Backstroke for Every Body
Better Fly for Every Body
Breaststroke for Every Body
Extraordinary Swimming for Every Body
Outside the Box:
Triathlon Swimming: Made EasyDo you have three minutes to spare?
Not just any time. Specifically the three minutes just before you enter the pool, or any body of water.
If you do, try this: Sit or stand wherever you’re comfortable. Then breathe through your nose, counting down 20 breaths.
Each time you exhale, think: 20 . . . 19 . . . 18 . . .
Try to think of nothing else, but the act of exhaling and the number you silently ‘breathe.’
When you reach One, enter the water and begin your practice.
The first time you try this, set a single goal: To focus only on a relaxing and complete exhale. Leave a small ’empty’ space –lungs and mind–before the next inhale.
The second time, slow your breathing, slightly but progressively, as you count down. See if that leaves you feeling more relaxed and calmer.
The third time, notice any stray thoughts (other than breathing and counting) that occur. Practice letting them go and returning your focus to where you intend.
As you begin swimming, check in on the following:
- Do you feel more relaxed physically?
- Do you feel a little calmer mentally–perhaps a bit more detached from whatever you were doing before coming to the pool?
- Are you a little less distracted, more able to focus on the skills or sensations you’re aiming to improve?
If so, you’ve begun mastering the most important swimming skill of all — the ability to notice, to become more self-aware.
In 10 days or so, I’ll share the next level of this skill.
I consider this excersice you suggested
a clue before swimming. It is very common
to jump into the swimming pool without
relaxing, and start swimming carrying the
office stress, the rush we have from the traffic
and much more.
When I swim it takes me a time to feel I
relax and concentrate. Being in the moment is
not an easy task. Thanks for sharing
Beautiful!!! Not only for swiming. 😉
Looking foward to read about the next level.
🙂
[…] Change Your Swimming in Three Minutes Focus: Always a Work in Progress by Terry Laughlin Posted on April 8th, […]
Relaxation and self-awareness in the water should definitely be something we teach children when learning to swim for the first time, especially in Australia where swimming is one of our most popular sports and past times. Having experienced the ultimate ‘panic’ in the water when first doing school beach swimming lessons, I would definitely support this initiative, as there is no worse feeling than entering the water feeling nervous and panicky. I would argue that this could lead to an increased inability to swim, especially when faced with open water conditions like rough waves and strong currents.
I’m not a very good swimmer myself but I find if I swim laps then I will have to do some sort of relation before hand so I don’t shock my body too much. Swimming laps is a difference exercise that I don’t do as often as I should but the relaxation techniques can help with breathing and people that have difficulties with this.
[…] my previous installment in this three part series Change Your Swimming in Three Minutes I suggested setting aside three minutes at the beginning of practice-in most cases before you […]
[…] a 3 minute breathing exercise**. (See Coach Terry’s breathing idea on his […]