Swim coach or self coach?

As a nearly life long non-swimmer, I found private lessons were the way to go. 

I have the Total Immersion DVD and found it to be a very good source to start learning a proper stroke.  I couldn't swim over 300 yards and had a coach for a few sessions.  But they spent more time tweaking my arms and kicks, which after a month, still didn't help.  The Total Immersion lessons are more about streamlining and ease, which I really think is my most major problem.

The DVD is set up with tons of drills, so you can develop what is right and what it wrong.  I watch a lesson, then transfer notes to a card and take it to the pool.  I think this has helped much more than a coach.

And the community at totalimmersion.net is really helpful.  Terry Laughlin, who developed the program often goes to the forums to give advice.  Plus, I see many users post videos of themselves swimming and get some great feedback.  Lastly, you can search for Total Immersion coaches or people who are familiar with the techniques based on where you live.  There is a forum section just for this.

Also new to the sport, and I found this link in another post for a swimming program:

http://ruthkazez.com/swimming/ZeroTo1mile.html

Just started last week, and so far so good. I bought TI and will be implementing a few things, but do not plan to follow it completely until i am done with the program (6 weeks); then will focus on TI for another 8 weeks before my first race.

If you have the means and time, a coach or a master swimmers program might be the best way, but I have to train at 6 am by myself, so this works for now

Get the lessons.

I am N=1, but it sounds like I'm not alone. I started swimming less than a year ago. I had no lessons. I swam a lot. I did nothing but swim for a month. I logged what I thought to be impressive mileage, especially for a brand newb.

Then sometime over summer I noted my times here. I'm very large and slow in all 3, so I thought nothing of it. But as I have learned, in swimming, weight shouldn't hold me back. 2:30/100yards at every distance means a flaw in my stroke.

Turns out I have several. I have had difficulty scheduling swimming coaching, but this winter it's finally happening. I expect that by spring, my improvement should be massive.

The whole year I was not finding out my problems. I plan on only about 3-4 sessions, with several weeks between, then take it from there. I wish I had the foresight to do this last winter, but hey, in my story, all progress forward is massive.

Get lessons. You won't regret it. FWIW, my coach is a fan of TI, and said it's a good base, but to really get analysis of what you're getting right, you need the up close. (Funny thing is, he's not exactly hard selling me on coaching, as I've been the one begging to get a session going.)

If you look, you can find lots of the TI stuff at the local library. Get their book at least and read it. For beginners, while it's by no means the last word, it does have a lot of useful stuff. But the bottom line is that you need get a session (or two or three) with a talented swim technique instructor/coach. That's how you can drop big chunks of time off your swim. If you're new to swimming, very likely you're making some big technique errors. And that means lots of extra drag, which means slower times.

I've given a lot of swim technique instruction to triathletes and I also have a lot of experience teaching complex motor skills to adults. Over the decades, I've also received instruction from many different swim coaches and I've closely observed many swim coaches. From this, I've learned a few key things. For a technique instructor, I'd likely avoid one that has swum fast since early childhood. Because the big thing for you is not to just find a super fast swimmer as a coach. Yes, you should find someone who can swim fast and who also really knows triathlon, but what you really need is someone who (here's the kicker) can teach you how to swim faster. And, believe me, this is not so easy to do. Sure, many very fast swimmers who have been training since youth swim great, but they simply don't know how to observe and troubleshoot your technique and then tell you how to correct it. Because they've never been down that path themselves.

I have noticed that some fast swimmers who started out as slower swimmers (so they were not trained competitive youth swimmers), but then learned piece-by-piece how to swim very fast end up being the best teachers. Because they know exactly what it took for them to "get" the fundamentals of better technique and better body position. And they'll most likely to be able to help you in a way that you can rapidly comprehend, fully understand, and then easily execute.

I very much doubt any of the personal trainers at your gym would have the ability to really help you with getting good swim technique. But talking to people at your local masters swim group might be a good way to find someone like that. Another way is to ask every fast triathlete you know or meet. Ask every lifeguard you run into. Ask every swim or tri coach you meet. Rinse. Repeat.

I've learned more in 2 days with an instructor than I did for a year swimming on my own.  Make sure to get a competitive swimming instructor; some 'swim instructors' just teach you how to swim, and not the fine points.  You can train solo for run and bike, but for the swim, you need help.

Swimming is alot like a golf stroke.  Its never perfect (unless your name is Andy Potts), and even the pro's work on it.

Absolutely get at least some time with a coach, and good call by ferret on a competitive swimming instructor. 

I used a coach and he took some video, and it was shocking how different what I thought I was doing (from self coaching) and what was I was actually doing.  And the coach picked out a few things I would never have thought were causing major time/energy drains.

If you opt not to go with a coach, I highly recommend at least getting some underwater stroke video and checking out what is actually happening under the water.

Wow, thank you for all of the great advice! I feel much better about this triathlon already

It seems like getting a private swimming instructor (instead of self-taught, gym trainer or group lessons) is the best way to go in the long run, even if it's just for a few sessions every other week.

Would it be better to combine the TI book/dvd with a TI coach so I could go through the TI stuff at my own pace and use the coach for fine tuning and correction? Or just get a coach for a while and forget about all the TI stuff? From what I read, it seems like some of the techniques TI tells you is opposite from the "standard" technique so I don't want to get conflicting instruction, esp if I'm paying for them.

And what exactly are these Master that people always talk about? Is it where everyone just does drills and swims together with coaches watching on the sideline? Kind of like aerobics class but in a pool? People talk about how it makes them better swimmers so how is it different from a group lessons? Or if it's just drills and laps, what benefits does it have over just swimming by yourself in a pool?