Total Immersion - learning to swim with pleasure
Total Immersion: How I Learned to Swim Effortlessly in 10 Days and You Can Too, via HN.
Comment from the author of the technique:
I’m delighted with Tim’s newfound interest in swimming and nothing could make me happier than knowing that our approach to swim-improvement played a role in changing his experience from harrowing-and-frustrated to hopeful-and-aspirational. I always tell TI coaches that teaching better stroke technique is their second responsibility. Sparking passion for swimming in their students is their first.
Tim has been most generous in sharing tips on how to experiment with changing your own stroke. I’ll offer some distilled advice on how to take a “TI Test Drive” without buying anything or even doing a single drill. We have a free downloadable pdf that would help open the lid on the “black box” that swimming is for many people. I don’t have the url at my fingertips but will return and post here as soon as I get it.
These are focal points for Freestyle: 1) Release your head’s weight to the water, so your head and spine align. 2) Focus more on using your hand to lengthen your bodyline, less on pushing water back. 3) Relax your legs until the kick blends easily with your stroke. 4) Swim more quietly – minimize waves and splash. 5) Count strokes.
I’ll also note that the Freestyle Made Easy DVD which Tim used has now been replaced by what I feel is a program that is easier to follow and answers many of the questions people most commonly ask. That’s called Easy Freestyle: 21st Century Techniques for Beginners to Advanced Swimmers. Info and sample tips at http://www.totalimmersion.net/easyfreestyle-dvd.html
Also:
I earlier promised a url for a free pdf. This is a 30 to 40 page book that explains a lot about why humans have such difficulty with swimming well, or efficiently or very far — and how to reduce drag and save energy to increase your endurance and speed, by doing less, rather than more. Enjoy
And:
I believe this is the PDF Terry mentioned.