Or however you spell it…
Seems to me that the only people that I know who are die hard fans of TI are all Slooooooowwwww. Maybe I am nuts, maybe I am only looking at a couple…whats the deal? Anyone?
I tried using it months ago and was soooo stupidly slow…went to a swim coach and she looked my swimming and then promptly changed my form and my speed went up right away …big difference. So, TI did not work for me at all. Just casued more problems…
Like all training cults (Pose, TI, gordo, etc) some of it is good, some of it it’s bad. Take what’s good, balance drills for example, and leave what’s bad (complete lack of propulsion work).
For people with little to no swimming backgroud, I think Total Immersion is very good for getting people swimming decently. There will come a point where one needs to go beyond TI and get into some of the more technical aspects of swimming to get faster. From what you posted about your swim times last week, I would say you may not benefit from it. IMO, swimming is like cycling, you have to tolerate discomfort if you want to go fast. I had one swim coach I hired tell me to “just swim as fast as you can, don’t worry about technique.” Guess what? I went faster. I think some of the fastest swimmers let their technique fall off just a little (just a little) and go for raw “grab-n-pull.”
Brett
Good for beginners but one you learn the balance it’s time to move on.
jaretj
It’s half the answer.
I am more concerened with a local club member who I would guess would be a 2:00:00 + IM swimmer…tells all new folks that TI cant be beat and it is the best thing since oral sex…I did not know if I was the only one who thought that TI maybe was not the be all end all…I always hesistate to give any dogmatic advice to new folks…(other than the obvious Campy or nothing)
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Taught myself to swim almost two years ago after reading the book. I have tried to utilize some of it’s main principles (stroke count, length, balance, etc.).
But come to think of it, I am STILL painfully slow. I never could get down all the drills - mostly because I can’t seem to keep myself afloat while doing them. I definitely lack propulsion.
Before I get the standard answers - find a swim coach; join a master’s group- what other resources are out there?
I have 3 children under the age of twelve and my wife’s due with our fourth in May, I don’t have time for such luxuries.
Yikes… we need to get him Monica…
Yikes… we need to get him Monica…
“Monica”? Is she cute?
It gets people to get in the water, move around, and think about what they are doing. It isn’t bad if you are slow or new to begin with.
There is no real substitute for starting out swimming young, and for years of swim training and competition under the guidance of a good coach.
Ben nailed it. I share Ben’s view.
I benefitted from getting with two very good swim coaches (Doug Stern and Boris Talon of New York) and having them video tape my stroke. Then doing a lot of work.
The concentrated work I did in Curacao helped a lot. As been mentioned- grab the fundamentals and then swim. Be sure you are focusing on technique but you have to do the yards.
nothing beats a knowledgeable pair of eyes and hands to fix your swimming but if hiring a coach is out of the question ask some of the people you swim with. Swimming is so technique oriented that you can spend years trying to fix whats wrong only to have a knowledgeable coach walk up to you and fix your problem in 50m. When I started I was a29 min 1.5k swimmer, got a coach and 4 sessions later I was a 21min 1.5k swimmer. that doesn’t factor in the extra time savings on the run and bike from being fresher. less expensive than any race wheel set but not as cool.
Yeah the slightly overweight guy of TI …well saw him on his DVD yep i bought his DVD and it only confused the crap outta me and I stopped thinking it was the end all be all…yep…now swims in the pool are very good and fast when I need to train that way…thanks for the input.
**But come to think of it, I am STILL painfully slow. I never could get down all the drills - mostly because I can’t seem to keep myself afloat while doing them. I definitely lack propulsion. **Have you tried using fins or a pull-buoy while you’re doing the drills? And you might try easing up on the drills some and just swim more. YMMV.
**Before I get the standard answers - find a swim coach; join a master’s group- what other resources are out there? **More time in the water. Ask for advice if you’re in the pool with someone who looks fast. Haven’t tried it, and don’t know exactly how you’d do it, but I think underwater video would be hugely helpful. More time in the water.
**I have 3 children under the age of twelve and my wife’s due with our fourth in May, I don’t have time for such luxuries. **I hear you- congratulations on the upcoming baby!
I did TI a few years ago. I couldn’t swim for diddly. It helped enormously. I have twice gotten out of the lake at Lake Placid in 1:10. Typically the swim is my strongest leg of the triathlon.
On the other hand, TI won’t get you to the front of the pack. TI strives to make you think about body position. That is very helpful, but the glide/catchup style won’t get you swimming to the best of your ability. It is more than good enough for most triathletes, including the person you describe.
Most triathletes are terrible swimmers. I was first out of nine in my age group out of the water in a recent local sprint. If I swam against the enitre group down at the local pool any given morning, I would be dead last by a wide margin.
I think TI is the first word in swimming, but not the last.
I can only speak from a beginner’s vantage point, but I will confirm that it can help a beginner go from having no idea how to swim freestyle to having a decent enough stroke to get through the swim portion of an event.
I started doing the TI lessons (out of a book) about 2 months ago. Only have time for one swim a week, and had to miss 2 weeks due to work. In week one I tried swimming a lap. My body was probably at a 30 degree angle, my breathing was lifting my head out of the water (at which time my angle probably went to 40+ degrees), my legs probably looked like I was trying to run in place, and I was exhausted after 25 yards.
After about 6-7 sessions, I am about 2/3 of the way through the lessons (not spending as much time on each as I should, due to a possible first race in a month). I can cover the 25 yards easily (and I’m sure more), and I can “see the light”, how to have an integrated stroke/kick while breathing. My balance in the water has improved. Hopefully in a month I will be able to comfortably complete the swim portion of a sprint distance race.
TI offers some easy to follow concepts and “baby steps” towards the basics of a freestyle stroke. For me, that is what I need this year. But I can definitely see how someone who can swim reasonably well already might not get much from it. In addition, trying to learn it through books and videos has its drawbacks. There really isn’t any discussion of proper kicking, that I saw. At least not the basics.
So…I think it could help beginners who feel like they can barely make it a length of the pool using a freestyle stroke.
I’ve had a couple of lessons(over 3 months), after trying it on my own. I usually am one of the faster ones in my AG (but I am not fast----read, ‘old fart’), but I was looking to improve. I am doing very little swim training. I am doing mostly drilling. I am no slower, I use a lot fewer strokes per length. My persistently sore left shoulder is better. My stroke originates in my hips, which gives me an automatic 2-beat kick. My arms and shoulders don’t burn when I do swim longer intervals. So far, I’m pleased. Besides Tri swimming is not a sprint.
I don’t think Terry Laughlin advocates a long glide when racing. Just REEEEACH and catch and rotate–sort of.
T.I. is definately a unique deal, and those who apply the learned stroke look different int he pool. In fact, Terry Laughlin says in his videos without hesitation that T.I. swimmers look different in the water. Higher elbows, fewer strokes, more quiet stroke, head about 90+ percent below the water, etc.
But like someone else posted, it gives a non-swimmer comfort and confidence in the water, especially open water. As for speed, that’s a product of practice and following his methods for speed. For an unseasoned triathlete/swimmer, getting to the first transition at a lower heart rate is important. T.I. techniques, when properly applied, can help you accomplish that with fewer strokes and some conserved energy. I’m a bogey swimmer at best - usually mid-pack. I took the class, it’s helped me, and speed will only be attributed to how hard I practice and practice correctly. Terry Laughlin is an accomplished swimmer and coach. If you check out the Totalimmersion.net website, there are speed-related articles archived from him and other T.I proponents.