Total Immersion Swimming Workshop?

[Lise]

Has anyone ever done one of these weekend workshops?

http://www.totalimmersion.net/workshops-p1.html

I think about doing it every now and again, usually half-way through the swim portion of a triathlon, as the pack pulls farther and farther away from me...:rolleyes:

They're expensive, so I probably won't. But I'd be interested to hear experience/opinions, yea or nay.

Thanks, L.

[withm]

Lise

Yes, I did one about 10 yrs ago. They have a very good approach to swimming, and use drills to improve your strokes. They video you w/ underwater camera before and after the weekend and you will see improvements. It did help me a lot, and if I still had specific swimming goals I would not hesitate to attend another workshop.

That said, there is a lot of instructional material available on their website, and if you bought the book or video they offer, that might give you a good boost without the expense of the full weekend.

If you DO do the weekend, bring at least 2 swimsuits, (or 4 if your suits won't dry overnight.) My workshop was like this - Sat AM - classroom work, then 2 hrs swimming. Break for lunch on your own (time for shower, dry clothes, and food and trying to get warm). Then back to classroom, then another swim session. Sunday was pretty much the same, but I seem to think we ended with a finall classroom session to view the final videos, and get our individuaol recomendations for our training over the coming weeks/months geared to meet our specific goals. It is a lot of hours IN the water each day, and frankly I did feel pretty chilled by the end of each day.

My years of swimming resulted in a torn rotator cuff - which though now healed, has left me a little gun-shy from swimming 3-4x week. There is only one indoor pool near me but they keep the water at about 85o "for the arthritis afflicted." Ever try to swim fast laps in water that HOT? UGH!

The workshop will probaby give you a big boost for your triathalons.

Martha

[colby]

I have the Total Immersion book, it came quite well recommended. I have only browsed through it, since I haven't been able to spend a lot of swimming time. I'd be curious as to how the seminars are as well. $495 for a weekend, or $795 for a tri camp! Wow. :eek:

[divingbiker]

One of my coworkers took the weekend workshop a few months ago and was pretty happy with it. He is/was not a swimmer; he just wanted to learn how to swim so he'd be comfortable when he went on vacations to the Caribbean, etc. Most of the people in the class were triathletes. He feels like he knows how to swim now, but not well, and still isn't comfortable in the water like I am naturally, but he goes to the pool regularly and practices at least.

I watched the videos he got and the technique seems a bit odd to me. You twist your body completely to each side with each stroke, and use your feet to propel when you twist back to the middle. I attempted to do it once when I was swimming a week or so ago, and it was definitely something that would take work. I guess that's why they have you do so many drills. It seemed like it took a lot more energy than my normal swimming stroke.

I doubt that I'd ever part with the money for the workshop, but if I wanted to get faster it would probably accomplish that, based on what I saw in the video. (And it was funny, everyone in the video had bike shorts tans so I didn't feel like such a freak!)

[Running Mommy]

I actually got some pretty negative feeback from the folks on TNO. A few of them have done the weekend workshop and said it's just not worth it. From what I remember it was too many students, not enough one on one, and the videotaping was very minimal. I'll have to try and find the thread and send it to you. They all advised me to find a TI certified coach and pony up some cash for a private session with them- which I am doing.

[LynneK]

I have a surfer friend who went the TI-certified coach route, and he was quite happy. The TI site lists certified coaches by location.

It's not too difficult to replicate some of the beneficial features of the TI technique. First, kick all the time (I try to kick at a consistent rate, but there's so much going on when you're swimming, I find it hard to tell!). When you're stroking, twist your shoulders in that direction sufficiently that the stroking shoulder comes entirely out of the water. And on the strokes when you're breathing, think of your two hands as "ships passing in the night" at about where your sternum is.

For example: say you're breathing right, so your right hand has just stroked down the midline of your body and come out of the water around your hip bone. As it's traveling back up to re-enter the water, your shoulders are rotating back toward the plane of the water and your left hand is simultaneously stroking down the midline of your body. Your right and left hands "meet" going in opposite directions at around your sternum. The geometry is the same on the left,

The drills that are designed to get you to keep your elbow high, like the finger dragging drill, will help develop this technique. I prefer the drill where you touch your head after every stroke: using a pull buoy, and (bilateral) breathing every stroke, touch your forehead before you put your hand back in the water for its next stroke. It's a crazy little drill, but it sure gets you to twist your shoulders and raise your elbow instead of flopping your hand up for its next stroke.

[KSH]

I watched the videos he got and the technique seems a bit odd to me. You twist your body completely to each side with each stroke, and use your feet to propel when you twist back to the middle. I attempted to do it once when I was swimming a week or so ago, and it was definitely something that would take work. I guess that's why they have you do so many drills. It seemed like it took a lot more energy than my normal swimming stroke.


My boyfriend has the video... and it's very ODD to someone like me who learned how to swim competively 20 years ago!

I honestly can't see myself swimming like that... but then again... my odd tried and true stroke gets me moving pretty fast. I may be old-school swimming.. but it works.

I think the video/book helped my boyfriend. I have seen him swim though, and he doesn't really swim like they show in the video.

On a side note... I found it very *odd* in the video that they picked someone to demonstrate proper swim stroke... who only has 1.5 arms. Her right arm was cut off at the elbow. Which true... it shows that ANYONE can do this style of swimming... but... we thought it was very *odd* to not pick someone with 2 full arms for demonstration purposes.

[Running Mommy]

I have the video as well as the book. I also found that I couldn't quite master the drills. I thought it was just me... :confused:
So I looked into the weekend workshop, but it was BIG $$$$ so I asked around. That's when I was given the advice to seek a TI certified coach instead so that I could get more one on one time.
And goodness knows I need that!!! lol :D

[btchance]

You can take this with a grain of salt, but talking to the lady who has been helping me with my swimming (advanced stroke class through the gym, former competitive swimmer), she and a number of other people say to stay away from TI. They feel like it teaches bad habits that are very hard to break. I've never seen any of it personally, but that's what they say (and I have no idea how we got on that subject, but we did).

[Running Mommy]

Yea BT, I think like alot of things there are two camps- the old school (possibly former) competitive swimmers, and the TI new style folks.
And I think your could wedge the grand canyon in between them!! :p

Personally I don't care which "style" I learn, I just want to swim faster!!
Everyone tells me to go to a masters session, but they are too intimidating. Esp. out here! Phoenix seems to be the land of competitive swimmers! Plus it's all the way across the valley at o' dark thirty, soo.... sigh... UGH!

For me I think the best route is a private coach. I have a couple in mind, I just need to make the calls.

[Lise]

Thanks so much for all the input. I'm going to skip the weekend. I cannot see spending that much money on two days. I am not exactly going for the big purse in triathlons. I just want to swim faster and straighter. I think that 1. more swimming 2. more out-of-the-pool weight work for the swimming muscles, and 3. drills will help me. I've never gone about it in a particularly organized way, so that's the challenge for this next year.

RM, I'll be interested to hear what you learn from the coach!