I like the phrase ‘steal back’ time since it infers cunning, which I encourage all swimmers to exploit before physical effort in efforts to improve time or performance. Since Andy mentions achieving a personal best time with the aid of a Tempo Trainer (combined with a consistent SPL) on his timed 1500, I’ll mention that a relatively simple way to swim faster is to allow yourself a standard 5 beeps per turn -whether for open or flip turns.

Start counting beeps after the final hand entry approaching the wall. Then synchronize your first hand entry leaving the wall with the 5th beep. (This becomes #1 in your stroke count for the new length.) To avoid raising your SPL (in the case of Andy’s swim every lap at 19SPL would have added 1.2 seconds to his final time) you need to take that first stroke as far down the pool as practicable.

On each pushoff I aim to surface and stroke beyond the backstroke flag that are suspended 5 yards (in 25y pools) or meters (25m pools) from each wall. At a tempo of 1.3 or slower I usually have enough time to travel far enough in streamline that my feet are beyond the backstroke flags as I surface. At a tempo faster than 1.3 I’m still aiming to have my hips beyond the flags. This becomes quite a challenge at .99 or faster.

This protocol is great for ‘wiring in’ fast and efficient turns.  If Andy progresses from a tempo of 1.2 to 1.1, he’ll need to take each stroke a tenth of a second faster. But he’ll have to make each turn a half second (5 beeps x .1 second) faster.

For more tips and techniques on faster turns, check out the DVD  Turn the TI Way: Longer Pushoffs, Faster Turns in 5 Lessons

On Tuesday we worked on how subtle adjustments to Mathieu’s recovery and entry could set him up for a much firmer catch – so each stroke would do a better job of moving his body forward, rather than moving the water around. We worked through a linked series of three Rehearsals — Elbow Circles, Draw A Line and Mail Slot (illustrated in Lesson 7 on the Self-Coached Workshop DVD) followed by Whole Stroke practice for each skill, guided by Focal Points related to those Rehearsals.

As is typical when working on a subtle new skill–one that requires fine motor coordination and intense concentration–Mathieu could perform Elbow Circles reasonably well after about 10 minutes of focused practice.  When he moved on Draw a Line he could also execute it well–but he lost the Elbow Circles. When we moved on to Mail Slot, same thing. Nice job slipping his hand and forearm into the water cleanly. Not so good on circling his elbows or drawing a line with his fingertips.

Shinji's Mail Slot Entry

I assured him that’s normal.  Continue to practice each Mini-Skill individually. Each cumulative hour of practice will wire them into your brain more deeply and they will be stronger when you shift your focus to something else.

On Wednesday morning as we began our lesson, Mathieu said “I was dreaming about TI all night – circling elbows and drawing lines in  my sleep. ” I replied “That’s typical; I hear it all the time from students. When they’ve been deeply engaged in learning something new, they tend to dream about it that night.”

When I turned on the current – Voila! The three skills Mathieu had struggled to integrate the day before were  a beautiful symphony of graceful, effective movement.  He looked like Alexandre Popov or Sun Yang — at least for 10 to 12 precious strokes.

This is a thrilling real-life illustration of a phenomenon brain researches observed while working with lab rats. After spending their waking hours solving a maze to gain the reward of a piece of cheese at the end, the scientists observed that their  brain scans displayed exactly the same patterns of activity as they napped.  As the scientists explained, when the brain perceives a problem-solving activity to be a high-value activity, it continues to encode the solution as you sleep. And the way you communicate to the brain that it’s a high value activity is the intensity of focus you give it.

Activating Neurons

Learning to control your body in the water is is a big one. Learning to control your mind is even bigger. Inez, a participant in the current series, emailed me to report feeling overwhelmed when she went to the pool yesterday to practice the skills we worked on two days earlier in the second session, during which we focused on a Rag Doll recovery, Mail Slot entry  and using the extended arm to Separate Molecules. That’s a lot of thinking and coordination.

I wrote back that–when learning a skill as complex and counter-intuitive as swimming–feeling overwhelmed is normal. I felt it as well, back in 1990 when I first realized my stroke needed a complete makeover after 25 years of swimming the traditional way. I discovered then that I needed to learn a new way to think before I could learn a new way to swim.

Between 1965 and 1972, when I was developing my inefficient stroke habits,  I did all my swimming in workouts– i.e. racing teammates for a couple of hours each afternoon. In 1990 I swam mostly alone, practicing the drills and skills I was teaching in TI clinics and camps. (Weekend workshops didn’t begin until 1993.) Learning to be alone with my thoughts, undistracted by teammates, was a new experience.

I began my stroke makeover with a focus on head position, which had been forward-looking for 25 years and millions of strokes. I quickly realized that before I could learn a new way to swim, I would need to learn a new way to think — specifically how to Think About One Thing, and  ignore or dismiss other thoughts.

I thought about little else but head position for three months, and didn’t feel that a neutral head position had become my ‘new normal’ for six months. By then, I’d formed two invaluable new habits:

(1) To swim with a neutral head position.

(2) To always leave the wall with One Clear Thought about technique.

(PS: Inez want on to say that after returning from her ‘overwhelmed’ pool practice, she reviewed the video I’d shot Saturday and posted online and felt encouraged and calmed by seeing how much her form had improved from a week earlier.)

TI showed me that any time is a good time to start swimming. I stopped worrying about what I hadn’t done before and was grateful for learning new things today – and for the many rewards TI Swimming will bring in the future.

As a TI coach, besides coaching many Japanese swimmers, I’ve been able to make friends from all over the world.  Because I speak a little English I’m often asked to coach visitors from other countries who come to Tokyo. [One of Kyoko's transformed students is opera conductor Paolo Carignani.] This helps me learn about many cultures.

I’m impressed with the bravery of all my swimmers. Those just starting impress me because they feel it’s never too late to learn. We both feel happy when they learn to control their body –and their fears — in the pool. We’re happy again when they reach the goal that made them start lessons. I’m also impressed with the accomplished swimmers I teach, because they’re open-minded. While everyone else says you must train long and hard to swim well, they have decided to swim with mindfulness and grace. You must be brave to go your own way.

I would like to introduce one of my swimmers, Toshiko Nakagawa. Though I felt I was starting late at 27, Mrs. Nakagawa began swimming at age 77!  Her goal was to swim 50 meters without stopping. She achieved her goal of swimming 50 meters on Feb 29—five days before turning 80. Now her goal is to swim even better at age 85! Toshiko’s Kaizen spirit inspires me.

She still relies on me for help with technique, but she is strong and confident enough to practice on her own.  She grew to be independent of my mental support by developing a strong mind. A strong body follows. I believe when Toshiko looks in the mirror she sees someone who looks like her old self, but looks stronger and more confident. Then she realizes – it’s herself!

TI changed my life and Toshiko’s life also. How many more will follow?

Kyoko describes herself this way: Ten years ago, I couldn’t swim at all—not even in a pool. And I never dreamed I would swim in the sea. At 27, I became a swimmer. At 32, I became a TI Swimmer. Now, at 37 I’m a TI Senior Coach and my life has been forever changed by swimming. When I started, I thought swimming was just about competing. Now I swim mainly to find harmony with the water.

Here’s Coach Kyoko swimming in the sea in Guam.

I watched most of “Perpetual Motion Freestyle in 10 Lessons” today. I am trying to relate  what we are currently working on to the segments in the video. Would this be an accurate list of what I should be working on for the next few weeks?

Superman Glide(1.1)

Superman Glide to Skate (2.3)

Skate-stroke-Skate ? (2.4)

Spear Switch?  Pre-switch (4.3). Interrupted Switch (4.4)

Rhythmic Weight Shift

Rehearse Swing

Swing Skate (6.2)

Elbow circles (7.2)

Marionette Arm (7.3)

Draw Line (7.4)

Weight Shift Focus (8.4)

Spear to Swing Switch to Swim (“ear hop”)

Have I missed anything?

To which I replied, in part,

“Good onya’ for being such a conscientious student. When viewing the video, are there particular things you notice or take away that you feel apply to you?”

Steve’s response:  “When I look at the video, I feel like EVERYTHING applies to me.”

So I wrote back as follows:

“Steve, That’s a  typical reaction. That’s why it’s critical to:

1) have a solid understanding of your ‘problems’ and the best solutions that that allows you to . . .

2) prioritize effectively, then . . .

3) practice with patient disciplined focus

Come to think about it, that formulation works for any of life’s important challenges. But how many non-swimming sports or fitness activities offer the potential to develop  behavioral and thinking patterns that can be so broadly beneficial?”

As I never tire of saying “Swimming That Changes Your Life” isn’t just a slogan.

Total Immersion is described as a program that can “Change Your Life.”  It has indeed changed mine, putting me on a path toward my 70s enjoying a rising curve of physical and mental health.

Swimming was never a major part of my life. I’d ‘learned to swim’ in camp and even earned a Red Cross Lifesaving certificate, but never thought of myself as a swimmer. For 40-plus years since college, my swimming was limited to an occasional pool length or two, or body-surfing a few times each summer.

At age 64, I saw an advertisement for the Ray Licata Memorial Swim, an ocean mile at Long Branch, NJ. Because it was labeled a swim rather than a race (and the organizers promised plenty of support boats, kayaks and lifeguards along the course) I decided to give it a go.

I practiced my crude crawl between the ropes at my local beach a dozen times, covering at most about a half-mile. I doubted I could swim continuous crawl the whole way, but was willing to do whatever it took–elementary backstroke, sidestroke, even bobbing–to reach the finish line.

I was elated to finish in 70 minutes. The next two summers, I entered three more mile events along the Jersey Shore, and managed to squeak under an hour. But each was an exhausting ordeal, leaving me feeling like a basket case for a day or two afterward.

At age 67, while searching the NJ Masters web site to find an indoor pool, I saw an ad for Total Immersion. In November of 2009, I bought the TI book and Self-Coached Workshop DVD, began learning the drills, and got hooked.

I bypassed the 2010 events, preferring to practice until my new technique was solid enough to endure an extended-distance swim. I had a coaching session with TI Coach Mike Trunkes in New Paltz, NY and became a regular on the TI Discussion Forums , where I received invaluable help and support from fellow TI enthusiasts.

In 2011, I finished the Manasquan Mile in 45 minutes! Besides being thrilled with the 25 percent time improvement, I waltzed out of the water at the finish, tossed on my shirt, shorts and sandals, and drove off to complete a busy schedule for the rest of the day, marveling at how relaxed and enjoyable the swim had been.

Even more important than the feeling of accomplishment from events like the Manasquan Mile, is the daily mental stimulus of TI Practice.  Practicing with deep concentration replaces life’s usual distractions with the Flow State Terry has written about. I finish each practice feeling physically and mentally refreshed and with a pronounced sense of well-being.  Improvements in SPL or Tempo—or the coordination of my 2-Beat Kick, are icing on the cake.

Practicing with strong and targeted focus has also introduced me to the “cocoon of calm,” which allows me to swim in open water swimming with new confidence. Now, when I experience currents, rips, rougher surf, or cold water upwellings, I relax and concentrate on a Stroke Thought until my fingers scrape the sand.  I anticipate each swim as an opportunity to experience Flow and improvement.

Look out 70… Here I come!!!!

Doug in performing mode.

Doug at Loch Harbor NJ

Doug Alt studied piano and sang in choral groups in New Jersey and Massachusetts during high school and college. As a collegiate gymnast, he placed 7th in All-Around at the 1965 U.S.G.F. Nationals. From 1966-68 Doug taught physical education and played in a rock-and-roll band, before serving in the Army from 1968-70. From 1971-78, he owned a chain of gymnastic schools and summer camps and created the first gymnastics Coach Training School in the country. After a long hiatus from music, Doug bought an electronic piano in 1996, practicing silently, using headphones, late at night. At age 55, he began playing part-time at weddings and restaurants. At 62, Doug’s employer, Ernst & Young moved his job overseas and he made the jump to being a full-time musician, doing 15-20 performances per month, both singing and piano/vocal concerts. Doug’s web site.

After I wrote the blog Why I’m Grateful for Swimming My Slowest Time Ever describing my reaction to swimming 1000 yards in 13:29 in a Masters meet last December, one commenter said he would be delighted to swim it that fast. That made me realize it was only ‘slow’ in relation to my lifetime best of 10:45 which came 42 years earlier, and in relation to a time of 11:51 I’d swum five years earlier. Unless your time is a world record ‘fast’ is relative, not absolute.

That comment made me take a harder look at various instances in recent years where my disappointment at my time or placing took away the pleasure of simply being there, seeing friends, being vigorous and active, and doing my best in challenging circumstances. After some reflection I felt more disappointment in my reaction than my swimming.

It seems this coupling of ego and minutes/seconds is most likely among a relatively small subset of swimmers–present and former competitive swimmers. It can be healthy if it prompts efforts to know and reach your full potential, to pursue challenges — but decidedly unhealthy if it causes you to avoid challenges because you fear the impact on self-image.

Several months ago I spoke with a woman, now about 70, who was an avid Masters swimmer in her 40s and 50s, but who I’d not seen at events in 10 or more years. When I asked why she no longer swam Masters, she replied “I can’t stand getting slower.” Yet it’s inevitable we will all do that as we age, and a shame if it causes us to walk away from an activity that’s so healthful. Or even to enjoy it somewhat less.

Since then I’ve become more mindful about adopting a values system consistent with aging gracefully and healthfully. These attitude adjustments — based on the art of the possible — have proven helpful:

Swim with as much artfulness and grace as possible. Grace has an inherently–and universally–inspiring quality. Strangers at the pool are far more likely to compliment a display of grace, than of speed. And when seeing a person older than me who moves with grace–I’ve seen examples in yoga, tai chi and swimming—I always think “I want to be just like you when I grow up.”

Nowadays I try to swim races as a ‘work of art’ and commit to seeking satisfaction based more on my success in doing so than based on time or place. Admittedly the former is a subjective judgment, while the latter is objective, but that just means I have to be more creative and flexible in my assessment.

When measuring swimming by time, choose a current time as your benchmark. Measuring empirically is unquestionably good. A common characteristic of those who excel–in many disciplines–is setting up meaningful feedback loops so they can objectively and accurately evaluate the link between efforts and outcomes. After swimming that ‘slow’ time in December, I immediately made it the benchmark by which I would measure improvement in the 3 to 5 months (Masters short course season) to follow, and began making constructive plans for improving it.

And I begin most practice sessions by doing an assessment swim or set. The data points I use to measure it always include SPL and/or Tempo in addition to Time. The practice then becomes an exercise in achieving measurable–and smart–improvement. And when I do achieve improvement, I leave the pool with a feeling of accomplishment that provides the motivation to do it again and again and again.

Focus on the quality of time, not the amount. A corollary of the fact that any race is highly likely to last longer at 60 than it did at 40, is the possibility that the aging process may reduce the duration of practice (or workout) sessions. In either case, we should strive to make those minutes or hours the best they can be. I last broke 19 minutes for 1650 yards (equivalent of 1500m) in 1992. I last broke 20 minutes in 2006. But these days it’s a challenge to break 23 minutes, a pretty rapid decline for only six years, compared to previously. So my goal now is to make a 23-minute mile feel better and more satisfying than a 19-minute mile did 20 years ago.

Conversely, as I’ve aged, I’ve been unable to swim as long in pool practices. As a result of arthritic narrowing in my lower spine, my calves and feet experience ‘terminal cramping’ after a diminishing number of pushoffs.  Where I was able to swim a 10,000-yard practice (while training for the Manhattan Island Marathon)at age 51, I could manage only 5000 yards at age 55. At 60, I can often barely make it to 3000 yards before I simply can’t push off any more. Rather than be discouraged I’ve embraced the challenge of making every lap count, starting with the very first. This has given practice a stronger sense of purpose than ever before.

Read a transcript and hear a recording of William Broad on Talk of the Nation’s Science Friday.

Hear Terry Gross of Fresh Air interview William Broad.

Is it like biking? My grandma didn’t ride a bike for 55 years but was able to do so again, when someone suggested she do so.
So how long will my current swimming success hold?

Thanks for sharing your experiences,
Werner

Heres my reply to Werner

Welcome to TI and thanks for engaging with other members of this Forum. As you will soon discover, your fellow TI swimmers are a thoughtful, supportive and generous group and will eagerly share the lessons they’ve learned.

The simplest answer to your question is: No, it will not hold. Quite the contrary, it will improve. Continuously. And likely for decades, not just weeks, months or years. The key is to embrace the most important aspect of the TI philosophy and methodology — Kaizen. Here are five Core Principles of Kaizen Swimming:

1) Your goal in every pool session is to improve your swimming – not to complete a certain number of meters, or raise your heart rate or any of the traditional goals. As I’ve written many times, “My main thought every time I enter the pool is to be a better swimmer when I leave it an hour later.’

2) Improve by finding and fixing weak points. Those will be more obvious — and easier to fix – in the early stages, and more subtle — and require more patience and more strategic thinking later.

3) Love the ‘plateau.’ This will become more important a few months to a year after you start TI as the improvements take longer to achieve. You’ll spend weeks, and eventually months, practicing without being conscious of any improvement. During these times, maintain faith that change IS taking place — at the level of neurons. After a period of time that change will consolidate and produce a thrilling forward leap.

4) Become passionately curious. Swimming is the most complex, challenging and non-instinctive of all physical skills. This is because it’s an aquatic skill while humans are terrestrial mammals. If you tirelessly seek to expand your knowledge and understanding, you’ll enjoy swimming much more, make steadier progress, and be able to have great confidence in your choices.

5) Practice is its own reward. Whatever goals have motivated you to begin swimming, strive to progress to a point where those external goals — while remaining sources of motivation — essentially become beside the point. The motivation that brings you to the pool day after day, year after year, decade after decade is the knowledge that your practice is the high point of your day, it leaves you energized mentally and physically for everything else you do, and–over time–produces enduring positive change in body, mind and spirit.

Happy Laps,
Terry

Most people come to TI initially because of utilitarian goals—to swim easier, farther or faster. They also recognize swimming is healthful exercise. When ordering a TI DVD or registering for a class, most will be happy to get a smoother stroke and strong heart. Few expect it to benefit mind and spirit. And fewer still anticipate it could even improve their work or professional lives. Paolo took up swimming to reduce stress. And look where it got him.

I met Paolo in Nov 2008 when he came to NY to conduct Aida at the Metropolitan Opera. We swam together near Lincoln Center, then Alice and I were his guests at the opera. It was my first time seeing an opera. The main thing that struck me was, during our swim, Paolo kept repeating “TI has such a gift to make people happy.” Then I learned just how important a happy conductor can be to an opera company!

Paolo began swimming while he was Music Director at the Frankfurt Opera one of the world’s most respected companies. He spent almost 10 years there. It was a time of fantastic professional growth for Paolo as he memorized every note of 80 to 90 operas and gained global stature.

Paolo described a typical day this way: “I studied one opera all day, then conducted  another that evening.” Watching Aida gave me an appreciation of the physical and psychic demands of opera conducting. With intermission breaks, the performance lasted nearly four hour a period during which Paolo had to maintain fierce concentration and constant motion . . . while giving the impression of graceful flow.

There appeared to be about 60 musicians in the pit, a similar number of principal singers and chorus members on stage, and at times that many or more extras (plus elephants and other livestock!) representing both a victorious and a defeated army. Every note played or sung, every gesture and movement, came in response to Paolo’s cues.

Because his relentless schedule had left him suffering in body and mind, Paolo began swimming for stress relief. A fellow swimmer noticed him at the pool daily and urged him to learn TI. Paolo started with book and video, then attended a workshop in Zurich.

After leaving Frankfurt, Paolo was in demand to lead top companies in major cities around the world.  As he traveled he sought out TI coaching–Barcelona, Tokyo, New York. When we met in Nov 2008, Paolo had developed a truly graceful stroke. That day he said “I always swim before a performance. After practicing TI I feel much more energized in body and mind, I feel happier, and I even feel more fluent in my conducting gestures.”  Naturally I was thrilled. I asked if that affected the performance. Paolo replied: “The company can sense the conductor’s energy and spirit and they reflect it back in their performance.”

I reflected on this and realized that an audience of thousands witnesses a more joyful and uplifting production . . .  all because one man swims for an hour before starting his ‘work day.’

Enjoy Paolo’s video. I got great pleasure from shooting it.

Postscript: Paolo, who celebrated his 50^th birthday days before we met in November, confided that his goal is to cut back on his conducting schedule by the time he turns 55—to allow time to become a TI Coach!