I am now one click away from buying the total immersion swimming package from teryy laughlin. Is this really worth it if I am a pretty decent swimmer. Im looking at getting the triathlete swimmers book, the drill cards and the frestyle dvd.
Thanks
No
.
if pretty decent means comfortable 60-70min IM swim then no.
A better return on investment would be spend the money to have someone stand on deck, watch you swim and correct your mistakes. In other words, swim coaching.
I hope the naysayers have actually seen the DVD’s.
I’ve pretty impressed and feel that they have helped my swimming. Of course I was (still am) a mediocre swimmer. If you’re already a very good swimmer you may get less use out of them than I did.
Cody you can have my books and DVD. PM your address.
no…
Swim longer and harder.
OK. What is it you guys didn’t like about the system? I felt the drills definately improved my stroke.
As a recreational swimmer with zero previous instruction (learned to swim before I could walk) I found TI to be a quantum leap in my swimming. It took months after I attended the course to actually get my swimming working due to constantly doing the drills, but now it’s reasonably good. Saw some film of me recently and I’m flat in the water, head under and looking fairly efficient.
Whenever I’m in a country with a TI coach (once a year maybe) I try to get a couple of hours with a coach to get ‘tuned up’. I think TI has made me a dramatically more efficient swimmer.
If you’ve had lots of coaching in the past, this may not be as much help, but if you’re a MOP/BOP swimmer, I think it would be worthwhile. If nothing else, spend $30 on the dvd and see what you think.
J.
Check a thread from a few months ago “Total immersion or totally wacked?”
I think the general concensus was that TI is great for getting a non or mediocre swimmer to be faster and more comfortable in the water, but isn’t really that helpful for people who come from a swimming background or are already good swimmers.
In fact, some of the technique “improvements” might even be counterproductive for more seasoned veteran swimmers. That said, I know many weak swimmer who it helped - but there may be a ceiling to thier maximum speeds using TI alone as a training tool. If anything, use it as a guide, not a bible.
Blah blah blah…
Wow, good timing on this one. I am actually debating on going to one of the weekend clinics in August up near Atlanta. I have read the “Triathlon Swimming Made Easy” book but have not seen the DVD’s. I have considered buying them but wasn’t sure.
I am definately a BOP swimmer and this sucks since I am in the front of the MOP cyclists and runners. If I could only get out of the water faster I think I could do pretty well.
I have been taking “lessons” twice a week for the last couple of weeks and have improved but I seem to struggle still. Sounds like I might be a good candidate for it?
Suggestions?
Michael
I think it depends on what you mean by “struggle”. As the other threads suggest, TI would probably help someone who struggles, but it would take a while and you’d be doing drills and not fitness swimming…at the end of the day, the “keep pulling, not gliding” is where you want to be. If you can’t glide if you have to, because you are “struggling” then TI will teach you some kinesthic understanding that will be helpful. What is your improvement rate with your lessons? If plateaued at struggling, then TI would probably help. But again, it will take a while and side track you a bit…
I read the old yellow TI book after my first season. I was terrible at the time. It helped me. I just read the book and got the theory. I did some drills, but I don’t spend more than a few laps during a workout doing them. Combine the book with 3-5 days a week in the water and you should see some results. You don’t get faster by reading about it, you have to put in some hard work too. Some people try to get by, swimming once a week, that won’t get it. Imagine if you were a terrible runner and wanted to improve your 5k or 10k time, but just went out and jogged once a week.
“Of course, that’s just my opinion. I could be wrong”
-Dennis Miller
It can’t hurt to buy the package, the TI stuff is great. Not sure how much the package costs, but I’m sure there are people that have spent more money on a bottle cage.
Since there have been no replies from the author, it might be a troll.
It absolutely depends on what pretty good means.
I was brand new when I got the total immersion stuff and it was absolutely wonderful. Got me from scratch to finishing the chesapeake bay swim in about 4 months. It also laid a base of technique that allowed me to start winning my age group in open water swims 2 months after that.
There isn’t a whole lot of truly original technique in the book. It’s a style of swimming that is taught widely but the total immersion books, dvd and classes put it all together ni one package rather than having to decrypt a masters coach’s sometimes cryptic, very often disjointed statements on technique.
TI is just some very basic techinque coaching tips wrapped up in an incredibly cleaver and well executed marketing plan. There is kind of cultlike atmosphere that surrounds it and this leads to the “Its the greatest thing ever!!!” versus “its totally worthless” debate. Neither side is right on this one.
It’s not bad, per se, but my sense as a former competetive swimmer is that puts too much emphasis on what can be packaged and sold rather than just concentrating on basic swim coaching and instruction and its adherants seem to get a little too obsessed with doing drills all the time. My biggest beef with it is that from what I have seen, it seems to leave out a very big piece of the puzzle – plain old gut busting work.
But, if you can avoid getting too obsessed with the drills and letting them become your only focus, TI is the easiest way for a novice adult swimmer to get some techinque instruction. Its not too costly and it may very well be worth the money for you. Just don’t turn into a TI Zombie.
I haven’t read anyone elses post except the first reply. And I agree. DON’T DO IT.
I’m a qualified coach and personally I just think it’s good old swimming technique wrapped up in a new name.
If you are already a decent swimmer, you won’t get much out of your investment. Better investing in some time with a proper masters swim coach.
OK. What is it you guys didn’t like about the system? I felt the drills definately improved my stroke.
I started with TI, then joined a masters program and got live coaching. Compared to most my balance in the water is better from doing the TI drills. But I am now having to unlearn a slow gliding stroke and increase my stroke rate to keep from gliding too long (read stalling) in my stroke. I have been told that I look very smooth and effortless in the water yet swim no faster than someone who thrash’s.
Based on my experience I concur with the previous posters opinion’s, ditch the TI and find a good coach, especially one who has the facilities to do underwater video.
I also started with TI from no swimming experience too. I just used the book.
It got me going but I moved on when I got past 2:00/100yds. My masters group has helped me a lot. Being as short as I am, the long gliding strokes didn’t really work well for me.
If you allready know how to swim I don’t think it will do much for you.
jaretj
thanks for the reply, whats a troll?