Total Immersion stroke?

I have had private and semi-private lessons with this guy:  Peter Scott (certified TI swim coach)

and I highly recommend him - and he usually teaches out of UBC or YWCA (downtown) pools....he also holds 'clinics' all over the place - check out his website:  www.seahiker.com

( I noticed in one of his recent emails that he is in the Bahamas until Dec. 6 doing some sort of training workshop - life is tough!!!! - incase you try to contact him and he doesn't reply right away).

I need to take some more lessons again after Christmas (I have not been swimming much AT ALL lately and need a 'refresher'!)

Jill

Thanks for your response(s). 

I have taken lessons from Peter and the concept works.  I was hoping to find a second source of technique instruction. 

Yesterday I swam for an hour and can't help but feel that I did an hour of 'junk' stroke swimming. 

 I swim during the day and never run across anyone with an elegant stroke and speed to copy.  If I ever see that...I will approach them and 'demand' to find out how they learned their speed. 

Roger

Its too bad, I would offer to come down there and show you how its done!

I have been known to fly around the pool!

But, its just too far of a drive......

I would like to think I am a 'thinking athlete'.  I want to learn the most efficient way to accomplish any stroke, strike or spin.  I want to do my best by using not just my body but my brain. 

In order to do this, I have to seperate the advertising hype from 'what really works'.  One example of what really works in running is: loose weight.  The lighter you are, the quicker you finish a marathon.  Few people advise that and I had to learn that the hard way. 

So what similar rules apply to swimming and cycling? 

What ONE thing makes a swimmer go faster----the most?  Drag reduction? Stroking with your back muscles not your rotator cuff? 

What ONE thing makes a cyclist go faster---the most?  Drag reduction?  Regular stretching so you can get down in an aero position?

Only thing I can say that is if you want to go faster you have to train faster...not sure that makes sense, but I've been up all night working.

T.ime I.n T.he S.addle works for biking.

Oh for me, to swim faster, apparantly...I need to shave? Who knew!

For me, the biggest thing that makes the difference between a good swim and a bad swim is how well I'm catching the water, and how well I follow through once I make a good catch. I can actually feel the extra propulsion if I've got a good rhythm going... and this can sometimes translate into an extra 5-10 seconds off each 100m (even in the middle of a long swim).

My wife and I spent some time with Janice Hann out at UBC - she works at the national level is a very technical Coach - has a great personality too.

She has evening groups (indoors - 25m pool) and when it is warmer, outdoors - 50m group. She might also have a Triathlon specific group running again - not 100% sure - we are now swimming at the Aquatic centre.

Hope that helps

Thanks James, I Googled Janice Hann and didn't come up with much but I will head out to UBC pool and see what I can learn. 

 I believe what I am after is a very structured stroke and body movement training program in the water.  I'd love to do some video analysis as experts say our brain has a perception of how we move and reality can be quite different.  Video'ing in a public pool is problematic. 

Efficiency, efficiency, efficiency...I think those are the three things to learn in long distance open water swimming. 

Other practical aspects of open water group swimming NO ONE mentions are:

1) you have to have 'a strokes' worth of air in your lungs to recover should you be kicked

2) you have to raise your head a LOT to site in long distance swimming otherwise more time is lost swimming in the wrong direction

3) crowd swimming at the turn points slow you down big time...do some geometry and determine how much time you loose swimming 5, 10, or 35 metres outside of the crowd.

 Roger