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To TI or not TI

vickaiservickaiser
in General Training Discussions

I have an opportunity to do a weekend-long Total Immersion clinic.  Here are my concerns.  I know TI is a specific "way of swimming" with it's own set of drills and technique.  My concern before dropping $400 for a weekend clinic is that once it's done, then what?  I mean unless I have an instructor that is going to follow me and instruct me subsequent to the clinic, I'm out of luck.  I can't imagine that this is something I can pick up in a weekend.

Do you think this is worth doing at all?

 

Comments

  • Scott AlexanderScott Alexander
    I just found a local TI coach (who happened to be one of the TI method's older adherents). Three 2-hour sessions for $500 is what he is billing me.

    I've only had one of the three sessions so far, and it's lots of drills after that first session (unfortunately my swimming frequency/volume hasn't been great lately to use them). For me, I don't like the drills (yes, typical Type A looking for a quick fix) but I see how they're relevant.

    @Victor, if you're near DFW (since you show as "Private TX"), PM me and I can provide you his contact info directly if you cannot find it on the TI website.
  • vickaiservickaiser
    Wonder why my location says "Private, TX". Wierd. Anywho, I'm in Houston.

    I'd be willing to do the drills. I just don't know if the weekend clinic is worth it without a plan for follow up. I guess if my goal was to figure out if that was the "way" I was going to swim, it would be worth it to just go hear what they have to say. But it's kind of pricey if that's the only reason I'd be going.
  • Scott AlexanderScott Alexander
    I'd say contact a local TI coach if you're interested. More than likely a few private one-on-one sessions with a local TI coach would be better ROI than a weekend-long clinic.
  • Matt SamojedenMatt Samojeden
    I have used a local TI coach his rate was $85 an hour. For the drills , buy their DVD and have someone video tape you, this is key. What you think you are doing is not what you are really doing.
  • John WithrowJohn Withrow
    I did Five, 1-hour lessons from a TI coach spaced about 2 weeks apart. I think it's a good thing to do in the fall after your races are over. The drills take a while, but if you dedicate a couple of months to it, it will change the way you swim. It didn't make me swim any faster, but now I can seemingly swim forever without getting tired. My wife did a weekend TI clinic and it helped her a lot, but didn't really give here enough time to really "imprint" the techniques. She has since had a couple of refreshers. I never drill anymore, but am very aware of my body position when I swim.
  • SwoodowrthSwoodowrth

     I bought the video and the book....lots cheaper..... I tended to overdo the TI and a swim coach at our pool kept at me on it.  The drills that the coaches here gave us, did go better though since I had had the TI mindset.  A girl I swim with went to the clinic then watched my video and said she wished she had saved the money....just another point of view...I'm sure the class is better from the feedback perspective though.  I had people at the pool to help me with that.  

  • John WithrowJohn Withrow
    btw, you can get the TI video on Netflix as well...
  • trbrinktrbrink
    I did the week long, open water TI clinic last year. At the time it made me significantly faster and I swam much easier, however after taking many months off from swimming after last years IM season, I lost the technique and am back to my slow-flailing-self despite "knowing" the concepts. Having the watchful eye of an instructor who knows the technique is key for ongoing "maintenance".
  • Kevin WalterKevin Walter
    I did the weekend long TI course about 10-years ago when I first started doing triathlons. I was a very weak swimmer and it turned me into a passable one basically in 2-days, by correcting body mechanics, etc. It was well organized and well thought out, with video, etc. The drills are pretty similar to the ones in the EN swim book so don't expect anything earth shattering there in terms of "new drills." I think their strength is that they go through them very slowly, all the way from basically watching you float with a light kick and seeing how you hold your body in the water, through kicking on side, body roll, stroke mechanics, etc. They make good suggestions all the way through and help you "build" a stroke from scratch. I'm not a good enough swimmer to comment on whether it is the "perfect stroke" or "best stroke", but it is a "teachable stroke" that you can pick up pretty quickly and see noticeable improvements in efficiency and learn a feel for when you are doing it correctly. Basically after 2-days, I went from a 90-minute IM swim where I was thrashed at the end to 75-minutes where I felt like I could easily swim twice the distance at the same speed. I will say, I have made almost zero progress in swimming since that big leap so TI is probably best for the neophyte swimmer looking to progress to average, rather than the average swimmer looking to become good.
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