Online Swim Instruction (Finding Freestyle? Swimsmooth?)
I'm a 1:50ish swimmer looking to improve my technique as I get back into the water after the OS.
I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with either of these two programs. I've done some of the swim type program from Swimsmooth, and it helped alot, but I want more. Has anyone had luck with either the Swimsmooth boxed set or the 12 week Finding Freestyle program?
0
Comments
Why look elsewhere but swim hack here. Take your pick, OS or HIM/IM. If you want more, pick intermediate or advanced and knock yourself out. No need for any special programs. At some point you will have to swim hard to get better. I think coaches wrote a great program for all flavor athletes. Just take your pick.
There are no special programs for triathletes. No need. It all comes down to 3 workouts:
one endurance based, long intervals/short rest/ Z2 work T-pace+2-5sec, longest swim of the week
one threshold workout, middle distance intervals 200-500/short rest/ at T-pace
one VO2max workout, short intervals/ 30sec-1:1 ratio recovery/ fast T-pace-5sec
It is that simple. EN swim plans are perfect in covering all three.
Sorry if I missed the point you were looking for.
I just bought the swimsmooth videos (both) I'll report back on how useful they were. Haven't received them yet. I've seen significant improvement from focusing on the things taught in the swim eBook. (1000 TT is down from ~17 to ~15). I also think that the youTube stuff by evanscoaching is good. He recommends another lady Olympian whose videos helped me. I can't recall her name right now. I'll try to find them.
I think it pays off to get input from different sources because sometimes one particular explanation will make more sense to you. Often times I also find that it's not until months/years later that I finally "get it," and understand how different techniques are supposed to feel. In-person sessions are very worthwhile as well. First thing I did years ago was to take a "Stroke Mechanics" class taught at the local university. I've done one-on-one sessions a couple times as well.
Another idea: I recently found a few folks and we will be meeting often to video each other (I have underwater camera). That way you can compare what you see to the good technique on SwimSmooth and other sites.
The two things that will give you the most speed if you improve them are your body position (get those legs up near the surface!) and your pull (get the elbow high!) EN Swim eBook is great for improving both.
I think improving your swim definitely benefits from an obsessiveness that is the triathlete's specialty, so indulge!
Sheila Taormina
We'd appreciate your feedback/experience with these products. Thanks!
The videos I was remembering were with Karlyn Pipes-Neilsen on the vasatrainer YouTube channel. They are selling the Vasa trainers, but her tips on the catch helped me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqsjnNFUbCw&feature=related
@Rich - awesome! I'm not familiar with those, so can't vote.
Being an information junkie and a visual learner, I have a mix of swim DVDs
The Swim Smooth Box set
Go Swim Freestyle with Karlyn Pipes-Neilsen
Total Immersion – Easy Freestyle
Total Immersion - Outside the Box
Also have the Mr Smooth Swim pro swim application
Comments:
I have learned something from each of the above information sets. Sometimes the metaphor used by one to explain a technique point or a drill resonates with me and I then think “ now I understand what the other one what trying to tell me”.
I started with the total immersion stuff when I got back into the sport and help me get significant improvement in body position and help with bilateral breathing and a smooth stroke that was front quadrant focused. I felt I was missing info on how to get power into the stroke.
Looking to move to the next level found the Karlyn Pipes-Neilsen and Swim Smooth information.
The Karlyn Pipes-Neilsen dvd helped me most on the catch and pull.
The swim smooth info helped me timing – the integration of a front quadrant stroke with solid body and a timed 2 beet kick.
The Mr. Smooth Swim application allowed me to surgically look a timing of how the different parts of the body move at each phase of the stroke. This was useful for my brain to “get it” from what the other DVD info was presenting. Also this was the only one to present information on the impact of stroke rate and longer strokes are not always the best.
Each had typical drills for common stroke issues. Some would click with me and others not so much.
Overall if I had to select 1 set of information it would be the Swim Smooth box set and the Swim smooth app. Also his web site has tons of useful advice on how to swim better. The DVD and web site I find I got back to the most frequently. Also if a new swimmer in the pool asks for help, I point them to http://www.swimsmooth.com/.
Once I had solid visual references to model, the most important thing is to have my stroke videotaped. What your head thinks your body is doing and reality are often significantly different. Do this at least once a month if you are working to do major stroke modifications.
Matt
Thanks everyone,
I'm in the situation where I can swim a 100 all out and a 300 and go about the same speed. Technique is definately my limiter.
I'd been working for a while with some local coaches, etc... But to be honest I think they had me working on the wrong stuff. I spent most of my time drilling catch and pull, while my body position was very bad, and that is where the real ROI is at. I had a bit of a light bulb moment when I read that in the EN Swim eBook. I suspect they were focusing me on the things they work on, not what I needed to be working on.
The EN eBook definately helped get me started, but the swim smooth "swim type" stuff really helped me fix my body position with some very specific drills. It was a little more "short bus" which is exactly what I need when it comes to swimming.
Things are way better now than they were at least. I can kick my way down the pool, bilateraly breath, etc. Previous to swim smooth, when I tried to kick on a kickboard I'd go backwards and when I tried to bilaterally breath I'd ruin my catch by pushing down with the opposite arm on my non favored side.
Now I'm ready to start swimming for my IM plan in 5 weeks, but I think I still have lots to learn. I have an underwater camera, so I'm going to start with that suggestion as well. I would definately like to try Finding Freestyle and the full blown Swim Smooth box set as well. I hadn't heard of TriSwimCoach but I'll check them out as well.
Here’s my take….It’s a very well put together program. The drills and workouts are very well done.
They focus on coordinating the legs with the stroke….it’s something I never did before.
After completing the program, I think my stroke is better that it was before I started…Did it make me faster?....I’m not sure. My times in the state meet last week were slower than last year. But, we could wear speedsuits last year and this year they were outlawed. And I went into the meet very fatigued.
But, I think the program helped me and I’m a better swimmer now than I was before I started…And, I would recommend the program to folks who don’t come from a competitive swim background.
I'm still not sure which program I want to do. Maybe both? It's good to see the same thing from lots of different angles.