TI workshop

I've been learning the TI swim style for about 4 months starting with a two day work shop. My stroke is no where near perfected but I'm progressing. Without knowing your swim background my advice would be to get an idea how you feel about the TI style of swimming early on. If you like the TI style, dedicate yourself fully to that style of swimming. Don't try to piece together pointers and advice from TI and non-TI sources. TI is a unique style.

If you decide to stick with TI, patience is important. Work the drills diligently and mindfully. Don't rush into whole stroke. Each drill focuses on mastery of a element of whole stroke. Assuming the workshop is near you, try to make friends with other participants so you can swim together after the workshop. Having someone see you swim is very important. We often believe we are doing something a certain way when in reality we are actually doing it differently.

If the TI coach is local to you, I would strongly recommend continuing on with private lessons with the coach. You will learn and be exposed to most of the fundamentals in the workshop. However, for them to become automatic, one needs much more practice.

You will want to resign yourself to reasonable consistent progress over the long term. This means you are always learning. The key is mindful swimming with a focal point always in mind. No swimming with a iPOD or day dreaming. Sometimes it can actually be mentally taxing. The TI goal is not to work harder but instead more efficiently.

Many TI swimmers, myself included, find it challenging to transition from drills and whole stroke with sweet spot breathing to normal rhythmic breathing. This is something TI is addressing. Have patience with but dedicate yourself toward learning breathing if it is a challenge. A good TI video is O2 in H2O. Definitely invest in several TI DVDs.

Here is a beautiful TI stroke. Efficient and relaxed. Shinji can obviously swim faster when he choses to. The first time you feel that gliding feeling is really something.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=rJpFVvho0o4

Marc