Swimming Total Immersion Style

Total Immersion swimming is a style of training developed by Terry Laughlin, a swimming coach from the US. This swimming style aims to teach swimmers to move through the water more efficiently.

If you are planning on completing a triathlon, or just to improve your pool swimming for exercise, then it is worth having video analysis done.

 

With swimming, it is almost impossible to know exactly what your body is doing in the water. While I am swimming, when I look under the water all looks fine, but listening to the feedback from all around I know much improvement is needed.

There are so many things that can go wrong with a swim. Small tweaks and changes to your swim form, especially when you start training, will really make a big difference. The more efficiently your swimming, the faster you will be and the more energy you will conserve.

So why do we need better technique?

Prevent injury - Shoulder injuries are common for the older generation of swimmers that may rotate their shoulders in the water. Neck strains and all sorts of weird and wonderful aches may start to fester.

Swim more efficiently - The efficiency in water makes such a difference. Someone with good technique has so much more speed.

Don’t look like such an amateur - Big splashing in the pool is just not cool!

How does Total Immersion swimming work?

Terry Laughlin's theory is that humans are not natural swimmers as we instinctively try to fight the water. He says that one of the biggest mistakes most swimmers make is trying to overpower the water while swimming, instead of gliding easily through it. Since water is over 800 times denser than air, moving through water creates a lot of resistance and drag which is not good for racing. 

Swimming can be the difference between life and death so being a strong swimmer is an important life skill. Diving in with raw power can be counterproductive so it is vital that your swimming is efficient and does not waste energy.

Total Immersion swimming aims to teach people how to propel themselves through the water in a streamlined fashion rather than kicking the legs and flailing the arms. It is a logic based on facts and has helped many people enter the world of competitive triathlon.