Following is correspondence between myself and a recent student, a triathlete…

_____________________
From: Edward
To: Brian Vande Krol
Sent: Monday, March 16, 2009 10:41:05 AM
Subject: Moving Forward with TI

Hello Brian,
 
Tomorrow is our last class of the session. I really like the TI approach and feel more comfortable in the water. I don’t want to lose that as I go forward, but I also need to know how to manage that in a world that doesn’t follow TI.
 
I have signed up with a triathlon training group. Last year I just started swimming with them and they helped me along, at least to be comfortable enough in the water to do my first tri. What is nice about the workout is that it is included in my fee, so I don’t have to pay for pool time. The downside is teaching of perhaps more traditional drills.
 
I want to be able to find a good balance and make sure I do things the TI way.
 
To give you an example, our workout this coming Wednesday is as follows:
 
Warmup: 5 minutes EZ
Main: 8 x 50- Drill down, swim freestyle back (eg. catch-up, finger tip drag, right arm only, left arm only) w/ 15 seconds rest recovery between each 50. Then swim VERY easy for 15 minutes straight, taking breaks as needed.
Cool Down: 5 minutes
 
For Friday it is as follows:
 
Warmup: 5 minutes
Main: 8 x 150 as 2 x (150 easy, 100 easy/ 50 fast, 75 easy/ 75 fast, 50 easy/ 100 fast) w/ 20 seconds rest recovery.
Cool Down: 5-10 minutes
 
Besides some of the drills listed (catch-up, etc.) I remember swimming with hands in front of the head on top of each other just kicking (sounds like superman with flutter to me with the TI way).
 
I remember sculling. Head out of the water I believe, which from what I know now does not seem to make sense. Is this an OK drill (head in or out of water)? I think it helped me with my catch, because I learned to try to catch the water.
 
Catch-up seems pretty close to the TI Zen Switch, although in catch-up your hands touch. It seems that Zen Switch would be better, taking that break before the switch rather than have your hands touch.
 
Finger Tip drag…Zen Switch again.
 
Right arm only, left arm only – is that worth anything? If not, what is a good substitute?
 
There may be others, but I cannot think of them right now.
 
Thanks for your help. See you tomorrow night.
 
Regards,
   -edward

______________________
From: Brian Vande Krol
To: Edward
Sent: Monday, March 16, 2009 11:24:17 AM
Subject: Moving Forward with TI

Hi Edward,
 
Are these workouts written specifically for you?  If it’s a group workout, it might be too simple, or too advanced.  But in general, group workouts are a bit of both.
 
First, the drills:  I would substitute a similar drill for the prescribed drills, and you’ve already identified some of those. 
 
Catch-up can be useful, but be sure to keep wide tracks.  Some coaches give their athletes an 18" baton, and they catch up on that instead of hands touching.  My preference is to do a switch drill with a focus on patient hands, but moving from catch-up to patient lead hand can help identify how patient is "too patient".
 
Fingertip drag is essentially Zenswitch, except it is usually taught with a cramped recovery, fingers next to the body instead of on a wide track.  Keep the forearm dangling lifelessly below an elbow that moves away from the body, instead of up.
 
Any switch drill with one arm at a time can be useful for breathing, integration of the kick and hip drive, or setting a firm catch. Keep that one arm performing with your usual TI style, employ a focal point, and it can be helpful.
 
When doing their variation of Superman Glide, keep the arms on the tracks, not one on top of the other.  Don’t turn it into an aerobic kicking drill.  If you need to focus on your kick, do so. But keep the relaxation in the neck, shoulder and arms.  Better to kick in the skate position, and use a skating focal point.  Remember, there’s no time in an open water triathlon where you’ll have one hand on top of the other.
 
I don’t like the sculling drill, except for breast stroke.  I think there is some merit to "water polo" swimming, head up, back flat, maintaining balance and a patient lead hand.  It can help you develop a better catch.  On the rare occasion that I do it, I transition to whole stroke swimming after half a length.  I think it was Doc Councilman that used that sort of drill, explaining that as swimmers, we evolve from dogs into fish.
 
Length of swim and rest period relate to endurance.  Remember that endurance is the ability to repeat an efficient movement for a particular distance.  So if you can complete the intervals and maintain good form, that’s great.  If not, add rest or shorten the swim. I like to use stroke count to monitor my form.  Keep your stroke count within 10% of your initial stroke count.  And, of course, have a focal point for each length or interval.
 
The easy/fast prescriptions can be problematic if you don’t have an idea about what makes swimming fast.  Harder efforts often result in degraded form and slower swimming.  Instead,  focus on the conditions that allow you to swim faster.  Stroke counting exercises will help you learn what those conditions are.  Learn to hit predetermined stroke counts, and relate those counts to effort level and pace.  There are a variety of exercises in the TI books, or you can come to my Masters Practice for a taste of it.
 
Most of us don’t need to swim faster, then easier in a triathlon, so that kind of training isn’t race specific (faster swimmers might swim fast to catch a draft, and then slow down when they have it).  However, with the right focus, it can teach you to maintain your form when moving faster.  During the easy swim, regain your form and stroke length.  During the fast swim, add stroke rate while maintaining as much form as possible.
 
The goal in all this is to do "sneaky TI".  Make your drills similar to the prescribed drills, and swim with a purpose.  If they give you a kickboard, tell them it hurts your shoulder and skate instead!
 
See you in the water!
 
Brian Vande Krol
FDS Coaching
FDSCoaching.com
Total Immersion Senior Coach
303-466-4615