OK, so I’m sure this has been discussed time and time again…but so far I haven’t found my answer so now i’m here.
I haven’t settled on what I need to do to balance learning stroke technique and building up endurance. I swim with some good swimmers twice a week at the La Jolla cove, and have started going to a masters swim class…but I still don’t feel like anyone (especially at the pool) has really taken the time to watch me swim and offer solid technique improvement drills. I swam a mile last class and am sure that i looked more like a I was fighting the water. When I asked the instructor I was told that i need to work on endurance before i can do much with technique, but was given a couple superficial tips.
So…should i not take the risk in settling into a bad stroke and get some swim technique instruction? or work on endurance in the pool/cove (currently doing about 1 mile per workout 4 x per week) and slowly work into better form?
- That guy you just swam over
Tough call…
I don’t think that it’s especially fair for that coach to tell you to ignore technique in lieu of endurance, and/or strength. IMO, - that isn’t too bad advice, given the Triathlete’s overfascination and obsession with technique.
IMO, swimming is a complicated combination of properly applied strength, timing, balance, and technique. They all work together when done properly, and overemphasizing one component often leads to the deteriment of the gestalt.
For example: if you’re swimming with your head too high, - your hips are going to drop and you’re going to sink like a rock, or struggle to keep yourself from sinking like a rock and not progressing forward. That is one element of technique that would need to be corrected immediately.
Conversely, - if you can’t swim 200 yards without stopping, it’s hard to get a handle on any one technique issue, - unless it’s super glaring, - (like a high head), - that’s going to do you any good toward improvement.
It is possible to swim OK if you have questionable technique, but it’s not possible to swim far and fast. Same goes for strength… Timing is another story. If you have the strength and technique, but bad timing, - the various elements of the stroke could be working against each other and you will go slow.
Pulling all of these elements together REQUIRES patience. I would address your question directly with your coach, and see what her/his answer is, and how reasonable it is given the importance of balance…
When I asked the instructor I was told that i need to work on endurance before i can do much with technique, but was given a couple superficial tips.
I think that “endurance before form” is backward. If you don’t get the technique, you may be able to thrash through your workouts, but you’ll spend so much more energy than you need to.
Technique technique technique
Since the coach is not helping you, would you be comfortable asking one of the other swimmers (pick one that looks like she really knows how to swim) to watch your stroke and offer a critique?
Form first always. If you are a triathlete, you have more than enough cardiovascular base from cycling and running to work on the swim. For beginning swimmers from other sport backgrounds, it is technique that is the limiting factor, not fitness.
Look at the thread about Laurent Jalabert (jaja). He doesn’t lack anything in the fitness category, but needs work on the swim.
Technique is first, but not by too much. Good technique requires good swim-specific fitness to maintain, but it is a gradual build.
Find someone who can watch you swim and tell you what to focus on. I spent half my life listening to a coach on deck telling me when my technique was falling apart, you probably won’t have that luxury, but a bit of feedback is always welcome.