Improving Swimming Technique

Well whilst browsing around my local Sweatshop I noticed a leaflet about Triathlon training in the local David Lloyd. Today was the first session and went along for a free taster. We did a lot of drills with floaties, first kicking, then moving one arm only, then the other etc.
The instructor already picked up on the fact that I was not drawing the arm back enough and I also noticed that when I swim (front crawl) I extend my arm forward, in the water and then drag under me. Instead today by drawing my arm all the way back (like if you are doing archery) I automatically found that my arm does not go underneath me but very close to the surface, which as a result seemed to me to make me glide better.
Am I making sense?

Anyway the DL is doing this Triathlon training every Saturday from 2 to 5.30. (2 to 3 bike, 3.15-4.15 bike, 4.30-5.30 swim) I might join them on the bike if but am mainly going for the swimming coaching. I think I benefited from it and will continue.

Makes sense to me Something else I need to try out now

There are endless arguments about stroke among swimming coaches. I have friends who've been trained by triathlon coaches who do this 'archery style' stroke. My swimming coach just laughed when I pointed this out. She favours the long stretch - but not in the water, above the water, that much most people agree on. And okay, different strokes can work for different purposes and it depends very much on the distance you are swimming. And on your physique and style (although both of these will change with training and practice anyway).

Well I went swimming today and tried to practice on this new 'archery' style. I must say I find it much easier on one side but was really struggling to do it on my left, sometime I must have looked really odd and felt as I was learning to swim again. However, looking at my stats, as my previous swims averaged a constant 7 strokes per lap and an efficiency of about 50% , today I achieved 6 strokes and efficiency of 65%, I believe this is due in the change of technique, however again if I want to keep at this style I need to perfection my left side!

hey! thanks for encouragement..everso slightly improving in terms of less recovery needed going to increase pool attendance this week and see if can make those 50s a 75 or a 100

Interesting...I will try the archery thing soon. I swam my first 100 lengths (33m pool) day before yesterday, the first one since I was at school...however i was alternating crawl/breaststroke. I tend to reach as far forward as I can on the crawl and then push the water behind me under my body...I have no idea how it looks above water...messy i suspect, especially as I breath every stroke and only to my right.

i've never heard of an archery stroke - when you say drawing your arm all the way back do you mean to the extent that you are straightening it before leaving the water?

There is loads of useful information on the swimsmooth website www.swimsmooth.com

I would also reccommend downloading the free "Mr Smooth" application which gives you an animated swimmer with an "ideal freestyle stroke". I find this really helpful using this to visualise my stroke when i swim both solo and at coached club sessions.

Hi BB, which pool did you go to? I tried a 33m pool and my 'local' one was Canterbury. Would like to try a 50m but is either Crawley or Crystal Palace, a fair distance

once your arm is fully stretched in front of you, instead of drawing it below you, you draw it towards you as you roll, more closer to the surface (rather than going right underneath you) - hope is clearer!

Yes I downloaded this and keep looking at him, it's quite a good tool and want to find a way to get myself 'videod' as I d like to see what I look like when I swim!

Anyways I've been to my coached (group) swimming session again today and feel much better. I m getting my head around the rolling on both sides whilst keeping my head looking down, which was hard at the beginning. Then breathing on both sides which again as Im more getting used to it I can totally see the benefit. The drills are great, I realized that I have very good natural kicking technique as when I was doing the drill with a float and just kicking with my feet I was overtaking quite a few people lol, I think being tall with big feet might help!
All in all it was a good decision to do this and would highly recommend anyone who is dedicated about improving technique to not try doing it alone. I thought I was doing it right and I wasnt, and if I had carried on I would have picked up bad habits that would have been hard to give up.
The first few swims will be like learning to swim again, but is a bit of mind over matter, if you are focused and forget about the speed the technique will slowly work its way into you!
Cant wait to do 16 lengths at a 25m pool again to check my timings!
Thank you all for motivating me to take things further!

Hi...I swim at Worthing aquarena, the pool is being replaced by a brand new one next door very soon.

Went swimming again yesterday, it was tri group coaching day. Did 1/2hr of drills and 1/2 of team relay races.
I dont know why but I do quite well at the drills but when we did the team races I did poorly
2 groups of 3 swimmers. 2 people start, when they get back (2 laps as fast as you can) the second lot starts and so on, 8 time each!
When I try to go fast my technique goes out of the water!
I learned that I need to move my arms much faster, and that brings me back to my theory that is much more efficient to swim and draw your arms back closer to the surface than dragging them beneath you.
I was a little disappointed in myself, but I am work in progress so hopefully the more I swim (in the correct technique) the better I will do in the future. I hope.

I don't do too well at speed either but for now am happy to increase the distance so i can at least finish a Tri. Then look at improving times. Out of interest what time do you do for 2 lengths of 25M? I think I can do 22 secs but as you say the faster I try and go the worse my technique gets

22 secs for 50m? I hope this is a typo or I am going to be well beaten.

I use a finis tempo trainer ( see the pro version, it floats and you can change the batteries). I found that as I got further through a 400m swim my stroke rate came down.

So if you are building up you can get a sense of when you need to rest if you can't keep the pace.
I'd suggest that technique is more important than distance, you could be teaching yourself a sloppy style with bad habbits.

Nothing wrong with stopping for a bit, recovering and setting off again with good technique to get the distance in.

Look at Alexander Popov on youtube. He spent hours going slowly to get as efficient as possible. Even when he was at his best winning events he had 30% less strength than his competitors. He was coached by Touretski who coached Ian Thorpe with a totally different style.

I bet in 3 months you'll all be able to finish tri's easily and you'll be looking at longer events and better times.

Here is a reference to the coach Touretski's vision etc. http://www.svl.ch/svl_swim_like_a_fish.html#article

er no ..sorry - 22secs for 25m, and thats flat out!

Phew. Made me look slow. But IMHO you are doing the right thing. You can't do a fast 400 unless you can do 16 quick 25's!
I use these as referrence for how my strength is doing. I think of it as like hill repeats for running.

There's lots of good advice here. But what worked for me was joining a masters swimming club and getting some proper coaching. Good luck - it hurts!!!!

Nothing to beat keep getting in the pool and practicing. Go to some coached sessions and then practice what you've learnt.
Just did my 2nd aquathon today. 400m pool swim.
2 months ago was my 1st aquathon. I didn't push 100 and got 10:58 for the swim, my pb was 10:15
todays aquathon, I'd have been happy to get under 10:00
Got 8:49

Sorry have not been swimming (or any other exercise apart from arm lift - to the mouth and plate ) during the holidays.
Gone back for my first tri club swim of the year on Sat but forgot to time myself, if I remember next Sat I wil report back, Ill try my best!

wow well done!