So for the past week I've been counting strokes, the number of strokes it takes me to get from one end of the pool to the other. This is one of the training methods in the Total Immersion Swimming DVD.
The idea is to get a benchmark number of strokes and then to try to make your stroke more efficient so that you can decrease the number of strokes and still make it from one end of the pool to the other.
It used to take me 23-24 strokes, but when I am paying attention and striving to lengthen my body and use the glide I can cross the pool in 19 or 20 strokes. And I feel like I am doing it with much less effort. I feel like I am swimming better, more efficiently, more streamlined, and more elegantly.
That's what I love abut this method, you get results right away. You always feel like you are improving. And I have been enjoying my swims so much more, really looking forward to them every morning.
Stroke Count in Total Immersion Swimming
Total Immersion Swimming Techniques
I have tried to incorporate the principles of Total Immersion Swimming into my daily swims. The main idea is streamlining your whole body and getting the most out of your body's ability to glide.
Before I even heard of Total Immersion Swimming I knew instinctively that people who swim with their heads raised are working harder than they need to. I tried to make sure my head was down and my posture was balanced. Breathing on both sides really helped me even out my stroke.
I learned to stretch out my stroke by reaching as far as I could and holding the glide position as long as I could. I learned these techniques form a free video online at Total Immersion Swimming.
These simple changes to my stroke made a huge difference. My swimming became more relaxed, more elegant, more efficient.
Total Immersion Swimming Breaststroke
Check out this demonstration of the Breaststroke using the techniques of Total Immersion Swimming. Watch how long and how far the swimmer glides. This is the whole idea behind this style of swimming, maximize the natural ability of your body to pass through the water, instead of thrashing your way through it.
