Swim technique question

I think your stroke count and your 100 yd time look great. Think back to your starting point one year ago. If you're like many of us, it was much more of a struggle than it is now. No doubt you've made tremendous strides. At your level now, improvements will lead to more fish-like swimming, lower stroke counts and and even faster times, but they will likely come in smaller increments. Your hard work and persistence will pay off, but it would be difficult to mail down a time frame. Good work this year!

I like this article by Rich Strauss (http://www.cruciblefitness.com/etips/swimtechnique1.htm) because it provides a framework in which you focus on technique and velocity - his concept of 'swim golf' combines technique with speed, and provides a slightly more fun and interesting way to structure a swim workout.

to paraphrase the article - below is my favorite excerpt - keep on working on the technique. What you think of as 'actually swimming' is probably exactly what you should not be doing.

"So until you can beat 13 year-old Rich Strauss, braces, coke bottle glasses, sailor suit and all, your time in the pool is much better spent learning how to freakin' swim. The bench mark I'll give you is about 24:00 for a 1500. That is about what a below average USS 13 year-old boy with a decent stroke can do. Until you beat that skinny little kid, a large portion of your pool time should be spent in stroke improvement. This speed is probably 80% technique and 20% fitness."

i agree that your stroke count and time are pretty darn good! you should be proud that you're doing so well after just a year of swimming. even though i was already a pretty good swimmer, i decided to work with a TI coach. it was a worthwhile investment. reading about technique is one thing, but having someone who knows what to watch for is wonderful.

I have a friend who is a swimmer, and he keeps telling me the only way I will improve is with a coach. One of these days I will actually make it to 5am practice and talk to a coach. I think I might spring for a TI session before next spring, sounds like a good investment, just thinking about how much I spend to have a pool membership and all the equipment and racing, I might as well get the most out of it by spending a little more. I have been reading TI and making my own technique out of it, sort of... I started making my shoulders come up to cover my ear when I reach and am waiting until my hand is by my arpit to begin the ather arm stroking and it made a huge improvement, when I concentrate and do that, my 25m count is 16, when I don't do that, it is sometimes up to 20.

Go to your local Y or health club and see if they have some hand paddles that you can use or borrow. Use these for 500 yards at the beginning of your workout. This will help you get the feel of the water and better understanding of how your hands should be placed. you don't want to workout with them for too long. Just get the feeling into your hands and your head

Sorry for the late post.

I have a few ideas that might be helpful. Have you ever used pull-bouys, y'know the floatable foam devices you can insert between your legs? This item will FORCE you to pull through the water faster...thus increasing your turnover and speed.

Another idea, well, more of a question: at what point do you breathe? A common problem I see with newbie swimmers is that they breathe at the wrong point of their stroke. You want to turn and breathe when your arm is just STARTING to pull through the water. NOT when it's coming out of the water. When you breathe late you are essentially developing a "hitch" in your stroke. By correcting this error you can drop 3-5 seconds off your 100 time.