Re: Begginer looking help advice and encouragment!


It is so great to hear from all of you who are coming to swimming as
adults. I swim on a large team with very diverse ages and abilities and
I love swimming with all of them so much. It is the working hard
together and seeing our group improvement from our efforts that is the
best part. Don't let age or ability worries stop you and try to find a
team or a friend or two who can swim with you.

Anyway, it sounds like many of you are off to great starts on your
swimming careers already.

Regarding weight loss, I gained weight on my haitus from swimming that
lasted 19 years. That would have been fine if I was muscle mass and
bone mass but it wasn't. I think many people don't lose weight swimming
because you have to hit a technique threshold to really get a good
workout. My opinion is that swimming still offers great gains in
fitness, flexibility, strength, etc. while you are on your way to
lossing excess fat and gaining muscle and bone mass that is so
important as the years progress. I know as I was getting back in to
shape, I didn't weigh myself but rather checked how my clothes were
fitting and whether the fatty areas were shrinking or getting replaced
with muscle.

Regarding the drill I outlined above and still not having your face be
out of the water as you are facing the side wall, I think maybe some
may be lifting your head instead of turning on your side. Make sure you
are keeping your head in line with your spine and not craning your head
back to breathe. Also, there must be some point in which you roll that
your face comes out of the water unless you are completely submerged.
Can you turn a little more so your face comes out or you may want to
turn your head a little toward the surface while you maintain your body
facing the side wall. When I think of this drill I visualize that I am
a catamaran that is riding on one hull and then coming back down to
both hulls and then switching to the other hull.

I know for many beginners it is difficult to get swimming balance right
which comes from correct body position, how to best lay on top of the
water so that you don't have to power so much to move forward. I hate
this drill when we do it in practice because it makes breathing awkward
but it really works so don't complain and I won't when I do it.
1. Take a deep-ish breath.
2. Push off from the wall flat on your stomach with your left palm on
your left thigh and right palm on right thigh.
3. Now kick VERY slowly with your body configured like a soldier at
attention. Your eyes should be looking directly down at the bottom of
the pool. Your upper half of your back and *** should be kept as dry
as possible.
4. When you need to breathe, do whatever you want but get back to the
position in step 3 right away.
5. Focus on where your body's balance point(s) are when you are
successfully in the position in step 3. These points are important to
be able to feel and 'ride' on when you are swimming.
When I am swimming powerfully but smoothly I focus so these balance
points are carrying the weight. I seem to be not dragging (low hips)
nor plowing (too low in the water) when I can ride on top of these
balance points.

Good luck and keep posting about your progress.

Cheers,

Karen

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