The ancient wisdom “Know Thyself,” inscribed on the Temple of Apollo, has inspired countless interpretations over the ages—from understanding our abilities and limits to exploring our deepest motivations and aspirations. How often do you pause to reflect on your swimming technique, the nuances of your strokes, and where your focus lies as you glide through the water?

Embarking on a journey to enhance your swimming isn’t just about adhering to a schedule or revisiting old habits. While these practices can provide comfort and predictability, they might not lead to significant breakthroughs.

Imagine approaching your swim sessions with an open mind, eager to experiment with new techniques, to deepen your understanding of your routines, and to swim with intentional focus and curiosity. This mindset transforms swimming into a mindful and exploratory activity, full of potential for discovery and improvement.

As we reignite the Total Immersion newsletter, we’re calling on swimmers who embody Terry Laughlin’s spirit and approach to coaching—those open to reassessing their techniques, curious about innovative ways to enhance their flow, speed, or comfort in the water. We value swimmers who critically analyze their performance, seek out areas for improvement, and are excited about the prospect of innovation, regardless of their experience level.

This week, we invite you to take a closer look at your swimming practices:

  • Monitor your stroke count at a sustainable pace. What’s your count per length, and how fast are you going?
  • Assess your default breathing pattern and effort level, including your kick tempo.

Experiment with changes and observe:

  • Alternate your breathing side.
  • Adjust your breathing pattern or use a front-mounted snorkel for different perspectives.
  • Modify other variables, like gear or effort level, focusing on one main aspect of your stroke.

Our goal is to “Ti-ify” your swimming experience—integrate metrics like time, stroke count, and effort level into your routine. Learn by observing and improving through focused practice and embracing mistakes. This initial step of gathering data about your current swimming practices sets the stage for more sophisticated self-coaching tools we’ll introduce in our next newsletter.

**For seasoned swimmers, we recommend collecting data after warming up to ensure accuracy.

Written by Dave Cameron
Director of Coaching
Total Immersion Swimming, Inc.
Learn More About Dave

Exploring Total Immersion Services:

We’re excited about our upcoming website redesign, which will help you explore various coaching services tailored to your learning preferences.

  • TI Private or Semi-Private Lessons: Tailored sessions ranging from 30-60 minutes in different settings. These lessons focus on aligning the coach’s expertise with your goals, ensuring clear objectives for future practice sessions. Learn more and find a coach here.
  • TI Group Practices: These sessions mix technical instruction with informed training, offering a variety of strokes, efforts, and distances, all within a team environment. Discover more about group practices here.
  • TI Workshops: Ideal for those looking for an immersive experience. Our workshops include multiple filming sessions, both above and underwater, with detailed feedback from senior Total Immersion coaches. Find workshop details here.
  • TI Online Workshop: Our latest initiative offers an online workshop experience, drawing on 45 years of expertise. This program introduces new concepts for novices and serves as a refresher for veteran swimmers. Join the online workshop here.

Dive into a journey of self-discovery and improvement with Total Immersion. Let’s redefine what swimming means to you.

Sincerely,

Alice A. Laughlin
CEO
Total Immersion Swimming, Inc.