Lesson #12 - Ended with more of a fizzle than a bang

I'm a bit hesitant to report that there was no Lesson #12 today so I have gone out with a fizzle rather than a bang.  


The boss decided late this afternoon that we needed to write a paper for one of my projects and as I won't be at work tomorrow I had to get it done this afternoon/evening. This meant I didn't leave work until well and truly after the lesson had started (and finished for that matter). So no last hurrah for swim classes and to be brutally honest I hadn't exactly been looking forward  to it in any case. I think that in my mind I had already decided I had come as far as I could with those lessons and was now turning my sights to practise and drills.


So while I want to look ahead rather than back I think I need to reflect on my 9 lessons.


Did I think they were worth it? ab-sol-utely!!!!


Being able to put my face in the water and not getting water down my nose and throat has been a monumental accomplishment for me and even if that was the only thing I got out of it it would have been worth it. It has given me a greater sense of comfort and confidence in the water and let me enjoy being in and around water more than I have in, well forever.  I can now move around in the water in a more relaxed way and am starting to do something that resembles swimming. While I was hoping to be swimming better by now I do need to remind myself that 9 lessons is really only about 4 hours of instruction and when I look at it like that it's not tooooo band (given where I started from!). I think I probably did let myself down a bit by not practising enough in my spare time though.


Would I recommend lessons? yes!


I still think it is important to look around before committing to anywhere though and if I had my time again I would be asking for more information about the teaching style and program. I also think one on one is best for the first half a dozen or so lessons but I admit that it was nice to share stories with the other girls in my lessons and also be left alone to try things out.


Will I re-enrol next term? no.
As I have said before, I think I have come as far as I can with Jackie and freestyle for now. I do think that in time I will go back to some form of lesson for stroke correction but that's too far off to think about at the moment.


Where to from here?
As I mentioned in my last post I am embarking on the Total Immersion form of self instruction. I have no idea how this will go but given it relies heavily on moving through a series of drills I can do it at my own pace. I figure I have nothing to lose by just giving it a try.  Whilst the cooler weather is already a challenge I can't let that be an easy excuse. Swimming will however now most likely take place only on the weekends and I already have my sights set on a buddy who may be willing to commit to regular sessions at the pool with me.


Is this the end of my blog? No. :)
Just because the swimming lessons are over doesn't mean the end of my blog. I am still committed to this learn to swim mission and almost feel accountable to my blog if I give up!

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. :) 

Lesson #11 - Three weeks between lessons and I felt it

It's been 3 weeks since my last lesson and while I was not exactly looking forward to going today like the trooper I am trying hard to be I went. I was chatting to a girl who has been coming to the Wednesday class and interestingly enough we both commented on how we thought we would be a bit more advanced by this stage. I know, I know - expecting too much - but there you have it anyway.


So todays class seemed to go very quickly. Two laps of just plain kick boarding - which I am now pretty good at :), 2 laps of kick boarding incorporating breathing and arms  - which I am ok at, and 2 laps of 'swimming' - which  I am not so good at. :(


Still getting out of breath after only a few breaths and my left arm is dipping too soon relative to my breathing. 5 consecutive breaths and half way down the pool is my best so far and that seems like moons ago. Jackie suggested I focus on holding my left arm straight out of the water longer which I tried. I felt a difference so we had tiny win there. I also tried to move my right arm faster to see what impact that might have on the whole routine - unsure.  


For some reason today I also ingested a lot of water through my nose, something that hasn't  happened too often before today, but I think I was just out of practice. My breathing still seems too much on the gasping side too. As you can see, so much going on in my head. I probably just need to calm the heck down! 


This all seems so repetitive doesn't it??!  Not to worry. The main thing is that I don't give up. :)

Lesson #10 - Second missed lesson but I have an excuse!

I was sent out of state for work for a few days last minute-ish so missed my second lesson in a row. I didn't have a chance to reschedule the last one I missed and with only 2 weeks of lessons to go I may struggle to make up the 2 I have missed. Life has been a bit hectic in and out of work the last several weeks but will (hopefully) get back to normal after the weekend and with this should come some increased swimming activity.

Lesson #9 - A no show

I had to travel for work today and didn't get back in time to make the swimming class. I will try to see if/when I can make it up. I also won't be able to make next week's class though because, again, I am away for work. I hope this doesn't herald the end of swimming classes!!! I have been so busy in and out of work the last couple weeks and will also be next week I need to make sure my enthusiasm doesn't wane. Oh the complexities of learning to swim!

Lesson #8 - Losing faith but determined not to give up

It was been a fair few days since Lesson #8 and I suspect the fact that I haven't posted about it is reflective of my feelings about how my lessons are going. I feel that there has been hardly any progress now since Lesson #6 and this is dampening my enthusiam.

There was a lot of clock watching in the last lesson - I just wanted it to be over even though I missed the first almost 10 minutes. I did have a very hectice work day, got there late and wasn't feeling relaxed all of which Jackie said would have been contirbuting to my having an off day. While I agree that that wouldn't have helped, I can still only swim half way down the pool at best and all my comments in my last post still stand. It hasn't helped that I haven't gotten to the pool in my own time but without any drills to practice I don't know what I would do in my own time. I don't want to keep practising that which isn't working for me.

I really really really don't want to give up so I have taken matters into my own hands and have been researching some alternate swimming instruction styles. 

More on that next post.

Lesson #7 - Frustrated!!!

Lesson #7 and we are on the home stretch. But I am frustrated!!!!

More freestyle swimming today and I can now get about half way down the 25m pool. I have progressed a teeny weeny bit (again naughty naughty no practise in between) but it is not all that comfortable and I am still finding that my left arm is dipping too soon. Jackie said I am turning my whole body to breath and not just my neck but I feel like I need to to avoid sinking and so my face can clear the water to take a breath in.

What to do, what to do?!?! Jackie's solution is to just keep trying because I am getting better but I am not finding that response satisfactory. I would like to try some drills to help me work on my balance, buoyancy and breathing. I also want to think some more about what my arms are doing and when.

If anybody has any ideas please share them with me. In the meantime I shall be referring to some of my own resources.  :)