Total Immersion swimming is amazing. I did lesson #2 today for the first time–I was totally underwater (like my head and body were totally submerged) as I did some of the drills.
I have been swimming for about two months now but I had not been improving much–I got to where I could swim three laps (in a 25m pool, aka 150m total), but I was way out of breath by the end. I’d read a beginning triathlete article recommending that you just swim without focusing on technique for the first six weeks because frankly you just have to figure out a few things by yourself.
I’m really glad I took that advice, because now I am at least not a stranger to the pool (e.g. I know how to share a lane with someone else), but all I was doing was struggling more to swim the same distance faster. I wasn’t improving my distance and I would have to rest at the end of the pool all the time.
So far I feel like the Total Immersion technique, which is all about practicing technique without struggling, will let me swim arbitrary distances without getting too tired.
I am interested in going to a sprint triathalon in September so I am really excited now that swimming won’t necessarily be my most embarassing event!