I’m looking for something to supplement masters swimming and I am curious about TI. I’m interested in the actual class but if you have book/dvd experience feel free to comment. Thx.
My take-without a coach on deck to watch you doing all their dorky drills, I’d say it is difficult to work with, bordering on not helpful.
I sold my DVD on ebay a few weeks after I got it.
I went back to my classic mid-1980s style of swimming (without the mullet and Frankie Says t-shirt) and I feel much more relaxed and happy about my swimming.
The DVD did get a very good price on Ebay though. I think I may have sold it for more than I originally paid for it.
That is my personal experience, though.
If you’re keeping up with the Masters class, I think you can probably forego TI.
I’m kinda torn on the subject.
I think if you’re in a good master class with good or even decent coaching you can as Vitus says, for go TI.
If you don’t have decent coaching but are already a somewhat accomplished swimmer then you can also forgo TI.
If however your master class is nothing more than “get in and workout” and you’re still working on keeping your toes from scraping the bottom of the pool and then TI may indeed be for you.
I think TI does a good to excellant job of helping the “Self Coached” get some very basics down.
In my experiance I spent 3-4 months in a Masters class with multiple coaches. Each Time I went to class the “coaches” had me working something else. In the worst scenarios the coaches would have me working on something in opposition to the previous coach. At the end of the 4 months I was neither, faster, more fluid or comfortable in the water. However I was much more irritated.
About that time I stumbled into TI and spent 3-4 months “Drilling”. As other have mentioned having someone watch you do drills and work on your stroke is FAR superior to self coaching…if the observer does not have their head stuck up their keester. However to those of us who have few options TI offers a fairly precise way to the basics, although a much slower path than a coach.
Never did a “seminar” although did get some help from a TI coach on a couple of occasions.
If you can have someone video tape you on a regular basis doing the drills and then see whats going on. It also helps to have someone watch to see if your doing the drills correctly. This person does not need to be a swimming expert just able to watch the video and say what you doing wrong.
Just my experiance.
~Matt
In a way you might be the ideal candidate for some TI style swimming.
All I can tell you is that when I went from regular swimming to trying out "some " of Loughlin’s ideas I learned a new way to build up speed in a more relaxed way.
This is what I benefited from the most.
My turnover has dropped a bit,but, so has my HR coming out of the water into T1.
Its about not having to rely on power and brute strength for speed,
but more about mindful clean stroking.
Mind you, some of this goes out the window when a swim wave gets ugly,but if you can get clean water,or good feet to follow-then its a good way to swim with economy.
Its not for everyone.
Fish
Which masters are you going to?
Funny…each time someone mentions Total Immersion, I hear the Beatles singing
We’re all living in a yellow submarine, yellow submarine, yellow submarine…
in my head…anyone else has this problem?
One of the former Manattees coaches is at club one and runs the masters there. She’s tough, motivates you to work and has helped with my strokee (cool drills). On deck and watches/corrects you. I am aiming to double up a couple days a week next month and hook up with the Manatees at Mills again for variety. I’m drowning again tonight. 
How was that 50 yd’er in pleasanton?
Pourquoi yellow submarine?
well, if you’re totally immersed, a submarine is a lot safer…and yellow because it’s TdF time.
For you its the minature submarine;)
just joking sir:)))))))))))))
.
when I see you on the bike in Florida, I’ll be low enough to remove the screws of your cleats…so beware! 
Ha. You should tell that to the folks that race with snorkels. Tres bon!
You always come up with a funny comeback;)))))))))
Very cool:)
.
I agree with swordfish. For me it has helped me swim with a lower exersion with the same or faster speed. I get out of the water refreshed and ready to ride. I need it, since I ain’t that fast on the bike. I’m one of the top 10-15% (sometimes top 5%) in my AG, in the swim. It has NOT slowed me down. In fact, I love cruising along with the faster guys doing a lot fewer strokes. I have more time to devote to the bike, where I’m MOP, but improving.
I did NOT take the class. I tried a little on my own and then got a few private lessons about a month apart. It gave me a few weeks to work on specific things. Since I was pretty decent before, we worked on a more efficient catch along with the usually efficiency drills, after the first lesson.
I’m not interested at all in the TI DVD, but, hey, do you still have that Frankie Says t-shirt…