Swimming "downhill" question

tunguska

Hi
Ive been working on my technique and its not going well at all. I was working from a book called "Total Imersion" and in it the author recommends swimming "downhill." This is basically the action of pressing your upper body into the water so that you hips and legs come up to the surface and dont increase drag. It makes sense in theory. I tried it and my hips and legs do definitely pop up to the surface and I do feel lighter in the water but my arms and hands have become unbalanced or something, Its hard to describe acurately. I do feel as though Im swimming down hill but it feels like Ive lost control over the motions of my arms and hands, theyre not grabbing the water the way they were before I pressed my upper body.
Anybody do this type of swimming, any tips?

Also, when I press my upper body into the water and extend my arm to the point were my body has twisted somewhat I feel like theres no pull when I press my extended arm down into the water. The author of the book recommends that you should propel yourself with the rotation of your hips, not with the motion of pulling the water with your extended arm.
Again, ive tried this and I dont think im doing it right because my 1.5km swim time has dropped from 30mins to 33mins.

Very frustrated at the moment. Ive got a tri-athlon at the end of may and the swim is looking like it'll cost me big time. I can do the 40km bike in under and hour and the 10km run in 36mins but that swim is embarressing.

Really need some help on this one

Thanks

sock puppet

I'm not sure if I understand you correctly. Maybe you're not rotating your shoulders when you swim this way?

To get my hips up I used to just push my hips out. It felt like pushing your arse up out of the water. You could try sticking a float in between your legs (a pulbouy if you have one) which would help your body position. Then try maintain that while kicking.

nortal

tunguska wrote: »

Hi
Ive been working on my technique and its not going well at all. I was working from a book called "Total Imersion" and in it the author recommends swimming "downhill." This is basically the action of pressing your upper body into the water so that you hips and legs come up to the surface and dont increase drag. It makes sense in theory. I tried it and my hips and legs do definitely pop up to the surface and I do feel lighter in the water but my arms and hands have become unbalanced or something, Its hard to describe acurately. I do feel as though Im swimming down hill but it feels like Ive lost control over the motions of my arms and hands, theyre not grabbing the water the way they were before I pressed my upper body.
Anybody do this type of swimming, any tips?

Also, when I press my upper body into the water and extend my arm to the point were my body has twisted somewhat I feel like theres no pull when I press my extended arm down into the water. The author of the book recommends that you should propel yourself with the rotation of your hips, not with the motion of pulling the water with your extended arm.
Again, ive tried this and I dont think im doing it right because my 1.5km swim time has dropped from 30mins to 33mins.

Very frustrated at the moment. Ive got a tri-athlon at the end of may and the swim is looking like it'll cost me big time. I can do the 40km bike in under and hour and the 10km run in 36mins but that swim is embarressing.

Really need some help on this one

Thanks

Are you using the book or DVD, i swim using the TI method only getting back into it at the moment, no sure what your saying but you need to anchor extended arm and roll passed it, push your recouvery arm through the water forcefully but smoothly that should sid the roll.

Also Lidl have training fins on sale buy a pair to use when doing frills

Now in return for that info - tell me how i can run 10km in 36mins:D

tunguska

nortal wrote: »

Are you using the book or DVD, i swim using the TI method only getting back into it at the moment, no sure what your saying but you need to anchor extended arm and roll passed it, push your recouvery arm through the water forcefully but smoothly that should sid the roll.

Also Lidl have training fins on sale buy a pair to use when doing frills

Now in return for that info - tell me how i can run 10km in 36mins:D

Im using the book. I think I'll buy the dvd because theres so many unanswered questions with the book. In fairness though they really should have included the dvd with the book.
I know what you mean when you say to anchor my extended arm but Im not sure exactly what you mean when you say roll passed it??? I know when my arm is extended I my torso starts to rotate so that Im on my side. Is this what you mean? What do I do then?

To run the 10km in 36 mins after a 1.5km swim and a 40km bike..........the answer is: Desperation.
My swim time is so bad that when I get out of the water I'm a desperate man who knows he has some serious time to make up.

I train with a running club two nights per week and I compete in pretty much every road race that takes place in dublin. Theres a race nearly every two weeks so doing those helps a lot

AngryHippie

Because you are changing your stroke, there is alwaysegoing to be a drop in times initially, while you adjust your pull, I'd recommend some Hiigh-elbow and Catch-up drill to get your catch back (I'm presuming this is what the "anchor your hand" means). some work with a Pull Bouy will definitely help. I have found in the past, when the arm stroke isn't working, sometimes it helps to pull on some fins and use the arms with zero effort, just so you have the time and balance to observe your own arm stroke, watch your hand track keep it close to your body centre-line. A total immersion dvd is no substitute for a little bit of coach observation, because you can't see the "big picture" of your own stroke. Beware rolling the hips too much as it can cause snaking (throws your balance off, so instead of swimming in a straight line you are rolling a few inches to either side) mightn't seem like much over 25 or 50 m, but over the course of a triathalon swim, it'll be an extra 50 or 100m that you'll have to swim, not to mention the wasted effort from over-exertion.....

Unpossible

Where are you based tunguska ? If you're in Limerick I can come help you out, I used to swim compeditively and coach/teach.

tunguska

Unpossible wrote: »

Where are you based tunguska ? If you're in Limerick I can come help you out, I used to swim compeditively and coach/teach.

I really appreciate that Unpossible, thats a very generous offer. Unfortunately I live in Dublin. Im swimming every day at this stage so hopefully I'll improve even a little before the tri-athlon

Reyman

tunguska wrote: »

Hi

Very frustrated at the moment. Ive got a tri-athlon at the end of may and the swim is looking like it'll cost me big time. I can do the 40km bike in under and hour and the 10km run in 36mins but that swim is embarressing.

Thanks

That's serious fitness! I feel like a right wimp doing 45 mins on the 10k and God knows what on the bike.

tunguska

Reyman wrote: »

That's serious fitness! I feel like a right wimp doing 45 mins on the 10k and God knows what on the bike.

Thanks Reyman. Im pretty happy with my bike performance and Im very happy with the running. But like I said the swimming is really gonna bring me down. Im working away at it though and hopefully I wont be last out of the water in my wave:).

Fan it Harry

tunguska wrote: »

Hi
Ive been working on my technique and its not going well at all. I was working from a book called "Total Imersion" and in it the author recommends swimming "downhill." This is basically the action of pressing your upper body into the water so that you hips and legs come up to the surface and dont increase drag. It makes sense in theory. I tried it and my hips and legs do definitely pop up to the surface and I do feel lighter in the water but my arms and hands have become unbalanced or something, Its hard to describe acurately. I do feel as though Im swimming down hill but it feels like Ive lost control over the motions of my arms and hands, theyre not grabbing the water the way they were before I pressed my upper body.
Anybody do this type of swimming, any tips?

Also, when I press my upper body into the water and extend my arm to the point were my body has twisted somewhat I feel like theres no pull when I press my extended arm down into the water. The author of the book recommends that you should propel yourself with the rotation of your hips, not with the motion of pulling the water with your extended arm.
Again, ive tried this and I dont think im doing it right because my 1.5km swim time has dropped from 30mins to 33mins.

Very frustrated at the moment. Ive got a tri-athlon at the end of may and the swim is looking like it'll cost me big time. I can do the 40km bike in under and hour and the 10km run in 36mins but that swim is embarressing.

Really need some help on this one

Thanks

Hi
Not sure how this works and if you will get a notification re a response to such an old post. I am curious as to what progress you made in your swimming over the past two and a half years. Your experience at the time of this post was very similar to mine right now. I'm a competent runner in my age group, but my swimming is hopeless. Interestingly my 1.5km time is similar now to yours then -32.5mins (in a wetsuit, in a salt water pool). I am doing some duathlons but swimming is so bad that I get beaten overall even by guys who look they can hardly walk never mind run. I am persevering but wonder whether I will ever get better. Did yours improve, and if so, to what extent?
Cheers
Trying hard, from New Zealand..