Comments on: Total Immersion: How I Learned to Swim Effortlessly in 10 Days and You Can Too http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2008/08/13/total-immersion-how-i-learned-to-swim-effortlessly-in-10-days-and-you-can-too/ Tim Ferriss's 4-Hour Workweek and Lifestyle Design Blog Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:05:13 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Kiran Karnad http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2008/08/13/total-immersion-how-i-learned-to-swim-effortlessly-in-10-days-and-you-can-too/comment-page-1/#comment-55816 Kiran Karnad Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:54:33 +0000 http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/?p=435#comment-55816 Hi Donna, I totally agree that one of the challenges with the TI swim is body roll. Let me give you the method I tried to ease my learning curve about te body roll plus breathing thing. Take a push from the wall, roll the body to one side, say left, so that the left leg is on top of the right (or navel is pointing to the left wall). Keep your left hand on top of the body by the sides along the left side. The right hand is stretched out in the front below the right ear, parallel to the pool's bottom. This is the streamlined position that you will start off in. All this while, your face should point to the bottom of the pool. Now with the single or triple kicks move forward. As you move, turn only your head from the bottom to the top to expose just the nose and mouth to breathe and then turn back again. Do this a couple of lengths and then breathe on the other side. This not only makes the breathing simpler, but also helps you practice bilateral breathing!! Do try and let me know if this helped. As for the second Q, the answer's pretty simple. With the high-effort-swim, you are too tired for a length or two, but once you are into TI, you can do multiples of 10s!! Which one do you think is better? Keep Wet, Kiran Hi Donna, I totally agree that one of the challenges with the TI swim is body roll. Let me give you the method I tried to ease my learning curve about te body roll plus breathing thing.
Take a push from the wall, roll the body to one side, say left, so that the left leg is on top of the right (or navel is pointing to the left wall). Keep your left hand on top of the body by the sides along the left side. The right hand is stretched out in the front below the right ear, parallel to the pool’s bottom. This is the streamlined position that you will start off in. All this while, your face should point to the bottom of the pool. Now with the single or triple kicks move forward. As you move, turn only your head from the bottom to the top to expose just the nose and mouth to breathe and then turn back again. Do this a couple of lengths and then breathe on the other side. This not only makes the breathing simpler, but also helps you practice bilateral breathing!! Do try and let me know if this helped.
As for the second Q, the answer’s pretty simple. With the high-effort-swim, you are too tired for a length or two, but once you are into TI, you can do multiples of 10s!! Which one do you think is better?
Keep Wet,
Kiran

]]> By: Donna http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2008/08/13/total-immersion-how-i-learned-to-swim-effortlessly-in-10-days-and-you-can-too/comment-page-1/#comment-55788 Donna Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:51:12 +0000 http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/?p=435#comment-55788 Tim, I have a question for you, I did read all the posts here before bugging you with it this... I watched the videos and I am having a little challenge visualizing the breathing, perhaps its getting clear about the concept of rolling your entire body in the stroke and stretching for the breath... does that makes sense? I took all the ymca swimming lessons up to Bronze and was the first one in the water LOVED it... then something happened... so now in order for me to get into the water and leave the fear out of the water I have to visualize success... not being able to do that I am struggling to get into the water again... If you could try to explain the breathing or offer a link to something that does that would really be great! Second question is this - it sounds like the effort goes out of the exercise so I am wondering if the exercise benefits are still comprable in this style of water movement/ swimming. d Tim,

I have a question for you, I did read all the posts here before bugging you with it this…

I watched the videos and I am having a little challenge visualizing the breathing, perhaps its getting clear about the concept of rolling your entire body in the stroke and stretching for the breath… does that makes sense?

I took all the ymca swimming lessons up to Bronze and was the first one in the water LOVED it… then something happened… so now in order for me to get into the water and leave the fear out of the water I have to visualize success… not being able to do that I am struggling to get into the water again… If you could try to explain the breathing or offer a link to something that does that would really be great!

Second question is this – it sounds like the effort goes out of the exercise so I am wondering if the exercise benefits are still comprable in this style of water movement/ swimming.

d

]]> By: HN http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2008/08/13/total-immersion-how-i-learned-to-swim-effortlessly-in-10-days-and-you-can-too/comment-page-1/#comment-54884 HN Mon, 19 Oct 2009 03:42:03 +0000 http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/?p=435#comment-54884 Hi Tim, I had a question about someone with a weak consistently dislocating shoulder (5 times since Oct 08). I've kept up on my physio but it keeps popping out. I refuse to have surgery and feel I can teach my body to overcome this. My doctor and physio recommend swimming but I'm afraid of how my shoulder will take it. Of course, my docs didn't give me much advice on how to change my stroke or how to wok on improving my shoulder through this activity and so I was wondering if you had any advice? Thanks. Hi Tim,

I had a question about someone with a weak consistently dislocating shoulder (5 times since Oct 08). I’ve kept up on my physio but it keeps popping out. I refuse to have surgery and feel I can teach my body to overcome this. My doctor and physio recommend swimming but I’m afraid of how my shoulder will take it. Of course, my docs didn’t give me much advice on how to change my stroke or how to wok on improving my shoulder through this activity and so I was wondering if you had any advice?

Thanks.

]]> By: Troy Angrignon http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2008/08/13/total-immersion-how-i-learned-to-swim-effortlessly-in-10-days-and-you-can-too/comment-page-1/#comment-54429 Troy Angrignon Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:57:26 +0000 http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/?p=435#comment-54429 No, thank you Tim. Since that first post and first tri, I've done 3 tris in 8 weeks, having sworn my whole life I'd never do one. Now I'm already scheming for some much longer tris for next year. I can highly recommend the DVD and the book (Total Immersion). It got me from "dying in the pool" to doing something I thought I'd never do, and from there my times have gone from 47 minutes to do 1.5k (if you know swimming, that's HORRENDOUS) to 42 minutes to 36 minutes in 8 weeks. I think I can get it down to 30 minutes pretty easily. Get out and try it! The worst thing that can happen is that you enjoy some swimming time. Oh, and buy one of those little Finis Tempo Trainer beepers that tuck into your swim cap. They're pretty cool and help you set your cadence. Good luck everybody. Troy No, thank you Tim. Since that first post and first tri, I’ve done 3 tris in 8 weeks, having sworn my whole life I’d never do one. Now I’m already scheming for some much longer tris for next year. I can highly recommend the DVD and the book (Total Immersion). It got me from “dying in the pool” to doing something I thought I’d never do, and from there my times have gone from 47 minutes to do 1.5k (if you know swimming, that’s HORRENDOUS) to 42 minutes to 36 minutes in 8 weeks. I think I can get it down to 30 minutes pretty easily.

Get out and try it! The worst thing that can happen is that you enjoy some swimming time.

Oh, and buy one of those little Finis Tempo Trainer beepers that tuck into your swim cap. They’re pretty cool and help you set your cadence.

Good luck everybody.

Troy

]]> By: Tim Ferriss http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2008/08/13/total-immersion-how-i-learned-to-swim-effortlessly-in-10-days-and-you-can-too/comment-page-1/#comment-54411 Tim Ferriss Mon, 12 Oct 2009 10:14:39 +0000 http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/?p=435#comment-54411 Woohoo! Congrats, my man! Tim Woohoo! Congrats, my man!

Tim

]]>