Enter centre stage: Total Immersion, or just TI

I have mentioned in earlier posts that I was going to look into some different swim teaching styles because I  felt I couldn't get much more out of my current swim lessons and the 'just keep trying' style. I wanted to focus on balance, buoyancy and breathing and find some drills to help me do that.

Enter centre stage: Total Immersion. Or just TI.  

An excerpt from their Facebook page if I may...

"Traditional swimming focuses on pulling, kicking and endless laps. TI teaches you to swim with the effortless grace of fish by becoming one with the water. TI emphasizes the same patient precision and refinement taught by martial arts masters. We start with simple skills and movements and progress by small, easily-mastered steps." 

The ultimate aim of the TI style is to teach people to become relaxed, balanced and aligned with the water and to practise graceful, fishlike and efficient swimming. While that is certainly something I aspire to let us not get carried too away - I am far from that right now! lol  The TI philosophy and teaching style does however fit well with my philosophies and the way I like to learn.

TI instructors can be found in many countries but they are predominantly in the USA.  There are a handful in Australia but unfortunately for me they are not located in an area close to me. There are 3 day TI workshops run in various cities around Australia (not for beginners) as well as 1 day demo workshops (better for beginners).

So where does that leave me you  ask? Running myself through the drills is where. Or as my sister says 'being a Sheldon'.  For any The Big Bang Theory fans you might remember an epidose last season (I think) where Sheldon was teaching himself to swim on dry land in his apartment via the internet.... Well I at least will be getting into the pool every now and then! :)

I am currently in the process of equipping myself with some books and dvds. I haven't yet decided which I will get but hope to do so shortly. I will post back when I do though.

In the meantime the link to the TI site for anybody who might want to go have a look is: 

http://www.totalimmersion.net/home 

This website is very very resourceful.  It has a forum - I love forums! - links to all sorts of blogs by coaches and instructors, information on workshops, video clips and some really good free papers in the 'free stuff' section (being free when you register).  It is mainly targeted at people who can already swim and how they may improve their swimming style but is useful nonetheless.

The Australian site is:

http://www.tiswim.com.au/

or you can get there via the TI worldwide link on the TI home page.  

I actually spoke to Dunstan who is referred to as the Australian contact on the TI home page a few weeks ago when I found the 3 day workshops were available in Australia.  He was extremely helpful and spoke to me for around 20 minutes about where I was up to with my swimming and whether the 3 day workshop would be useful at this stage. Answer was 'probably not' and it would be better to try the demo workshop or private TI instruction first but talking to him about the issues I was having and hearing his approach to them gave me hope that this teaching style could help me.  He also referred me to the pyramid diagram on this website http://swimallday.com/  as a description of how TI is taught in logical and systematic steps.

Other TI resources include facebook pages (Total Immersion Swimming and Total Immersion Australia), a TI iPhone app, youtube clips - you almost don't need to bother buying any of the books or DVDs! 

Before I embark on TI though I need to get through my last swimming lesson on Wednesday. Expect some reflection in my next post. :)