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(More customer reviews)A few weeks ago, a friend convinced me to do a sprint triathlon with him in a few months. Soon thereafter, I decided to go to my gym's pool to see how far I could swim, just to gauge how much work lay ahead. I already knew *how* to swim (via years of lessons at the Y) but figured I needed to work on my fitness level. To my shock, at the end of maybe 75 yds, I had to stop. I was exhuasted, gasping, and had a heart rate through the roof. Even though I'm in decent shape, i figured I must be out of shape for swimming. So to the gym I went, faithfully churning out lap after exhausting lap, trying to kick and splash my way to fitness. But part of me knew there was something wrong. I would see the 65 year old guys doing lap after effortless lap and thought there must be a better way. Well, THIS is that better way. The TI system was recommended in Joe Friel's "Your first Triathlon" and his highly regarded "The Triathlete's Trainig Bible" as well as in "Chi Running".
Now there's nothing magical or mysterious about the TI system. Some of it is just sound swimming technique known by others for a long time (eg looking down, body rotation, streamlining, etc). But there are other aspects that seem to be unique to TI. Where the system really shines is in the step-wise approach and skill-specific drills to building a smoother and more efficient stroke. It's broken down so logically and systematically that one can't help but to improve one's freestyle stroke by simply trying to execute its lessons.
The DVD itself is of decent quality, more than adequate to accomplish its goal. While a couple of the video sequences look as though the camera operator was drunk, it is mostly well-filmed and it is easy to see the details of the drill that is being explained. They are shot both above and below the water and from multiple angles, sometimes even using split screens to enhance understanding. The music and graphics are a little cheap but who really cares. Before a pool session, I usually watch a chapter while taking notes. Then I bring my notes with me to the pool (in a ziplock bag) to jog my memory of the important points I need to keep in mind. This really works but it's not magic. You'll have to drill, be patient, and get to the pool regularly.
While the DVD itself will be sure to improve your stroke, I think the weekend TI workshop is extremely helpful in making sure you're doing the drills properly. Until you see underwater video of yourself, it's really hard to get an accurate sense of how efficient your stroke really is.
All in all, an extremely useful DVD for anyone (especially triathletes) who wants to improve their freestyle. Highly recommended!
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Easy Freestyle Swimming by Terry Laughlin (2008)Swim easier, farther and faster. We Guarantee It! Easy Freestyle is the next best thing to having your own Total Immersion coach. Master the skills and secrets for swimming as easily, as far or as fast as you d like. Easy Freestyle presents seven self-coaching lessons, perfected at Total Immersion Workshops, with every telling detail examined above-and below-water, with slow-motion and comparison video.Lesson One Cooperate with Gravity: Cleverly use gravity to achieve a sense of support, comfort and confidence.Lesson Two The Past of Least Resistance: Minimize energy cost by learning fish-like body positions and profiles. Lesson Three Swim with your Body: Use weight shifts, instead of fatigue-prone arms and legs to spear your body through the water.Lesson Four Perpetual Motion Propulsion: Connect powerful, effortless hip drive to your stroke and kick for maximal speed with minimal fatigue.Lesson Five Relax you Recovery: Use a compact, relaxed recovery to channel energy and power where they do the most good.Lesson Six Seamless Breathing: Breathing skills that get your muscles the oxygen they need and make your stroke more powerful and effective.Lesson Seven Turns that Save Energy and Time: All the details for the easy and airy open turn, and a flip turn that s faster and easier than ever.Lesson Eight The Secrets of Speed: The fool-proof way to convert an efficient stroke into more speed.
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