Learning to swim

[Pax]

Hey lph, how's the swimming going??

[lph]

Hey lph, how's the swimming going??

Didja have to ask today?

Today I feel like a lead weight. A flailing one, but lead nonetheless. Busy week, just swam once, and that's way too little. Today he had us right out into swimming freestyle with no gadgets, he just wanted us to swim across the pool () trying out different hand and arm positions to feel the difference. So I've flailed my way across the pool but I have no idea what my arms were doing
I think actually I'm doing the right things, but just have to practice a whole lot because I'm doing them too fast, too energetically and too uncoordinately, and I don't breathe out or in enough. So I end up moving quite fast but stopping halfway to breathe. Besides I'm old and stubborn and need lots and lots of practice to learn new things. Yes, I know a lot of you are older than me, but I swear I can FEEL my brain going "ow, stop it, stop pestering me, I'm confuuuuuused"...

But at least I've given up on holding my breath.

[Pax]

I so wish I could work with you for an hour! Finding those one or two tweaks that smooth out a stroke is just magical... you ever come to the states and we're going swimming!

[lph]

Deal

[Melalvai]

There are so many things to coordinate when swimming. One of the many things I like about Total Immersion (also Chi Running) is they instruct you to focus on one or at most two things at a time. So one length across the pool you focus on proper head position. Your arms and legs might be completely wrong but you don't worry about that. Coming back across the pool you pick a different focus, like body roll. Eventually it all starts to come together.

It reminds me of practicing hands alone when I was learning piano. Right hand once, left hand once, hands together.

[lph]

Yup. And I had a (minor) epiphany when I realized how I have to learn to breathe before I can focus on anything else. I was using fins, and managed to look back at my hand emerging from the water, and hey presto, I got to the other side without feeling my head was going to explode. Amazing how enough air made it possible to start thinking about hand position and arm position and finicky stuff like that.

Without fins I'm still only half-oxygenated, but working on it.

[lph]

Bizarre conversation at the pool today, with officious dude. I was miffed that the attendants hadn't let me borrow fins.

Me: "Excuse me, is that your own kickboard?"
Him: "No, I just borrowed it here. Having trouble with your leg kicks?"
Me: "No, timing my breathing, really. I'm a learner, and I wanted to borrow some fins, but they wouldn't let me."
Him: "Well, you can borrow the plate after me if you like"
Me: "Thanks, but actually I just need fins."
Him: "You have to keep a straight leg, not bent. And kick from the hip"
Me: "Uh, yeah. But it's the breathing.."
Him: "There was a triathlete here earlier practicing kicks. And he didn't budge from the spot!"
Me: "Yup, that sounds like me, on the first day of the class."
Him: "Are you a triathlete too?"
Me: "Uh, no. I'm a beginner trying to learn freestyle." (Trying to change the subject) "There's so much to think about. Using fins helps me concentrate on my arms."
Him, totally seriously: "You have to swim cognitively. Don't think!"
Me, mentally rolling my eyes: "Right. Thanks."
Him: "You have a noseclip. You don't need that."
Me. "Actually, yes, I do need a noseclip."
Him: "No you don't."
Me: "Yes. I do." (see, I'm learning )
Him: "Breathe in through your mouth, out through your nose."
Me. "I breathe both in and out through my mouth".
Him: "Oh."