trainDaBrain
09-07-2004, 02:03 PM
Today I hit the pool, 2300 yds, and focused on form. I'm always trying to evaluate my swim as objectively as I can, but without a coach or a training partner in the swim area, it's a little challenging. So I read. Today I read about beginner's mistakes, and that often we tend to push downward instead of back when our hands enter the water.
That really hit me when I read that, and I realized that the stagnation in my swim times is attributed to technique, not effort. Hope appeared on the horizon. With a subtle shift in focus, I could be faster. Swimming could suddenly be easier.
Since I've been swimming, and swimming consistently for the last year and a half, I've assumed some things. 1) I'm a good swimmer, 2) With more effort, I'll get faster. Those assumptions are changing. It's good to have confidence, but it's better to seek continual improvement. Effort is important, but if you don't apply learning, and a critical eval, the improvement won't happen like you expect.
The water taught me some things today, and I think at some point I will be able to articulate them. My lats are slightly sore from the swim, and I hope this is a good thing. Hopefully I've started to break some bad habits and my body is adjusting to the new form.
With each stroke, I started to realize that the body is just as fluid as the water it's floating in, and the mind is the solid piece that drives it. Technique is as critical and as important as having that peace of mind, the state of calm that requires you to focus on the breath, the catch, the pull, the hip rotation, the kick, the streamlined feet. Head down, shoulders and hips in sync, the body working as one complete system.
Breakthru's are a wonderful thing.
That really hit me when I read that, and I realized that the stagnation in my swim times is attributed to technique, not effort. Hope appeared on the horizon. With a subtle shift in focus, I could be faster. Swimming could suddenly be easier.
Since I've been swimming, and swimming consistently for the last year and a half, I've assumed some things. 1) I'm a good swimmer, 2) With more effort, I'll get faster. Those assumptions are changing. It's good to have confidence, but it's better to seek continual improvement. Effort is important, but if you don't apply learning, and a critical eval, the improvement won't happen like you expect.
The water taught me some things today, and I think at some point I will be able to articulate them. My lats are slightly sore from the swim, and I hope this is a good thing. Hopefully I've started to break some bad habits and my body is adjusting to the new form.
With each stroke, I started to realize that the body is just as fluid as the water it's floating in, and the mind is the solid piece that drives it. Technique is as critical and as important as having that peace of mind, the state of calm that requires you to focus on the breath, the catch, the pull, the hip rotation, the kick, the streamlined feet. Head down, shoulders and hips in sync, the body working as one complete system.
Breakthru's are a wonderful thing.