How do I get more efficient at swimming?

I can swim well enough to stay alive if I fall in the water. I can tread water and make it from one end of the pool to the other and (probably) back. My problem is that my stroke (crawl) is very inefficient - I get very tired very fast. Fitness or raw strength is not an issue - I can run almost indefinitely, bench 2X my body weight, etc. etc.....

Is my best bet to engage an instructor to teach me how to swim properly? I am pretty much self taught as a kid, so I am sure I am doing a bunch of things wrong.

I think an instructor can do wonders. Also if you have a friend who knows how to swim and is willing to look at your swimming and give you advice to improve your stroke that would be helpful as well.

+1 on the instructor. Or find a masters group that has all abilities and try it out. The good masters groups have coaches that will work with you on your form.

Perhaps an instructor can optimize your effort/results ratio, but if your goal is to say, keep swimming for an hour, you dont need an instructor.

I was pretty bad at it and ags pretty quickly but if you keep doing it after a short amount of time youll find yourself wimming and never tiring.

I used to struggle to reach the other end but after just repeating it for a few times a day, in a couple of monthes or less i was swimming for an hour without feeling tired.

Good form and pacing yourself along with a ton of water time will do the trick.

Swimming is about efficiency moreso than any other sport due to the extra amount of drag on the body. A smooth and efficient stroke increases speed drastically.

I can't help beyond that because I suck at swimming. I wish I were better but I hate chlorinated pools so I rarely practice.

Originally Posted by why

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Swimming is about efficiency moreso than any other sport due to the extra amount of drag on the body. A smooth and efficient stroke increases speed drastically.

I can't help beyond that because I suck at swimming. I wish I were better but I hate chlorinated pools so I rarely practice.

Most people can learn good form but push it way too hard. They're good for 50 yards but would die if they tried to swim 6000 yards. Swimming distance is not about raw strength, it's all about finding a sustainable pace and maximizing energy use which done by using good form.

With form one can speed up in the pool. Distance and time in the pool can be had by doing. It's that simple. First you swim for a couple of laps. Next you swim a couple of laps extra... You'll get my drift.

Throw a couple of sharks in the swimming pool. I'm sure you'll turn into a pro in no time...

just swim a lot more, and if you dont get better at swimming, at least you will be able to swim more.

I don't understand why swimming threads don't inspire the vitriol that bodybuilding threads do. Try saying "just do it more, you'll get better" in one of those...

If you continue to swim with poor technique, you WILL **** up your shoulders. A good coach is best, but you can read about proper technique and watch videos:

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IMO the keys are proper mechanics of the catch and body rotation, which will allow you to get the most out of each stroke. You see so much ****** technique in the average lap pool and when you have to wait for these people it's just

IMHO, this is the best approach to swimming instruction and technique.

http://www.totalimmersion.net/

The advice you are getting on this thread is the typical old school approach -- go swim 10, 000 laps and eventually you'll 'get it.'

A swim stroke is a complex blend of balance, leg, arm, body rotation and breathing.

Terry Laughlin, recognized that energy efficiency and hydrodynamics were the key. He developed a series of drills to allow a beginner to isolate the components of the crawl stroke and build the swimiming motion one component at a time.

It starts with balance. The human body is not designed for the water.

The top half of you body is buoyant -- because of your lungs. The bottom half of your body (legs) is dense and tends to sink. This is why you are so exhausted after one lap. Your legs tend to sink, dragging your whole body under. Instinctively, you react by frenzied, rapid kicking. The kicking motion elevates the legs back up to the surface. But, of course, this is anaerobic and can only be sustained for a brief period.

What this approach does is teach a method that develops a subtle balance around the hips, so that legs will remain horizontal and not sink.

Once that is mastered, the second step is a rotation of the body. That rotation enlists the major muscles of the body into the swimming motion and provides a rhythm that your body will instinctively embrace giving you ample opportunities for breathing, long efficient arm stroke and slow, minimal kick.

This method is favored by triathletes (that's how I got into it -- it conserves leg muscles for the cycling and running) and is taught to all applicants to the Navy SEAL program.

Regards
Coburn

Thanks for all the responses! I might try to see if I find an instructor to look at my mechanics. The point made by Coburn in the last post seems particularly germane. I always feel like my bottom half is a dead weight that I am dragging around by my arms and when I try to help out by kicking harder I invariably get exhausted. Unfortunately there doesn't seems to be a Total Immersion instructor in Oregon.

Wait until Spring, then go to the Portland Parks and Rec website and sign up for a class. I think they offer them one-at-a-time like a drop-in program. The good news is that I think they have adult and kids' classes so you won't look like a loser or a pervert.

Unless you want to try out for the Olympics, I tend to think any regular instructor should be able to help you with the basic strokes.

Yes Total Immersion is what I was trying to think of, but could not remember the name. My brother studied their stuff and gave me some of their drills. Good stuff.