Author Topic: Learning to swim/improving swimming (Read 82901 times)

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #150 on:** 03 October, 2012, 08:46:03 pm »

Had another half hour tonight, which stretched into 40+ minutes. I could tell when I swam yesterday and Monday morning that something has clicked for me - I'm getting the hang of the rotation and rear arm extension now, consistently, and when I did my warm up of two widths of the diving pool, the coach was really impressed by how much better I was.

Then she gave me new stuff to work on and it all went to hell.

It was fun in the diving pool tonight because there was diving coaching going on, and some of the divers were trying very difficult stuff, so the coach used a switch to make a giant plume of bubbles erupt in the middle of the pool, to break up the water surface a bit and give them a softer landing if they mucked it up. So it was like swimming through a giant jacuzzi.

The wash did tend to throw me against the side of the pool though.

Also awesome was the diving coach saying to my swimming coach "Why is she having swimming lessons? She's a lovely swimmer."

Less awesome was me walking home, getting in and realising I'd walked home with my blue plastic shoe covers on.

Kim · « **Reply #151 on:** 03 October, 2012, 09:11:19 pm »

Quote from: Eccentrica Gallumbits on 03 October, 2012, 08:46:03 pm

Less awesome was me walking home, getting in and realising I'd walked home with my blue plastic shoe covers on.

Gosh, it's been years since I've done that.

bobb · « **Reply #152 on:** 03 October, 2012, 09:28:07 pm »

Blue plastic shoe covers?! What are they for? They sound incredibly uncool whatever they are..

Butterfly · « **Reply #153 on:** 03 October, 2012, 09:40:22 pm »

Quote from: bobb on 03 October, 2012, 09:28:07 pm

Blue plastic shoe covers?! What are they for? They sound incredibly uncool whatever they are..

They are to keep your saddle dry whilst you are in the supermarket or in your tent.

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #154 on:** 07 October, 2012, 04:31:38 pm »

I just did my first non-stop, continuous, no pauses, no stopping, no swapping to another stroke full 50 metre length of front crawl. I was hanging to the edge and gasping for breath at the end, but I did it. And then, just to prove it wasn't a fluke, I did 4 more.

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #155 on:** 09 October, 2012, 07:13:02 pm »

I didn't know this thread was here. I should ask the mods to move my swimming posts from my hip thread to here; they'd make more sense here.

LEE · « **Reply #156 on:** 09 October, 2012, 07:31:29 pm »

Quote from: andygates on 15 June, 2010, 11:34:43 am

Start breathing out as your head re-enters the water -- there shouldn't be much breath-holding at all, just IN-ooooooout, IN-ouuuuuut...

Also, try to concentrate on timing your breath with your pull. As you pull, you make a wake around your head, and your mouth has plenty of clear air.

This is how I learned (Rolf Harris on TV actually). Blow a constant stream of bubbles out of your nose, timed just right so you are ready to breathe in once your head pops up. That way you aren't trying to exhale and inhale in a split second.

No need to use pursed lips to breathe in, that's too slow. If you are "taking on water" then your head is too low, pull down with your arms more and get a few more inches of elevation.

Breast stroke is supremely inefficient, too much energy wasted on vertical motion and not streamlined at all.

ran doner · « **Reply #157 on:** 09 October, 2012, 07:41:02 pm »

Quote from: Paul Metcalfe on 09 October, 2012, 07:31:29 pm

Breast stroke is supremely inefficient, too much energy wasted on vertical motion and not streamlined at all.

Inefficient sounds perfect.

My main interest in swimming is in keeping weight off but I'm also interested in improving upper body and core strength to aid with cycling longer distances in comfort (relative to now). Which begs the question of which strokes, in which proportion of total swim might deliver the best results ?

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #158 on:** 09 October, 2012, 07:47:44 pm »

Quote from: Paul Metcalfe on 09 October, 2012, 07:31:29 pm

Breast stroke is supremely inefficient, too much energy wasted on vertical motion and not streamlined at all.

But strangely, I find it much less tiring and can do it for much longer than any other stroke. So in terms of endurance, for me it's very efficient.

simonp · « **Reply #159 on:** 09 October, 2012, 09:19:10 pm »

I can do a lot more breast stroke non stop than I can crawl. Part of the problem is crawl only works for me above a certain speed, so when I'm not used to it, I can't maintain that speed.

When Feline and I went swimming a week and a bit ago, I was able to swim alternate lengths crawl and breast stroke while she swam breast stroke, head out of the water. She was arguably faster overall.

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #160 on:** 23 October, 2012, 09:35:00 am »

My limbs ache

I did 10 x 50m lengths this morning and my average time per length was under 1m30s for the first time.

ran doner · « **Reply #161 on:** 23 October, 2012, 10:41:29 am »

Did my first 1500m session yesterday.

Took 54 minutes and the last 10 (25m) laps were done in about 6 minutes as the pool was about to close.

I've found that front crawl is way easier for a steady swim.

Now have to work out what my next challenge will be.

LEE · « **Reply #162 on:** 23 October, 2012, 10:44:49 am »

Quote from: ran doner on 09 October, 2012, 07:41:02 pm

Quote from: Paul Metcalfe on 09 October, 2012, 07:31:29 pm

Breast stroke is supremely inefficient, too much energy wasted on vertical motion and not streamlined at all.

Inefficient sounds perfect.

My main interest in swimming is in keeping weight off but I'm also interested in improving upper body and core strength to aid with cycling longer distances in comfort (relative to now). Which begs the question of which strokes, in which proportion of total swim might deliver the best results ?

Butterfly

Front-crawl (done properly) is not such a great workout unless you really do some sprinting. Done badly it's probably a decent workout. The local swimming club often use a roped-off section of the pool to train. As they glide by at 3x my speed, it's fairly obvious that they really aren't putting much effort in.

Given that you may get thrown out of your local pool if you do Butterfly then Breast-stroke will give you the better overall workout.

CrinklyLion · « **Reply #163 on:** 23 October, 2012, 10:51:05 am »

I got my mile (or near enough - 64 lengths of the 25m pool) time down under 3/4 of an hour when I was swimming plenty. Doing really rubbish breaststroke! Couldn't do that these days... *must start swimming again*

LEE · « **Reply #164 on:** 23 October, 2012, 10:53:10 am »

I'm with you there. * I Must Start Swimming Again"

I used to go to an "early bird" session, 7:30-8:30am. Back home for 9 feeling absolutely refreshed and awake.
This may inspire me to go and buy some tickets for those sessions.

ran doner · « **Reply #165 on:** 23 October, 2012, 12:11:25 pm »

Butterfly

If i tried some butterfly i think the lifeguards might die laughing at the thrashing going on in the pool.

Seriously cant even remember doing any butterfly as a kid. I think i'll wait until i've got a bit more endurance before i give it a go.

Might start working up my distances between ~~coughing fits~~ recovery periods. Start doing 100m non-stop sets etc...

CrinklyLion · « **Reply #166 on:** 23 October, 2012, 12:14:20 pm »

I learnt 'fly when I was 7 months pregnant. Get it wrong, even when not pregnant, and you look like a floundering dyspraxic whale. Get it right (I once managed 2 full lengths) and it feels amazing.

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #167 on:** 10 November, 2012, 10:37:21 pm »

Two months ago I could barely do 10 yards of front crawl. Today I did 900m without difficulty.

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #168 on:** 11 November, 2012, 04:52:24 pm »

And today I did my first full 1km. I might have done more but there were people annoying me.

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #169 on:** 18 November, 2012, 01:16:24 pm »

I was learning tumbleturns today. My proprioception is bad enough on dry land. Underwater it's laughable.

I can do the turn, but what I can't do is do the turn, in the right place so my feet actually hit the wall to give me a push-off, and breathe out through my nose all at once. At best I can manage two of the three.

I can do it in breaststroke but I'm not supposed to be doing breaststroke.

In crawl, I haven't worked out how to judge the right position and control my breathing all at once.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #170 on:** 19 November, 2012, 07:52:28 pm »

But you can breathe out through your nose under water. That's a mastery of the unnatural that I still find astounding.

citoyen · « **Reply #171 on:** 22 November, 2012, 03:28:52 pm »

Even when I was in a swimming club and training three times a week, I never mastered tumble turns. And that was A Long Time Ago In A Galaxy Far Far Away...

EG, chapeau to you, and you've inspired me - I'm going to book myself some lessons to get my technique sorted. Currently, my pace and endurance are OK by non-swimmer standards but I've entered one triathlon in 2013 and I'm hoping to do some more, so I need to raise my game...

d.

JJ · « **Reply #172 on:** 22 November, 2012, 03:52:25 pm »

Good for both of you. There's a lot to be said for learning new things as an adult.
I've plateaued, owing to super-coach having upped and gone back to the US. Tumble turns are the stuff of dreams.

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #173 on:** 25 November, 2012, 01:14:33 pm »

Had my final lesson this morning. My tumbleturns are improving a little bit. My coach liked the thank-you cake I took her.

Butterfly · « **Reply #174 on:** 25 November, 2012, 09:06:21 pm »

Brilliant

. This thread makes me want to swim more.

Author Topic: Learning to swim/improving swimming (Read 82901 times)

LEE

simonp

LEE

LEE