Just curious how many of you are self-taught swimmers and how many of you have been coached?
Both. I tried to teach myself, realized I sucked and then got a coach. Made a world of difference
Ditto.
I got a great deal of coaching from age 8 to 20, and none since then. Of the two major stroke corrections afte learning the basics, I figured out one (catch in butterfly) and my college coach figured out the other (hand exit in freestyle).
I’ve never had stroke form coaching. I learned stroke mechanics from the Multisports.com swim video (but I don’t even know if I’m doing it right).
I’ve gone to masters and done the workouts they told me to do. Is that coaching? (I think it’s not.)
I did get a valuable training tip from a swim coach once that I use a lot now. Workouts with paddles and a pull buoy.
I swam competatively from the age of 6 thru 22. I find that yes having a coach helps.Technique is helpful
Robert
rundhc,
I agree with Robert Driskell.
I have had life saving and water safety instructor certifications. Part of WSI is teaching swimming.
What generally separates good and great swimmers from average swimmers is miles of practice and good technique. Many average swimmers waste lots of energy and effort on bad technique.
A good coach helps a swimmer identify bad technique and teaches drills to correct the bad technique and condition good technique. A good swimmer is a study in efficiency in motion. Especially when one considers the drag factor in water versus the drag factor in air for a runner or cyclist.
I don’t believe there are many, if any, instances of self-taught great swimmers. I believe this is nearly impossible to accomplish.
I do not compete in tri events, I do not run competitively any more. I have never swum competitively. My swimming is recreational and for fitness maintenance in the cycling off season, but I still occasionally touch base with a swim coach to monitor my stroke technique.
My philosophy, if you are going to try and swim well, you might as well try and develop good habits (stroke technique). Otherwise, to different degrees, you are just spinning your wheels (arms) and getting somewhere slower).
Even with a background of having taught swimming, I recognize that my knowledge base is much more oriented to beginning swimming and teaching the basic strokes and not teaching competitive swimming. As well, I have no contact to the latest advances in training and technique other than touching base with someone with expertise in this.
If you belong to a tri club, I’d be surprised if there wasn’t already an excellent swimmer or swim coach that was already a member of your club and could get you started or pointed in the right direction.
I taught myself for the first year, joined a tri-club last winter and they have worked with me since then. Last summer I did a tri-clinic with Mike Ricci that helped me out a lot too.
I started with the Total Immersion book and it worked well for me. Coaching would have been much faster and better.
jaretj
Started with a basic swim class (used TI techniques)
Read alot.
Practiced a lot.
Biggest improvement? I had a a friend of mine who is a sizzling top performing triathlete (and a former competitive swimmer) get in the pool with me once. She made two corrections to my stroke and over the next two months of practicing and honing those two corrections I took 20 seconds off my 100 time.
I’ve now gotten a coach to check my stoke every few months so as not to ingrain too many bad habits and I’m graduating to masters classes first of the year. 
When I started all this I like to say I made foward progress and didnt drown. I went on like this for a lil while until I got a coach and it has made a world of difference… im still not the best swimmer but now im not the worst ethier. 
Dan
when I started in triathlons I had no, I mean NO back ground in swimming. The first sprint I did took me over 20 minutes to do the 800 yards! After two years of sinking I took my first of two TI classes, each gave me little improvements. My first IM swim (IMMOO) took me 1:15 and some change to do. But the biggest gain in times and ability came after I started to swim with Sheila Taormina, before that asshole f$#@ed things up. The next year I did IMLP and came out of the water 80th over all!