Total Immersion Swimming

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steve2kay
steve2kay Posts: 194 Member
edited October 2014 in Fitness and Exercise
Anyone tried this?
I've got a 5k open sea swim in the summer - swimming from the Isle of Wight in the UK, to the mainland.
I haven't swum properly for years other than splashing around in the pool with my son.
I've had 3 training swims.
The first one was ok - I did 1.5km (60 lengths) and discovered my front crawl is fast compared to others in the pool but I can't do it for long. My breast stroke is ok but can I do that for a while - it's not too tiring.

The second session I went 80 lengths - mostly breast stroke.

I then did some research into being a more efficient swimmer and read about Total Immersion.

My third session was last night and I was trying out some stuff I'd read about total immersion. I managed to get my stroke rate down to 16 in a length (24 if I swim like I used to) without losing too much speed - but I seem to be concentrating too much on it and not sure I'm doing it right.

Anyone else used the total immersion technique for open water swimming? got any tips on how to train for endurance or how to deal with waves etc. in the open sea?

Replies

  • NoelFigart1
    NoelFigart1 Posts: 1,276 Member
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    Learn bilateral breathing if you don't already do it.

    Check out http://loneswimmer.com The advice is excellent for open water and marathon swims.

    He also wrote a article about TI: http://loneswimmer.com/2011/10/20/total-immersion-in-marathon-swimming/
  • cw106
    cw106 Posts: 952 Member
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    not heard of it.
    maybe try in the swimmers sub forum.
    5k open water is a long,long way from 2km in the pool.
  • alathIN
    alathIN Posts: 142 Member
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    Some people have had great success with TI, others not so much. Obviously their style is much more geared to distance swimming which sounds like it fits with your goals. People definitely do use TI for open water swimming - Terry Laughlin, the head of TI is a very accomplished open water competitor.
    Among swim instructors, TI is somewhat controversial and has an almost cult-like status. Seems like everyone is a TI True Believer or very anti-TI.
    For contrast, check out the swimsmooth.com site - they teach a more conventional approach to swim technique, also with a lot of long distance and open water focus.

    Whether you choose to attend a TI course, a swimsmooth course, or something else, personally I believe the keys are 1) good instruction from someone who sees you swimming on a regular basis, 2) swim at least 3 times a week (I make much better progress 4x/week than I do if I'm only swimming 3x/wk), 3) get involved in a swimming group that has group practices with coaching.
  • liftnrunlikeagirl
    liftnrunlikeagirl Posts: 9 Member
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    I took a Total Immersion workshop about 10 years ago. It completely changes your technique to give you a more effortless stroke. I totally recommend it. I was a very crappy swimmer before I did it. My stroke rate was about 26 at the beginning of the workshop (Sat morning) and down to 15 on Sunday afternoon. That was without really doing any whole stroke swimming in between, just working on the progressive drills all weekend.

    If your stroke rate went down you probably are doing it right! Yes, you do always have to think about what you are doing and can't really zone out.

    I'm a big fan of their weekend workshop because I got a lot out of it but they are pretty expensive. It's probably a better route than trying to learn the drills on your own however they do have a lot of resources you can purchase - books and dvd's - to help you do it on your own. The dvd's break down the drill progression much like they do in the workshops. I still refer to my book when I'm going back into the pool after being away from swimming for a while.

    As far as open water swimming goes, a lot of triathletes swear by total immersion so it would probably be helpful for your needs! That's actually why I did it - I was making an attempt at doing tri's.

  • LookingBusy
    LookingBusy Posts: 72 Member
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    From what I understand TI is better geared towards pool swimming, not open water swimming. A lot of the principles are based on balance and streamlining - which are essential for good swimming - but in open water you simply cannot be consistent with those things as there are so many other factors.

    In open water you need to deal with waves, so your recovery (i.e. hand out of water) stag will not be streamlined, but rather high-handed with a straighter arm. Waves also affect where your body position is in the water, meaning your kick may not always be at an ideal spot.

    Based on my own experience with open water swimming watch out for a couple things. Because you are not swimming in a lane people are terrible for swimming on top of others, especially near the beginning, before everyone finds their pace. Be prepared to get a few mouthfuls of water! This might also happen if the water is choppy or if you are swimming behind someone else.

    The best swimming advice I can give is to work on your breathing. I have seen so many people double their distances simply by learning to breathe correctly. Exhale under water and avoid holding your breath. Try to get outside and do some open water training swims as well. It's always a good idea to train in your wetsuit so you know how it will affect you.

    Breaststroke can be a very powerful stroke and allows you to see where you are going (much more important in open water than pool). Make sure you are not pulling past your chest and are keeping your knees close together.

    Good luck!
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    LookingBusy wrote: »
    In open water you need to deal with waves, so your recovery (i.e. hand out of water) stag will not be streamlined, but rather high-handed with a straighter arm. Waves also affect where your body position is in the water, meaning your kick may not always be at an ideal spot.
    You don't really know TI do you?

    OP - I like TI, I've incorporated some of it into my own swimming, and it's the core of my open water swimming strategy. I'm definitely not an adherent, but there are some excellent drills and approaches that I think would benefit just about any swimmer. Go borrow the book from the library and take a gander.

    I had a great (conventional) coach, worked on the TI stuff on my own, and had really good gains in ability.

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