Total Immersion: The Revolutionary Way To Swim Better, Faster, and Easier
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smittycb10 posted 31 weeks ago.
Great book, for the money you can not get a better way to improve your swim stroke. Work on the drills throughout the winter, you cannot go wrong.
view my blog at: http://smittycb10.triathlonlife.com/
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blavelle posted 31 weeks ago.
just picked up the copy of the triathletes version. So far its been a great help in my swimming.
"now I only have good days and great days."
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stewarba posted 31 weeks ago.
When I started to read the book I was juiced about it, but I felt like the first 7 chapters were trying to sell me on the total immersion method. I was sold after the first chapter but it just kept on and on about how great it was. Finally I got into it (chapter 8 I think) and it was great from that point forward. I'm sure the publisher felt like they needed to add some filler to give you the impression you were getting your money's worth, but you really only need the second half of the book.
I feel like my swimming efficiency has increased drastically with much less effort by the time I completed the drills so I do recommend the Total Immersion method. I would also recommend the DVD. The DVD helps reinforce what they are trying to describe in the book and for me a picture was worth a thousand words - to the point that you can probably get away with just buying the DVD and skip the sales job in the first half of the book.
Goals in writing are dreams with deadlines – Brian Tracy
2008 Sprint Tri A race goals
S: 500m in 10:00 – FS Stroke only
B: 22mph avg over course
R: 5K <= 25:00
Place top 50% for my age group
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240 days
Sully800 posted 31 weeks ago.
stewarba;82181 wrote:
When I started to read the book I was juiced about it, but I felt like the first 7 chapters were trying to sell me on the total immersion method. I was sold after the first chapter but it just kept on and on about how great it was. Finally I got into it (chapter 8 I think) and it was great from that point forward. I'm sure the publisher felt like they needed to add some filler to give you the impression you were getting your money's worth, but you really only need the second half of the book.
I agree! I think its important to build trust for the system, because when you start doing the drills you aren't swimming at all....not even close. You're just lying on your back and it doesn't seem like it will help your stroke. I guess if you didn't have confidence in the program you would abandon it at that point. But really, he repeats himself wayyyy too many times in the beginning, simply reiterating that this is the best way to improve your stroke.
Once you get to the meat of the book it is indeed a great tool for learning to swim better. I've read through the pages on the drills probably 10+ times but I never plan to read the beginning again because I already have confidence in the program :rolleyes:
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krazyfranco posted 31 weeks ago.
I'm excited to get the book, thanks for everyone's feedback! Which DVD did you get, stewarba? There seem to be a few to choose from.
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brittda posted 31 weeks ago.
We got the book for triathletes along with the DVD and drill cards. My hubby learned the technique and then solidified everything by taking the class in March. He went from a swimer who could not have finished 2.4 miles to a 1:20 Ironman swim. The drills he tells me are key though, so don't skimp on those.
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stewarba posted 31 weeks ago.
krazyfranco;82192 wrote:
I'm excited to get the book, thanks for everyone's feedback! Which DVD did you get, stewarba? There seem to be a few to choose from.
I got the "FreeStyle made Easy" DVD - Copyright 2007
Here is a link to the DVD on Amazon, but it looks like a 2004 release date. I'm not sure what the difference between the 04 and 07 release is. I also bought mine on eBay: Total Immersion DVD
Also, Sully and Brittda bring to light some good points. Take your time and do the drills. Don't skimp and only move on after you have mastered that drill. The point is to totally rebuild your stroke from the ground up and even though I found it hard to believe at first, muscle memory can be deeply engrained and hard to overcome. Also, when you start to feel tired stop. I know that is counterproductive to most triathletes, but you will quickly revert back to your old stroke once fatigue sets in. This is a good time of year to start this, by spring you should have mastered the total immersion method and be ready to log some serious miles with your new stroke.
Brad
Goals in writing are dreams with deadlines – Brian Tracy
2008 Sprint Tri A race goals
S: 500m in 10:00 – FS Stroke only
B: 22mph avg over course
R: 5K <= 25:00
Place top 50% for my age group
162
Member
959 days
Ultrarunner posted 31 weeks ago.
I agree with everyone here. When I signed up for my first IM I couldn't swim 50 yds without feeling like I was going to pass out. This is the only method I have tried but now I am a very strong swimmer and would recommend the techniques to anyone, beginner or advanced.
The race is just the finale to all of your training. Enjoy the celebration.
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636 days
mdd posted 31 weeks ago.
I do not use TI myself but I did take some lessons from a TI instructor when I first started swimming and it really helped my balance in the water. No matter what style of swimming you use, I think something can be learned from TI especially if you are doing long swims or are new to swimming.
Hey Franco check your PMs, I sent you some info on a TI instructor who teaches down in your town. I worked with him and he is very good.
Team Planet X Tyros
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1001 days
TBRAVO posted 31 weeks ago.
I bought the book a few years back and it did help me a little; the concepts and drills seemed valid and straight forward. However at some point I really needed an experienced swim coach to evaluate / critique my form and provide drills to help me correct my specific problems. In other words, for me it was really hard to determine if I was executing the TI drills correctly without some kind of external feedback.
Hope this helps.
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psychosyd posted 31 weeks ago.
Ti is a great addition. I use a lot of what they have to say in my swimming. It has cut minutes off of my swim time (that and a serious amount of time in the pool last winter) But the efficiency gains alone have made a huge difference.
If you can make it to a TI clinic that is a great investment as well.
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DaveC posted 27 weeks ago.
Physco:
I am considering to attend a TI freestyle workshop in a few weeks, and I'd love to hear if you think it's worth the time and money.
As an alternative, I was thinking to work with the TI freestyle DVD.
I've swum a couple 1:08s in an IM and I want drop my 1/2IM time to sub :30 and I don't have access to a local coach.
thanks for any comments.
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380 days
krazyfranco posted 26 weeks ago.
DaveC:
I am not going to attend a weekend workshop, but I am currently working with a local TI coach. An hour or so with a good coach is really valuable; its hard to self-evaluate your stroke. As far as the financial side goes, I will just wait longer to upgrade the bike. It is probably one of the better "money spent" to "time improvement" things you can do. Anyway, whats the last time you spent money on swimming?
GC
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DaveC posted 26 weeks ago.
Krazy,
That would be about 9-10 years ago when I swam with a Masters group in the Chicago area. It was beneficial as far as structured training and pool time, but I can't really recall any personal attention to my swimming stroke, owing to the group size.
Your post gave me the idea to search for a TI coach the next time I'm in the U.S., and sure enough I did find one. I'm going to contact him and see what can be done for the week I'll be there, and I'll look for some others as well.
Anyone have some comments about TI instruction- good or bad? Or perhaps a recommendation for a coach in the Minneapolis area?
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kakman posted 26 weeks ago.
What does a TI course cost in the States? I saw a local swim company offering Forward Motion classes (which seems to be a similar system to TI) and they're asking $300 for a 3 hour class (max 10 people). They video your stroke and do 1.5 hours out of water and 1.5 hours in water then send you on your with with the DVD. I dunno, it just seems a lot for 3 hours.
For the same money I could visit the pool about 85 times and I'm not sure that wouldn't be a better investment :)
/t
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1207 days
brittda posted 26 weeks ago.
kakman;85178 wrote:
What does a TI course cost in the States? I saw a local swim company offering Forward Motion classes (which seems to be a similar system to TI) and they're asking $300 for a 3 hour class (max 10 people). They video your stroke and do 1.5 hours out of water and 1.5 hours in water then send you on your with with the DVD. I dunno, it just seems a lot for 3 hours.For the same money I could visit the pool about 85 times and I'm not sure that wouldn't be a better investment :)
/t
The class my husband took was $495 (or something like that) and was over a weekend (2 days). He never would have made it through the IM swim like he did if he had not taken it. He DID spend countless hours practicing the drills though. The class gives you the foundation but it's up to you to practice. As I mentioned before, he got the dvd first, practiced for a month or so and then took the class to solidify what he had learned.
If you are going to spend thousands of dollars on bikes, shoes and equipment and hundreds on a single entry fee (IM races are 500+ once Active gets their cut). Not to mention the time investment in training, why not invest a little on getting your stroke right?
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swimmifish posted 26 weeks ago.
I've got a copy of the book that I am selling as well -- same as tri-ac; I'll let it go for $8 + media mail shipping. Book is practically brand new. I enjoyed reading it but I've been swimming for such a long time that it was mostly that -- an interesting read. Great for the new(er) swimmer and I've seen a triathlete friend improve -- move up 2 lanes at masters swimming over the course of a year -- because he attended several TI workshops and practiced the drills frequently. So it's definitely a proven method but I've been swimming so long that a technique coach is the next step, not a book.... :)
Does anyone have this book? Any thoughts? I'm thinking about buying it.
Thanks!