Cr@p Swimmers R Us

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  • Thats dam good progress Lindi
  • Thanks Will - I am a little bit proud :-)


    (I've got my 25m, 1500m and 5000m certificates on the wall in my office!)

  • Thanks for taking the time to say it again, Lindi :) I shall pop by the leisure centre on the way home and get info on the classes.
  • I'd like to try and get my IM swim time close to the hour - but i dont get in the pool enough

    :o/
  • I'd just add that they're well worth having - if you're unsure if you're good enough to start, a lot of peeps in my class really weren't up to much - several struggled to do a length
  • I joined the intermediate class to start with and there were several people who could only just manage a width there.
    I'm now in the advanced class but still there are people who have to stop for a rest after each length.


    (I'm still going cause Fridays mornings are convenient but I actually just ignore the class now and do my own thing with the teacher giving me advice once she's set the rest of the class off)
  • Think I should find an advanced class - I did a new PB for 400m Monday (9:15) but it's still way down on Lindi who's been swimming a similar length of time to me
  • well done fruity - keep it up and you'll soon catch me.

    I've found putting in some long sessions really helps improve my speed - I got about 45 seconds off my 400m time after doing the swimathon.
  • Cheers folks - stopped by the leisure centre on the way home last night and got details on the classes. Will have a look at calendar and then sign up for some -wish me luck!
  • Good Luck Laura - you'll be a proper swimmer in no time :-)
  • ive'neva don a 400m time trial

    in warm up i do my 500 in about 9min

  • Back up again, for those inspired to do an Ironman!!
  • Forgot about this thread. Did my first tri with an open water swim earlier this month. 750m in 17 mins, pretty happy with that. Doing a pool-based tri next week, 400m, have estimated 8min something for it after timing myself in the pool. Still not v. fast, but not as cr*p as I was!
  • Great stuff Quimby - faster than me - dunno why I'm not faster. Ihave improved - did 9:11 for 400m but that still sounds pretty pants :o(
  • debbodebbo ✭✭✭
    Bear - you'll improve with all this IM training though won't you?!!
  • dan dandan dan ✭✭✭
    Nah, Bear, thats an ok time.You wont win any races with it, but its far from pants.Just keep focusing on technique and you'll be laughing.

    Technique technique technique, every step of the way.

    Keep doing core exercises in the gym too, they help immensely with your swimming.
  • that's interesting, I do sometimes get the feeling my bottom half (from the abs down) tends to rather wiggle about if I don't concentrate on keeping my abs switched on, rather than keep in a nice straight line, which must add to the drag.
  • Hello,

    Can anyone provide advice about breathing. I just cannot get it.

    I've spent at least an hour a day for the past week trying to work it out and still I choke! I have even tried just standing in the pool and walking along the bottom to no success.

    It appears a exhale, but not all of the air no matter how hard I try so I exhale further when I am supposed to be breating in and then am breating in when I should be exhaling.

    This is probably partly nerves which I shall overcome, but any drills and tips would be welcome.

    Another theory which is probebly complete rubbusih is these problems stem from the fact I have a large lung capacity so I do not have enough time to get a full breath. Is one normally able to catch a full breath!

    HELP!
  • try blowing out forcefully rather than exhaling?

    if you have a large lung capacity then why would it matter? (unless you also used up more oxygen than anybody else).

    if you breath every three strokes, you can blow out air three times before you inhale. i don't know what my lung capacity is, but three is enough to empty them too much. so i hold on the first stroke, blow out on 2 and three, then inhale.
  • personally I blow out through my mouth, with more force than a normal exhale, and don't try to get it all into one stroke either but rather spread it over two - as Candy suggests
  • Gumps, slow everything down and try to relax in the water. Sounds like your problem might be thinking that there isn't enough time to breath rather than there actually not being.

    As Candy says you are aiming for hold, exhale, exhale, inhale.

    If you have a reasonable amount of glide in your stroke there is plenty of time to breath.
    If you make it down to Heron remind one of us to watch you and see if we can offer any better advice.


  • Try practicing with a float, arms out in front, face in the water, kick and breath imagining you are doing three arm pulls for each breath.
  • lindi is right, sounds more like its stress affecting your breathing. relax and take a chill pill, man. yeah.

    it often helps to find the oldest, fattest member of the breaststroke mafia you can, with the bluest rinse, and crawl behind her. going ridiculously slowly like this will force you to relax, and you'll suddenly find a lot more distance.
  • Hmm thanks all.

    I was trying every 3 stokes and failed and then stationary and failed. It's probably becaseu I don't like gettting my hair wet causing stress or summat.

    I've got no glide and struggle to stay afloat. Practise, practice. practi$e is the order of the day I think. Including breathing in the kitchin sink.

    It's a bit of a showstopper for Germany at the moment
  • no, that's nonsense. its a year away. learning crawl from scratch involves 2 or 3 months of choking and drowning, and then it suddenly clicks.

    you just need to relax, slow down, slow down some more, slow down a little more, and then keep plugging away for a few months.
  • oh, and slow down. get in the slowest lane swimming lane. get behind the slowest person you can find.

    and get beginners lessons.
  • Gumps I was in the same boat (or wishing I was in a boat!) this time last year.

    Get some swimming lessons and you'll get it sorted :-)
  • Yep - slow the stroke down. Ridiculously (or seemingly so). I think it's a common problem.

    I read somewhere (think it was the total immersion book) about when you bring your arm forward, before pulling back, make a movement as if stretching to reach something on a high shelf - i.e. hand enters water, stretch, then pull back.

    Also just slow down - no need to turn the arms over like mad. One drill I found really helpful was to try to cut down the number of strokes it takes to do a length - really gets you to try and glide.
  • I found breathing every two strokes made life a lot easier - most competitive swimmers breath every two.

    There isn't a magical answer to getting your breathing right - its a combination of quite a few factors - but an important one is to make sure you get your breath in early ie just as your recovering arm is coming out of the water. This is probably when your body is at its most stable and travelling the quickest. If you leave until you arm is approaching your shoulder in the recovery you'll end up rushing the breath and messing it up.

    Try swimming as slow as possible - someone has already said that in this thread and they're spot on. Try and aim to glide as much as swim and then you'll have time to get things right. I know that's easier said than done.

    I went on holiday last summer and couldn't swim more than one complete length without my lungs bursting. I raced at Spalding sprint tri on July 17 this year and did 6.40 for the 400m swim and I wasn't even breathing hard. So keep persevering, if you've got a good fitness - once you get the technique right - you'll get down to some good times.
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