digg

Facebook Connect Join Digg About
See the original image at fourhourworkweek.com

Total Immersion: How To Swim Effortlessly in 10 Days

fourhourworkweek.com — In the span of less than 10 days, I’ve gone from a 2-length (2 x 20 yards/18.39 meters) maximum to swimming more than 40 lengths per workout in sets of 2 and 4. Here’s how I did it after everything else failed, and how you can do the same…

Who dugg this? Made popular Aug 14, 2008

Digg DudeWhat is Digg?

Digg is a place for people to discover and share content from anywhere on the web. Digg surfaces the best stuff as submitted and voted on by the community. Take the Tour to learn more.

76 Comments

show profanity settings
expand all
  • morphie, on 08/14/2008, -3/+44"to learn the technique, buy this DVD"

    That is just spam to me?
  • inactive, on 08/14/2008, -7/+42description is in first person... which is misleading. MBM, your name isn't Tim. Put quotations next time plz
  • UberNick, on 08/14/2008, -3/+26blahblah i have 9,966 submissions blahblahblah
  • benologist, on 08/14/2008, -0/+16Please speak about yourself in 3rd person. It's very confusing when you don't.
  • franklymister, on 08/14/2008, -1/+12MBM, I thought you said you were leaving Digg.

    Why are you still here choking all the air from the room?
  • jaydoj, on 08/14/2008, -1/+12he speaks.....
  • luckydeck, on 08/14/2008, -2/+12Buy a DVD? Read this book? Hmmm... shouldnt this be a banner ad and not a digg article?
    BTW - I'm a swimmer... here's my success hint: get in the water and do it
  • thewordisberry, on 08/14/2008, -1/+11Of course it would be Tim! Interesting post though.
  • inactive, on 08/14/2008, -1/+8This is spam.
  • Harbinger67, on 08/14/2008, -2/+9That would require him to slow down his submit-o-factory and actually read/edit the descriptions he posts instead of copy/pasting them as quickly as possible.
  • thetanman, on 08/14/2008, -1/+8Just you.
  • megamod, on 08/14/2008, -3/+9for a second I thought he said Out of 9,9666 submission, not once have I submitted something ORIGINAL. oops!
  • socalftw, on 08/14/2008, -2/+8no worries... 60% of americans can float cuz they're fat.
  • inactive, on 08/14/2008, -0/+6Well, some people do. I am not singling you out personally... I think that anybody who puts the description of a post that is not about them in first person should put quotations. If you don't want to be singled out, then don't comment with a tone that makes it look like I follow your every post. It was just a suggestion, because it could potentially confuse somebody, and I even said please.

    Also, yes you have posted your own material, haven't you? What about those two videos that you made? I remember one about how you digg 'everywhere possible,' and another where you used post-it stamps in random places like diggs. Those were both you, right? Did somebody post those for you?
  • csimpkins, on 08/14/2008, -2/+7I actually used Total Immersion techniques when I started swimming a few years ago. The most important thing that I learned from TI is that finding your balance in the water is the most important thing you can do.

    Most people when they start swimming aren't comfortable putting their face in the water enough for a variety of reasons. When you get your head in the water and find your balance, your feet/legs raise, streamlining your body and reducing drag. Once you're balanced, you're basically 'floating' and all your effort goes into forward movement instead of keeping yourself afloat. From there, swimming is easy... almost effortless if you want it to be.

    You don't really need to buy the DVD or the book. You can find most of the information on the interwebs. And the best thing you can do is get in the pool, learn to be comfortable, feel the water and listen to your body.
  • inactive, on 08/14/2008, -2/+7I don't agree with the kickboard part...............you are supposed be slow when you start out and it takes a long time to get a decent speed going!!! .........if you feel that bad put on some fins. Use kickboards for learning proper leg control/motion in the three types of kicks

    Hand paddles.... don't even touch em if you are just starting. Hell, I rarely used them and my coach would never include them in any workout.

    Long strokes are the key... for freestyle and breaststroke.....fly is however another matter....try taking the legs out of the equation while doing freestyle and just pull yourself with your arms.

    Find a 25yd pool to practice in.... anything else less is just counterproductive

    What bothers me is the mathematical look at the sport....... quite possibly the wrong way to learn how to swim with decent times......(you people are reading this article to go faster right???)

    oh ... and if you want to up your endurance ....drag is your friend.....I used to purposely swim with shorts with extra pockets sewn in to really increase drag.



    oh... and when you marvel at your ability to make a 100yd free without needing oxygen.... remind yourself that most legit swim workouts are around 2400m.... and sometimes much longer.... if you piss off your coach
  • hiPpymIck, on 08/14/2008, -2/+7MBM
    you must not have heard of this guy yet..
  • twotimesthru, on 08/14/2008, -1/+6It never gets easier... You just go faster. -Greg Lemond
  • channelx, on 08/14/2008, -2/+6It's great and all but, I'm not trying to buy some instructional DVD on how to do this. Thanks, but I'll stick to the hot tub, guy.
  • Danby123, on 08/14/2008, -0/+4(citation needed)
  • 032483, on 08/14/2008, -2/+6Now all i need is a pool.
  • qber, on 08/14/2008, -2/+6Yet another of these articles. I now know how to work my way up to 100 pushups in 6 weeks, run a 5k in two months, and swim 400 yard workouts in 10 days. Now if I could just get off my ass, I'd be a beast.
  • fracktica, on 08/14/2008, -1/+4There's also a similar DVD for running called "Evolution Running" that teaches you how to run faster and farther with less injuries. I'm trying to use some of the techniques and it's amazing how much better you can become just by not "beating yourself".. I can't say that my times improved that much in only 10 days, but I have noticed less random knee pains.
  • brightshadow525, on 08/14/2008, -8/+11I'm a dolphin!
  • ferinex, on 08/14/2008, -1/+4"Lengthen your vessel"

    I lol'd
  • Retrospekt, on 08/14/2008, -0/+3Yeah, this is pretty much spam.

    Wanna get good at swimming? Watch a few slow motion videos, try to learn the stroke yourself, and have someone watch you while you do it. Practice is key, and swimming is definitely a sport that requires a lot of patience and perseverance.
  • FSUCHEEF, on 08/14/2008, -3/+6As a person who swam for most of his life this is the most retarded article on how to learn to swim. Just by briefly reading the article it is obvious he still does not know what he is talking about.
  • simonsez21, on 08/14/2008, -0/+3I didn't think Mrbabyman knew how to swim....
  • hiPpymIck, on 08/14/2008, -0/+2just take a seat over there
  • gandhii, on 08/14/2008, -0/+2fat floats. seriously.
  • sfacets, on 08/14/2008, -0/+2This is spam.
  • Vvolf, on 08/14/2008, -1/+3Glad you put that second comma in the last sentence...
  • Berkana, on 08/14/2008, -4/+6Effortlessly? I don't think so.
  • MacTyler, on 08/14/2008, -0/+2No, you would just have even more problems getting laid.
  • cliffzdude, on 08/14/2008, -0/+2Spam.

    Take some lessons. Adult lessons aren't embarrassing, the cost of group lessons is dirt cheap. I'm a swimmer - used to swim competitively. I've taught adult lessons many times. The idea of a DVD may sound compelling, but it ignores the feedback from a coach-teacher who can watch your stroke on deck. Sure you can record your stroke, but do you really know how to properly correct your own mistakes?

    I applaud anybody who wants to learn to swim better! Welcome to our sport! But heed my advice, even a young high school (or club) swimmer who teaches group adult lessons can teach you proper stroke mechanics far better than you can teach yourself. Learning the right way the first time is very important. Its far easier to learn a proper stroke than it is to correct a poor stroke.

  • ZMann, on 08/14/2008, -0/+1This guy couldn't swim more than 2 laps in a pool shorter than 20 meters when he started? That's like starting out runner's training and not getting past your mailbox...

    Plus he should have been working out in a real pool (minimum 25m).
    Plus he complains about his shoulders hurting after using paddles saying, "Isn't swimming supposed to be low-impact?" Swimming IS low-impact, sometimes you get sore if you're WORKING OUT MUSCLES YOU'VE NEVER USED.

    Tim, quit your bitching, suck it up and put some effort into it!
  • reedsr, on 08/15/2008, -0/+1I have 4th graders that swim for me that swim more than 2400m in a workout, When I swam we went up to 11,000m in a workout.

  • kaleesh, on 08/15/2008, -0/+1total immersion works for other things like programming and calculus too :) don't knock it till ya try it!
  • inactive, on 08/14/2008, -1/+2Why are people digging down a George Carlin quote? More importantly, why are you trying to pass off a George Carlin quote as your own?

    Don't say that the George Carlin quote is "Swimming is a way to keep from drowning" and therefore you're not a hack, because you still are.
  • cliffzdude, on 08/14/2008, -0/+1Oye, and "waxing the dolphin" would take on an entirely new light.
  • fastswimguy, on 08/14/2008, -2/+3For all those interested in swimming, I am here to help.
  • LR2_, on 08/14/2008, -0/+1To be fair, both products have above-average review ratings on Amazon. Personally though, I'm going to wait it out until someone puts them up on bt.
  • sfacets, on 08/14/2008, -0/+11) Live near a swimming pool.
  • WhiteIce89, on 08/14/2008, -0/+1MrBabyMan finds time to do a couple of laps in between submitting articles?
  • vclortho, on 08/14/2008, -0/+1Did you have to take MrBabyMan's dick out of your mouth to make that comment?
  • gandhii, on 08/14/2008, -1/+2400 yards isn't even a warm up... much less a workout.
  • RezzedOut, on 08/15/2008, -0/+1I learned TOTAL IMMERSION when I started swimming. I picked it up so I could compete in triathlons. I ran XC in high school and was on my bike all the time anyway. Just swimming with my face in the water was not second nature, no matter how matter how much 'swimming' I did as a kid.

    I read quite a few articles by Terry Laughlin about technique in the triathlon mag's I bought. I focus on technique tons anymore since I only get the summer months to swim. The drills I learned in those books have made me the swimmer I am today. I'm not fast, but I can hop in the pool and swim 1500m any time of the year due to TOTAL IMMERSION.

    Some people were lucky to grow up with swimming. I was not, but I wish I had more time to swim. The pool here where I live closes for the summer. I savor these last few flip turns and the 12 strokes across the 25m pool each lap. THANKS TOTAL IMMERSION.
  • gandhii, on 08/14/2008, -0/+1I'll make it even easier. Step one. Join a masters team with a decent coach or buy some lessons. Step two. Go out and have beers with your new swimmer friends and quit taking this ***** so damned seriously. Swimmers know how to party.
  • funkytaco, on 08/14/2008, -0/+1Wow, is your swimming technique really that bad? Breath control was the biggest help for me. I learned it by jogging in cadence while counting 1,2,3,4 every time my left foot touched.
  • Fetching more discussions...
    Show 51 - 80 of 80 discussions

  • Add a Comment

    Login or register to comment!
    Or, sign-in super fast with your Facebook account ...


© Digg Inc. 2009 — Content created and posted by Digg users is dedicated to the public domain | Terms of Use Updated | Privacy Policy
DIGG, DIGG IT, DUGG, DIGG THIS, Digg graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, scripts, and other service names are the trademarks of Digg Inc.