I saw triathletes swimming poorly and doing it well!

Triathlon Forum
1

So I go to swim, of course all the lanes at both the indoor and outdoor pool are full w/ triathletes.

I was astonished by how well they practiced swimming poorly. There was a pod of them.

They avg 150 per 5 min. They could have avg more but they avg 3.5 min of talking per 5 min time block. I don’t care if you just spent 2 hrs in the water that still is only about 2K.

They took advice from each other on how to best correct their strokes. It just got uglier as they “helped” each other out.

If your lifting your head so your chin is skimming the water your hips will sink. Thats the reason your hips were 2 feet below the water, not you hand entry as the other guy suggested.

using a pull bouy and lifting your head even more isn’t going to help your hips up. dropping your head will help lift the hips.

You may be paying $250 per month for a tri coach but he is doing a disservice to you by not recommending that you find a stroke coach.

Your not getting out of the water any faster b/c your crossing over due to entering the water with the back of your hands facing each other and your finger tips facing the side wall . Oh and you have no shoulder flexibility. And your catch isn’t happening, nor is the rest of your stroke b/c your wrist is above your elbow when you start your stroke. you don’t pull back with the elbow leading.

Putting your elbow in first it doesn’t help the rest of your stroke.

Windmill recoveries only work if your Janet Evans.

Finishing your stroke helps, pulling your hand out at your waist isn’t going to work so well.

It’s ok to reach out in front, length is good. length coupled with a half way decent pull is better.

your hand should not be lined up w/ your opposite shoulder upon entry.

That disc wheel you are thinking about buying isn’t going to help as much as $250 spent on swim lessons - trust me on that.

The toys on the deck - fins, bouys, paddles and bands. Why?

I was fascinated by what I saw. I tried and tried to tear my eyes away but couldn’t. I was also tempted to walk over and fix things but I was riveted to my seat by what I saw. Just fascinating!

2

Ok, so now I’m actually afraid to let you check out my stroke!

3

This thread isn’t sexy enough. Why would anyone focus on what their body is actually doing? Don’t you know its all about the equipment?

You know what will make them faster? Carbon fiber paddles. Yes, that’s the key. $254.99 worth of carbon fiber and visco-elastical variable length poly-nylographite strapped paddles. We can add a dimpled titanium glide patch to the underside of the paddle on the high-end model.

Crap, everytime I come up with a surefire get-rich product I give it away like this…coming soon to a pool near you! Just wait!

4

Hey!! I just happen to have an extra $250 laying around!!

5

Hey dude, I resemble those remarks.

6

I can picture you so well with a little smile on your face watching all this :wink:
.

7

Desert Dude,

I always go to the pool with a roll of duct tape. I stand at the end of the pool before I go in for my workout. I check each lane to learn something from the really fast swimmers. What I usually see drives me nuts. I then take out the duct tape and place it over my mouth so that I don’t start offering advice to everyone.

Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

DougStern

8

Wow, that took some serious self control to walk away from that. Impressive!

What is the protocol for saying something in a situation like that? I think I have given my 2 cents when I have seen this before…just trying to help them.

9

Doug, ILMFAO at that mental picture. The really fast swimmers in that group were holding, when they were swimming and not talking, about 50 sec per 50m. I check out everybody when I go swim, it’s the ex-swim coach in me.

Jaylew, that is why you want me to help you with your stroke when your in Phoenix next.

10

You are one big, fat ass lier. You and I know that when you (or I) go swimming, we check out a specific type of swimmer. I always told you the chief reason for me keeping up with the sport, there are priviledges to being in a certain lane. Cheers amigo, I hope you are recovering well!

11

I know that is a touchy subject but I would welcome someone who pointed something out to me, assuming I thought they had some credibility. I try to listen to lessons that are going on next to me because it helps me think about what I am doing and keeps me focused. I have lessons with a swim coach as my next “tri purchase” because as pointed out above by Brian, the money is probably the biggest bang for the buck for me

12

But there is no way to tell which person feels the way you do and which person feels the exact opposite. Safer to just keep quiet until asked.

I some times can’t take it anymore when I see the same person day after day working very hard but doing something very fundamental. I stopped a girl the other day who crossed over so bad she swam like a snake. I watched her do the snake stroke three times a week for two months before I said anything. I know she is training for triathlons from who she is training with at my gym and just started swimming. I waited until a break in her set. Mentioned the crossover and that she she put her hand into the water straight in front of her (not two feet to the other side).

She snarled at me with the following: “I am married, leave me alone.”

So much for trying to be helpful.

13

LOL! I want to come down and get thrashed by you in the pool soon. I have to bring my tax stuff down in the next few weeks. Maybe you can hurt me then. Besides I need someone to look at my stroke. I’m loosing water w/ my left hand once in a while. I need some eyeballs to let me know what I’m doing wrong.

14

Yeah, I know, and totally understand that. It is interesting to me though that people who spend so much time training are so resistant to help sometimes. I am generally a " I can do it on my on and don’t need help" personality but I also understand that there is no need to reinvent the wheel:)

She could have just said, “thanks for the tip” and continued her set. I bet she thought about your advice anyway:)

15

Why did you not tell me you were at my local YMCA? #1 training tool of some of the tri folks near me…Tanning Bed…

16

Yarf,

you should have responded with something along the lines of - your not that hot or you’d never make the hottie thread.

17

Holy Freakin’ Moly! I am dying here, laughing my head off!

“I am married, leave me alone.” I almost can’t even type! Wait til I show my wife!

Seriously though, it is a tough one. I guess I fall in the "don’t offer any help until asked or until we become friends (except if they are married- stay the hell away!).

I was a lifelong recreational swimmer growing up here in Sunny California but frankly I sucked in terms of technique (even though I got all the way to Junior Lifeguard at the local pool). What changed all that was finally getting tired of getting into T1 with the water phobic dog paddle/back strokers and then passing 8 million swimmers during the bike and run. I got professional help because I saw that my swimming was severely affecting my potential placings.

If I’m not smart enough to put two and two toghether then maybe crossing over, dragging one’s legs, and chatting for an hour before knocking out another 50 is just peachy for me. No need to change.

I, for one, bounce between delirious joy and stricken horror while watching some of my pool mates and their antics. I’m like Desert Dude in that way, I just can’t tear my eyes away sometimes at the sheer coocoo-ness of it all.

Anyway, thanks for helping me start my day with a huge, healthy laugh. I’ll be grinning like an idiot when I head to the pool this afternoon.

Tim

18

<She snarled at me with the following: “I am married, leave me alone.”

So much for trying to be helpful>

HAHAHAHAHHAHAAHAHA That was funny.

19

I am one of those guys who needs swimming lessons instead of new ksyriums… Who has a link to a video of a technically perfect stroke? Thanks.

20

In my limited experience, 99% of age group triathletes don’t need swim lessons, or aero wheels, or running shoes with computer chips in them.

They need to lose 10lbs…and the faster swimmers tend to be the ones who need to lose the most.