SWIMMING TECHNIQUEProper swimming technique is crucial to making your swim stroke more natural and relaxed. What's the proper swimming technique? That's a question a lot of people ask themselves when they first become Ironstruck, and just know they want to take on the Ironman one day. No, let me re-phrase that. They know they "have" to take on the Ironman one day. Somehow it just gets into your blood, your brain, and your psyche, that you just have to cross that Ironman finish line. But then that question pops up? How do I learn proper swimming technique? I struggled with that same question myself when I was struck with the Ironman bug almost 25 years ago. I was afraid of the water and couldn't swim a single stroke. However, decided I would do whatever it took to learn how to swim. It started out with taking kids lessons for adults(I was 34 years old). Once I learned the basics, and could make it from one end of the pool to the other non-stop, I just started to swim every day. I would go further and further until after about six months I could swim 2 miles in the pool. The rest as they say, is history. I entered Ironman Hawaii in Kona in 1984 and crossed the finish line in just over 14 hours.
Twenty-five years later, I think I can finally answer the question, "how do I learn proper swimming technique"? If you can't swim at all, you'll do what I did. You stay close to the edge of the pool and whenever you let go, you kick your legs and dog-paddle with your arms just so you can keep your head above water. The more you struggle, the farther you are from learning how to swim. I learned that the key to swimming is to imitate a fish. You don't see fish thrashing around unless they have a hook in their mouth. They are relaxed and smooth and hardly seem to do any work and yet can overcome intense river currents. There is a swimming book called "Total Immersion"(get your 10% discount code below) that I would recommend to anyone, triathlete or not. This is the program that changed my swim technique forever and the program that really taught me how to swim properly. It teaches you to "relax" and get comfortable in the water. Struggling to breathe is a natural reaction, and swimming is not natural to people, so we have to teach ourselves to relax and only by learning proper swim technique can this be accomplished.
TOTAL IMMERSION is the perfect system to incorporate into your swim training as your career develops. If you are completely new to swimming, then you have the advantage of developing a great stroke from the very beginning without having to break bad swimming habits. TOTAL IMMERSION....Simply one of the best swimming techniques in the world today for triathletes of any level. TOTAL IMMERSION is offering all ironstruck visitors a 10% discount on Books, DVD's, and all other TI teaching tools. Simply click on this linktotalimmersion.net/store/go to the store page and type ironstruck(all small case)into the shopping cart coupon box and you receive your 10% discount automatically. The trick is to develop a long, smooth swimming stroke. A stroke that takes little energy and is more efficient than 3 short, choppy strokes. Once you can swim to the end of the pool, work on making your stroke longer and smoother and teach yourself to get to the other end of the pool with fewer and fewer strokes. Whether you have an Ironman finish line in mind, or just want to enjoy the relaxation and fitness level that swimming provides, learning how to become one with the water is the key to learning how to swim and it is proper swimming technique that will help you realize that goal.
Swimming Technique Back To Triathlon Swim Training
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I have written three books that all serve a specific purpose when it comes to those new to the sport of triathlon or those who perhaps have the Ironman on their mind.
"Ironstruck...The Ironman Triathlon Journey" is a perfect book for those who have the Ironman on their mind and perhaps need some motivation, inspiration, and encouragement to help them make that final decision to challenge the Ironman and make it to the finish line.
"Ironstruck? 500 Ironman Triathlon Questions and Answers" is most like the only Q+A book in the world on the subject of triathlon in general and the Ironman.
This is the perfect book for the triathlete who has decided to take on the Ironman for the first time, or perhaps has done one or two and would like some insight from a different point of view.
It is a great companion book for "Ironstruck...The Ironman Journey" and the pair of books would make a great gift.
"Triathlete in Transition" is a book that was inspired by all the people who would stop by at my Ironstruck book signings and suggest I write a book for the very beginner triathlete who just wanted to know more about the sport.
I suppose because I had this passion for the Ironman that it seemed natural to write about it first almost six years ago now.
So in effect I have gone from the most difficult and challenging of triathlons and ended up at the beginning of the triathlon journey.
Triathlete in transition is full of information about how to get started in the sport and like my Ironstruck books, are inspirational and motivational as well as full of practical advice on triathlon that make the sport much more enjoyable.
Regardless, now I have three books that cover the full range of triathlon from just learning about triathlon in general, to ultimately reaching the Ironman finish line.