Swimming for skinny pr!ck$

[Too Tall]

I've been a recreational swimming all my life meaning I don't drown and spend as much time as I want almost drowning.

Enough, I've thrown in the towel and hired a swimming coach. For skinny pr!ck$ like me it seems especially frustrating to swim.

Man is this a blast to have a high caliber Collegiate coach run me thru the ringer. No mercy.

Still in board shorts ;)

[roseyscot]

I'd consider Michael Phelps a pretty skinny dude. He does alright in the pool.

I refuse to revisit my adolescent competitive swimming days because I know my wife will swim (butterfly) circles around me. I can only take so much humility. It's fun watching my 4 year old chase his older cousins across the pool though.

[Too Tall]

My breathing is terrible. Getting confidence in my ability to swim continuously AND breath deeply is a revelation.

[bcm119]

Man up and get a banana hammock! It's the swimming equivalent of a steel frame.

You don't need much upper body brawn to be a decent and graceful swimmer. If you're constantly struggling, ie. pushing water every which way but backwards, it's going to suck. Improving your technique is all about finding the mental imagery that works for you. See how many your coach can rattle off... rotating skewer, railroad tracks, etc.

[Too Tall]

Man up and get a banana hammock! It's the swimming equivalent of a steel frame.

You don't need much upper body brawn to be a decent and graceful swimmer. If you're constantly struggling, ie. pushing water every which way but backwards, it's going to suck. Improving your technique is all about finding the mental imagery that works for you. See how many your coach can rattle off... rotating skewer, railroad tracks, etc.

We are doing "zipper" aka "shark fin" and no hands rolling breathing exercises which I hate.

I get it that being skinny is not the problem, that was my old excuse ;)

My brother wants me to use fins and gawd knows to make this more interesting but I'm more of the mind to learn this like g-d intended banana strap not withstanding.

[jamesand]

Ah, say hello to my old friend - the black line on the bottom of the pool.
How I've missed him so....many, many laps together, hot summer days, winter evenings....two-a-days...long swims on the chlorinated beach!
Heaven! :-)

[BShow]

I dabbled with swimming years ago because, wait for it, I had a girlfriend that liked triathlons. I went with her sometimes to do some laps and even entered a couple events to go along for the ride.

Swimmig is fvcking hard.

I'm a pretty athletic dude and swimming is one of the few sports that I've been unable to hold my own. Breathing is the thing that I had such a problem with. Try an open water race. getting kicked in the face, swam over the top of (literally), mixed with an anaerobic effort and the inability to breathe. Panic leads to more panic, leads to doggie paddle. Eff that.

A good coach would be worth their weight in gold for swimming in particular, I think, because there is a lot of technique involved that most mortals cant begin to comprehend let alone practice.

[mainemike]

I'm a huge huge fan of swimming, in the pool and the Ocean. I hit the pool at least 4x/wk either in the am or lunch, and have for the last 7-8yrs. Its calming and great for aches and pains. I also feel that spending as much time in/on/around the Ocean as I do, I should be, at least, familiar w/it! I'm strictly breast and free 30-45 mins per sesh. I encourage anyone to get after it, it's great for the old brain too! Speedo? No. Nope. I wear Patagonia Swim Trunks, the shorties. I've learned a lot watching folks that are good and tried to do likewise, and I still suck!

[72gmc]

Swimming is something I'd love to get better at. Need lessons on technique. Maybe this coming fall/winter.

[Too Tall]

My motivation/goal is to swim at will of course but my GOAL is to improve the beach workout Queen and I have devised.

We swim 1/4 mile upstream, swim to shore than run chest deep back to the start than run on the sand for 1 mile and repeat. Goal is to swim 1/2 miles without stopping. Queen is a terrific open water swimmer, I want to keep up.

[DOOFUS]

man I'd love to swim again

need to have the torn labrum in my right shoulder (from swimming in college) fixed, though.

eh.

I'll ride my bike.

[DOOFUS]

body roll toots

the flatter you are in the water, the more the cycle of suck takes over

have your guy show you some full catch up and partial catch up drills, and some drills where you "show your hip to the sky" (or ceiling) -- extend that front hand, exaggerate your roll so you're on your side in the water, hold that glide.

body position is half the battle.

[Too Tall]

You are the master. He is and I am. Just as you say it's all about the roll. Doing finger tip dragging now. It is coming along smartly. Another 20 mins. today. I'm not proud...I can swim 50 meters now without CPR ;)

body roll toots

the flatter you are in the water, the more the cycle of suck takes over

have your guy show you some full catch up and partial catch up drills, and some drills where you "show your hip to the sky" (or ceiling) -- extend that front hand, exaggerate your roll so you're on your side in the water, hold that glide.

body position is half the battle.

[bcm119]

man I'd love to swim again

need to have the torn labrum in my right shoulder (from swimming in college) fixed, though.

eh.

I'll ride my bike.

Same situation with me except its a bad lower back, prevents me from doing flip turns. My ego is way too big to be seen doing open turns. Swimmers are almost as vain as cyclists.

[joosttx]

Our family was vacationing with my wife's Uncle's family last week on the Outerbanks. He is 66 and a former Navy Seal. The first day some of his Navy Seal buddies and wives came to visit. The oldest was 72 and still looking like a stud the youngest was 65 and looked it. They all swam for 2 hours in Atlantic -way out in the ocean. When they came back none of them looked tired. Awesome.

[TomW]

I used to swim a lot as a kid and started again doing lengths properly again with my wife when in Hong Kong a few years ago as they have a load of 50m outdoor pools.

Shortly after beginning I found my wife could destroy me despite being 5ft odd with me being 6ft. Pure technique. I started having secret private swimming lessons once or twice a week before work. Made a real difference.

It was not only that my technique needed fixing, it was also that what used to be accepted technique has moved on. Things have changed (like skis in skiing).

One thing especially has made all the difference to me... this lap counting watch from Garmin. I could never ever remember laps for some reason. This thing takes all that pain away and also tells you how much you have swum each week. For me this week is only roughly 2k. Need to do 4k more...

Untitled by TomEats, on Flickr

I've also been highly recommended the SwimSmooth DVD which I've bought and is sitting unwatched... one day soon.

[false_aesthetic]

I've been thinking about swimming lessons lately. I've seen a lot of nasty crashes during the local crits and RRs. Makes me think tri might be a little safer . . . if I don't drown.

I definitely need a coach's help. No matter what I do my legs just like to sink. Need some floaties for my ankles.

[Too Tall]

You don't need floaties. Get a coach, head down eyes on the black line and shoulders rotate. Coaching has already done wonders for my drowning...uhh I mean swimming ;) Kidding aside, at the point where I remember to rotate my shoulders and keep my head in the water it works. I can breath at will and gone is that drowning feeling. Now my "problem" is that this local pool is filthy and I've been running a low grade fever. b1tchb1tchb1tch

I've been thinking about swimming lessons lately. I've seen a lot of nasty crashes during the local crits and RRs. Makes me think tri might be a little safer . . . if I don't drown.

I definitely need a coach's help. No matter what I do my legs just like to sink. Need some floaties for my ankles.

[deboat]

When I first moved here to Salzburg, it was in the middle of winter so no bike riding. I thought it was a good time to get back into the pool.
Let me say that Australia has the same pool etiquette as the US. But here,,, Noooooo freakin idea. Once I did get a lane to myself and was in the black line dream time, then some stupid local guy jumps in and not only can he not stay to the right but tells me he has invented a new style. imagine a mix between butterfly and breast but on his back. And yes he was wearing the bannana wraper. Need to say I quickly got out.

I did find after some weeks in the pool and then back on the bike I had OK base to start the season.

[David Tollefson]

... not only can he not stay to the right but tells me he has invented a new style. imagine a mix between butterfly and breast but on his back. And yes he was wearing the banana wrapper.

Hey, I think I've seen this guy in rural western Washington!