the Tower26 fundamental development is actually micro management of details. While Gerry's concept of "tauntness" is solid (I use the term 'supple' to distinguish between too rigid or too flaccid), much of the material seems to address minutiae which will likely fall into place once true fundamentals are addressed (and which are extremely difficult to address without rhythm and timing, awareness, suppleness, and a large physical vocabulary).

4. Passive development - What Finding Freestyle does. We don't stand on the side of the pool and tell you how to fix your alleged errors, or prescribe specific drills to correct specific flaws. We employ a carefully orchestrated process of drills and activities, designed to first convey rhythm, timing, relaxation, and physical vocabulary, and later to integrate those elements into a swim stroke optimized for the individual.

We are the only program doing it entirely this way, in fact we 'invented' the term, (if not the concept). For the first 6-12 weeks, that is ALL we do. So much so I don't really care to see video of your full swim stroke until at least 9 weeks into the process. I do like to see video of the drills and activities, as precise execution of the activities is one of the keys to passive development.

Every method described can produce varying degrees of success, but unless there are a whole lot of silent but disgruntled FF clients, we have a roughly 99% satisfaction rate with our 12 week course. I've had a few who have barely improved their speed over the initial 12 weeks, but still find the skills and awareness the course delivers to be money well spent. Our full curriculum is 66 weeks long, so those first 12 weeks (basic course) are really just the beginning.

I am available here, via DM or email, if you have more questions.

Do you guys ever have swim clinics? Thanks

I did not sign up for paid Tower 26 online subscription, instead I listened to the twice month podcast and looked at the free workouts they put up every month. I used those references to set up my weekly swims. I went from a 37 min 70.3 to 1:03 IM (going 65% effort) in one season. I can not recommend Tower 26 enough, I'm sure if I did the paid subscription my time would have improved more. It's $225/3 months.

Not now, but soon. Quick backstory.... Finding Freestyle was first up and running in late 2008/09 and had a multiple live classes in Richmond and over 100 online clients. My founding partner had a series of strokes and was unable to continue. I became busy with personal coaching, bike fits, and 2 kids, and really let the program languish. I used it within my coaching, but did nothing to market the courses. Fast forward to today, and it has become clear that these courses are very effective in a remote format, and I'm better at both time management and marketing. Two things in the works are camps/clinics and licensing to other coaches.

As of right now we are offering the 12 week basic Course in two versions. A supported version for $149 which includes unlimited video review and communication. The unsupported version (without video review) is $19.

The Advanced curriculum, which is a 12 month long course open water swim program, is either $29 or $9 per 4 week block, for the supported and unsupported versions, respectively. You need to do the basic course first though.

It probably depends on your swim background, and the amount that you are willing to spend. I did the Finding Freestyle online program in 2011, I think, for a few days per week in addition to swimming with a triathlon club's swim workouts 2-3 days per week. I found that extremely helpful, and well worth the money. I moved from a very back of pack swimmer to middle pack. I was going to go through the program again, but it had disappeared. I'm glad it is being resurrected.

Moving on, I listened to each episode of the tower26 podcast when it rolled out, and did some of the workouts in the early show. They were great workouts and a lot longer than the swim team master's program that I was in. I was excited to try the paid program, and I signed up for the free beta period as it was rolling out. I then saw the paid price. To do their program, I would have paid more than I pay for my family membership to the gym with the pool. It was also more than the more expensive coached master's program with access to multiple pools that exists in Dallas. Maybe that price seems reasonable to some, but I feel they missed their price point and didn't signup for the paid program. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Thanks for the kind words. If you would like commemorative access (free!) to the 12 week course, shoot me a message or email to info@findingfreestyle.com

Pricing is hard. If Gerry is offering any type of personal support, that can become time consuming very quickly.

I recently realized I had priced myself in the gray zone. My price of $150 was too high for many, but also not high enough to cover the time investment that unlimited video review and communication demanded of me from some clients. I have recently split the course into a fully supported version (how 80% of my clients think they need it) and an unsupported version (how 80% of my clients successfully use it). The price difference is significant: $150 (soon to be $250) versus $19. It makes me cringe a bit to sell something that I know to be extremely effective for such a low price, but on the other hand, I want a lot of people to have access to it.