From splasher to swimstar...I hope!
Replies
-
From what I understand, the prevailing theory is that breathing every 3rd stroke is supposed to be the most efficient thereby requiring the ability to breathe to each side. Not sure what that's based on, I imagine some physical studies must have been done. I have also read (on the USA swimming website - I believe in the shoulder strengthening link that I posted) that it helps balance the muscles used to turn the head to breathe because you're not just working the 1 side which they say can lead to neck/shoulder pain. That said, this old dog breathes to the left & breathes every 4th stroke, although I can breathe to my right side it is not as natural for me & I've never had any issues.......
As for how much further to train for than the actual swim, that's something that's tough to answer without seeing you swim. Look at it from an endurance point of view - some people find it fairly easy to find their proper pace & can hold it for the distance needed, so they don't need to train too far above the distance they need. Others need more of a cushion. One thing to remember with training in the pool for an OW swim - there are no walls to turn on in the open water & you don't realize how much that extremely short break making the turn helps your ability to swim far in the pool, so that needs to be considered. I think if you train to swim 1 1/4 miles or so in the pool you should be OK in the OW swim, if you have enough time before the event to build the endurance more so much the better. I would get myself to the point of doing the additional distance on a regular basis (whether that's once a week, twice a week - whatever works for you), because doing it only once before the event really doesn't help much. You want it to be comfortable so that you can comfortably overcome not being able to make turns......0 -
Yes I am Hooked! Today I tried working on efficiency. I counted the number of strokes I needed to go 50 meters doing the backstroke. I only counted the right strokes, I started off with 60 strokes per 50 meters and by lap 23 I had shaved it down to 46 strokes per 50 meters. Everything I have read here has been so helpful and encouraging. Thank You All! I now feel like and athlete again trying to get ready for competition. This group is just what I needed to help me stay motivated. I am eager to learn more from you all.0
-
That makes sense about the every 3rd stroke breathing. I tend to be faster at every4th. Anyway, I know about the wall business so I don't push off and will try to do some swimming in a nearby lake if winter ever goes away and summer comes. At present I swim 100-200 meters further than the mile but didn't know if I should push that even further. Thanks for your help.
0 -
I would definitely go a little further than the 100-200m - keep in mind that it's not just the pushing off the wall, just slowing/stopping/hitting/holding the wall creates a slight break in the flow & you will feel that when the swim has to be continuous without those little breaks. Each one is not anything significant, but you get one every 25 meters........
brownmara - That is FANTASTIC!!!! lengthening the stroke just a little bit means you are going just a little further with each stroke, which translates to less strokes overall. Just be careful not to overextend too far on the stroke so that you don't put too much stress on your shoulders. If you start to feel it inside the shoulder (not regular muscle soreness, you'll know what I'm talking about if you feel it) lessen the length of the stroke just a touch. Remember, the kick helps too - the biggest, strongest muscles are in the legs. You can choose to make them help out or you can use your arms & shoulders to drag them through the water. Using them is most definitely more efficient.......0 -
I have swum in open water before and have gone the mile just not in a race and switched off between breast and freestyle. I guess I need to swim in an oval and not touch the wall at all to practice all freestyle till summertime. Thanx again.0
-
To brownmara,
Mr. Macstraw has words of wisdom. Welcome to the chlorine club.
0 -
Mr. Macstraw, Thank You for all the helpful tips. I do have to work on using my legs more. I find myself trying to use brute strength to pull myself through the water, and after a few laps I find that I ease up some and it is a more enjoyable swim. My mindset is still of a shot putter, the more power and strength you put into the farther it will go. Do you have any good mantras the I can use to help me with this. All advice and tips are greatly appreciated. Happy swimming to All!
Holly1283 Thank you for the welcome. Everyone here seems so pleasant and helpful. I am enjoying my new found cardio exercise. I can't wait to learn more.0 -
Holly - I think that would help, but it might be easier to train the extra yardage because trying to swim ovals in a pool without touching the wall might be a bit difficult. If you can do it, it would most likely make it much easier swimming distance in a fairly straight line without forcing those turnarounds. I think if you to train to some extra yardage & hit some open water when (if) it ever warms up you should be doing great........
Ms. Brownmara - the more power & strength thing works well for short sprint swims like 50, maybe 100 yards but longer distances than that you will probably burn yourself out too quickly. The key is to learn to pace yourself, which you will learn naturally the more yardage you get in. The legs are the biggest, strongest muscles in the body, so use them to help power you through. As for mantras I really don't have anything, but I personally use my iPod & get a little lost in my music - not so much that I can't keep track of my yardage though......0 -
So another awesome lesson on Sunday. We focused on breaststroke again and just put more emphasis on putting all the elements of the stroke together and getting the timing of the sequence correct.
I also put in some time myself during the week. I'm focusing on breaststroke for distance/endurance, as it's most likely breaststroke I'll do in the Great Scottish Swim. Then I've been using the last 10 minutes of my swim session for front crawl and back crawl practice. I did 10 lengths front crawl!!! (20m pool) I was so excited!!!! and I didn't feel totally breathless and like I was going to die!
So back to the lessons - after breaststroke we did some more front/crawl and back crawl practice and finished off with submersion practice.
I love the random little sessions we do at the end of each lesson. Last week we practiced surface dives - propelling ourselves out of the water, curling up and trying to touch the bottom of the deep end. This week we had to try and lie down on the bottom of the shallow end. I found this quite difficult - I seem to be naturally bouyant! We were told to try and sit on the bottom first - this was ok but when I tried to lie down my legs kept coming up again. We practiced exhaling sharply in order to help ourselves sink. I definitely got better towards the end.
So apparently it's butterfly next week!!
yay!
Lxx0 -
Fantastic!!!! I love that you're doing so much work on your own, that's the best thing you can do & that's where your improvements are coming from. The instructor can only show you what to do & help correct your form, only you can put the work in to get better. VERY rare is the case where somebody can be shown how to do a stroke & nail it without doing any additional work. You should be very proud of yourself. Keep at it, I love reading the updates & seeing the progress & I can't wait to see how much you surprise yourself when you do the OW swim.......0
-
So we attempted Butterfly this Sunday. I have NEVER tried this stroke before so I was really excited, a little apprehensive as I'd hear it was pretty difficult, but mostly excited.
We used fins - another first for me as I've never used fins/flippers before - this really helped and we concentrated on the leg motion. It's certainly hard work! I also found it a little difficult to get my head clear out of the water to breathe correctly , so found that I was pretty much just holding my breath for almost the entire length!
We gradually added in parts of the arm stroke but only tiny little increments at a time - we didn't attempt the full stroke. All in all I really enjoyed trying something new. I can feel that this stroke is hard work but I also quite liked it!
We then spent some time at the end doing more breast stroke and practicing submersion in the deep end this time.
During the week I went twice on my own and am just gradually building up endurance with the breast stroke. I did 30 lengths B/S and 10 lengths F/C on Friday. On Saturday I did 40 lengths B/S and another 10 F/C.
Breast stroke is really falling into place for me and I feel like I can go on for ages. I am aware that turning each length gives me a wee break so I might try and avoid touching the wall the next few times I go.
Front crawl is slowly coming together. The breathing is feeling ok I just need to judge how much to inhale/exhale each time so I don't "over breath" I think sometimes I take in too much air and then get out of breath this way. Anyway It's coming together.
Lxx0 -
That is fantastic!!!!! Butterfly is by far my favorite stroke. My thoughts reading your post - your instructor is bringing you into it exactly the right way. Build 1 step at a time, the body/leg action is the biggest key. As for the difficulty breathing, it will come together like your other strokes are given time & practice. Try to remember to not lift too far out of the water or dive too deeply back down, think moving forward toward the wall as opposed to up & down. If you think that way, you can have your face out of the water long enough to get a breath without feeling rushed. That will also make it a little easier to get your arms high enough to clear the water once you start the full stroke. While it is a lot of work learning butterfly (but WELL worth it), once it clicks it's an easy stroke formwise - building the strength in the shoulders is what will help the endurance. That's where I'm at now, rebuilding my shoulder strength to increase the distance I can swim fly......
I know I keep saying it, but I'm thrilled with the work you're putting in on your own - that's why breaststroke has become so good for you & why the freestyle is coming along so well. As for your comments on freestyle breathing - you are on the money with your thoughts on overbreathing. One of the hardest natural instincts to overcome is the thought of getting every ounce of air with each breath. By doing that you have to breath in & out too quickly & your body can't really process the oxygen in the breath properly, this makes you feel like you need to take even deeper breaths until you're breathing so fast you're panting & you DO get winded. Although it seems contrary to nature, slow the process down. You don't need to fill your lungs to capacity with each breath & you don't need to blow out the air really hard. Think about how you control your breathing when you're walking quickly/jogging, all you need is enough air to carry you to the next time you breath. That'll depend on how many strokes you take per breath, I'm a 4 stroke breather & I know how much air I need for that. Stay as relaxed as you can & just breath naturally - no need to gulp the air. You don't need to turn your head to the ceiling to have enough time to take your breath, turn your chin to your shoulder & you will have enough time to take the breath.......
Hope this helps, thanks for the update......0 -
Hey Macstraw,
Just wanted to let you know did 1700M freestyle and 300 breast today. Should I stll go further to compensate for the OW? It was 200M breast, 800M free, 50 breast, 800free, 50 breast, 100free.0 -
If you feel you can do it, it never hurts to train to as much of a further distance as possible because it helps the endurance. I love that breakdown, those free #'s are really getting up there. If you don't add distance, at least try to increase the distance of the free sets & see if you can get to where you do the whole distance free. If you can do the entire event freestyle it'll make a big difference in your time.......0
-
I'e done the full1600M two times but that's all. Will keep on working. Thanks.0
-
That was poor on my part. I've done 1600M freestyle.0
-
Doing it is fantastic, now try to do it consistently - maybe every other workout. I do a distance workout (all freestyle) every other day & for the other days I remove one of the longest sets which I replace with some butterfly & individual medleys. Your endurance will jump greatly the more you do the distance.....0
-
Macstraw -THANKS! So much for the support and advice. I really appreciate it. I'll try to bear in mind your tips re freestyle breathing.
Off to the pool tomorrow before work so I'll give it a go then
Thanks!
Lxx0 -
Please let me know how it goes.....0
-
Today's workout was 200M breast, 1600M free, 50 breast, 100M free and 50 breast. My behind was dragging. Had to keep talking to myself to keep my technique up at the end. I gave new meaning to the word flounder! However, I survived! Yea0
-
THAT'S how you'll build up to do the OW swim - awesome job!!!!!!!!0
-
I had another great lesson this Sunday - more butterfly. We just tried the full stroke for half lengths before the end of the lesson. Most of the lesson was spent on doing one arm for a while and getting the timing of the arms and legs right - it totally felt worthwhile. I'd like to have more chance to work on the full stroke - maybe next week.
I only have 3 weeks of lessons left
I also was trying to be more relaxed about the freestyle breathing and remember what macstraw said about not having to fill my lungs to capacity. It seemed to help to just try and slow things down. I fel like front crawl makes me want to go fast - or at least put all the elements on the stroke together fast and this is not necessarily the most efficient way.
Just keep on practicing I think
Lxx0 -
You go girl!0
-
I'm so glad your butterfly is coming along so nicely, your coach seems to really have a way to present it so that it makes sense....
You've gotten what I meant about the freestyle breathing, although it seems like you're going slower (you might be just a little right now) you will be more efficient & will end up faster for it. Really what you're doing is "slowing the world down" by being more relaxed in your movements. You'll be able to concentrate more on the elements of your stroke, the way you feel, etc. because you're not feeling so rushed by breathing so much so fast. You'll be able to concentrate on a longer, stronger pull & a consistent kick because your mind will be more relaxed. The same theory holds true for all of the strokes, slow the world down by relaxing the breathing & you can pay attention to more of the rest of it....
Even if there are no more levels of lessons for you to take you will continue your improvement because you now have the tools & knowledge you need. You will feel more & more of what's going on & be able to adjust what you're doing on your own - particularly if you can stay more relaxed. Your body will also naturally become more efficient the more you swim without you having to think about it.....
You've done really great so far, PLEASE keep at it if you enjoy it....0 -
Thanks!!
Macstraw your tips have really helped in between lessons - I appreciate all the shared wisdom! :happy:
I will definitely continue - I feel like I've rediscovered how much I love swimming so I'm not giving up now!
I'll have a break from lessons over the spring/summer and keep going on my own ,trying to put into practice all the coaching and good advice I've had and then in Autumn if I feel like I need a refresher I'll book another course.
Lxx0 -
I'm glad it helped. Sounds like you have a great plan, sometimes the best thing to do is take a break from being coached/taught so that you have time to work on all the things you learned. Sometimes it can be tough to concentrate on a theory or get enough work on an aspect to get the muscle memory because you are constantly getting new information & techniques added to your repertoire. It can be tough to just keep pace with all of that, let alone put some extra work in on some of the other pieces. Once fall comes & you feel solid on everything you've learned you can decide your next step, in the meantime please don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions......0
-
Hello Mr. Macstraw,
I haven't checked in lately from my "training". I have a question. It takes me about the same amount of time to swim 100Mbreast, 1600M freestyle and 100M breast as it does to swim 100M breast,450M free, 50M breast, 450M free, 50breast, 450M free,50 breast 450 free and finish with 50 breast. Now that is 300 more meters in almost the same amount of time. I don't know if I get complacent with the 1600 free and don't push or what. Any thoughts?0 -
Ms. Holly,
I would guess you're pacing yourself a little faster because the sets are shorter & holding back a little on the 1600 - nothing more insidious than that. I would bet you could probably go a little faster during the 1600, the thought of a long set like that can be a little intimidating & we tend to worry a little too much about pace. I'm thinking you've been training enough to push a little more if you want to - I'm betting you'll surprise yourself. Instead of thinking "1600", think 3 500's & a 100. On my distance days I do 2 sets of 1500 yards each as the top of a pyramid, in my mind I break them up into 3 500's - each 500 is like a checkpoint & I set my sights on the next one until I'm looking at the end of the set. It makes the set seem shorter & I know my pace is faster because I keep thinking "500" instead of the daunting "1500".....0 -
We'll see Macstraw. Tomorrow is a nonstop mile day. Thanks again.0
-
Push the pace a little bit, if you really wear out then back it off a touch the next time. If you feel good after it push it just a little more the next time & so on, until you find the pace you want..........0
