People & Lessons In Sports/pastimes

[ccc]

It's a good idea, regular lessons. Technique is all with swimming. Getting those hands in the water with minimal turbulence. It starts to just feel right when the technique improves.

The Commie has a good vantage point to watch people's techniques. The one I hate to watch is the breaststroke kick where the swimmer turns their hips and twists their whole body when kicking. Or the freestyle above water head turner, beloved technique of jakies. There are some poeple whose bodies seemed to be permanently shaped by their poor technique/single stroke sessions too, eg one arm slightly unbalanced and the muscles have developed to reinforce it over the years.

That said, when you see someone with good technique, it's a joy to watch. The just cut through with barely a splash.

As with most things in life, most people just don't care, despite the fact, as you say, they would get much more enjoyment from it.

That said, I'm crap at powerful kicking.

Aye the head turn above water is a classic.

I got a simple tip and drill that was basically keeping your cheek against your leading arm as you breathe.

Very simple and easy to master - yet totally changes your body shape in the water.

All you need are 3 or 4 other such drills and tips, and you can go from very average scrappy splasher to very reasonable swimmer in a few months.

Ps - i am pretty surprised at just how much the Commie upgrade cost considering the end result.

[The Knimbies who say No]

Yes. I can pretty play and practice most days. I've been down to scratch for a week (0.4) when I was 19. 37 tomorrow and been playing properly again for 3 years after a massive break of 12 years.

So yes, my job allows both my golf and fitness to be good. I also think that the fact that I use my hands and eye in my work helps.

Interesting, scratch at 19, yikes.

No reason why you won't get there again either. Happy birthday, I'm 37 next time too.

[The Knimbies who say No]

Aye the head turn above water is a classic.

I got a simple tip and drill that was basically keeping your cheek against your leading arm as you breathe.

Very simple and easy to master - yet totally changes your body shape in the water.

All you need are 3 or 4 other such drills and tips, and you can go from very average scrappy splasher to very reasonable swimmer in a few months.

Ps - i am pretty surprised at just how much the Commie upgrade cost considering the end result.

I had to look up the cost- £37M? Does seem like a lot, I've been a few times since it was done up but I'm by no means familiar with it all. Seems they've knocked out the old windtunnel shower corridor, and put rows of lockers in with an open route to the pool. Far fewer showers these days, not that I can ever recall seeing the old ones fully utilised.

I find the no shallow setup end a bit annoying, and the old gutters were nice and deep for an elbow to hang on at the deep end while adjusting goggles quickly. Other than that, have they moved the diving boards round one side of the water polo pool and made it a rectangle in the process?

I'm sure there's more to it than that. A "Homes under the Hammer" type could have refurbed it for about 20k.

I spent many an hour in the Commie of old, it feels like a different place without row upon row of broken blue and orange locker doors and the set-in-the-wall sinks with the side-mounted taps. Felt like stepping into the future as a kid, albeit a 1970s vision of the future.

[davidg]

Yeah I keep putting this off but I want to get a better swimming technique.

are you still in Geneva? I find the main problem is the Swiss are ill disciplined in swimming pools. At the Acacia pool (which is a bit scummy with old tampons and wotnot floating on the bottom) there was even one guy swimming the wrong way up the freakin' swimming lanes.

Still that's probably an advert to swim faster as the fast lanes tend to have the best swimmers, but not many "burds" to look at.

[ccc]

Don't know the full details of the upgrade. However it does look fairly basic for what it cost.

Its very nice and all but that's a lot of money.

I always mind the old boy that used to patrol the showers and kids used to chuck soap at him.

Children can be cruel wee ***** !

[The Knimbies who say No]

Don't know the full details of the upgrade. However it does look fairly basic for what it cost.

Its very nice and all but that's a lot of money.

I always mind the old boy that used to patrol the showers and kids used to chuck soap at him.

Children can be cruel wee ***** !

The tall and skinny man, combover, arms crossed, padding around like a caged animal gone slightly wonky upstairs?

[swissy_fit]

are you still in Geneva? I find the main problem is the Swiss are ill disciplined in swimming pools. At the Acacia pool (which is a bit scummy with old tampons and wotnot floating on the bottom) there was even one guy swimming the wrong way up the freakin' swimming lanes.

Still that's probably an advert to swim faster as the fast lanes tend to have the best swimmers, but not many "burds" to look at.

Do you mean the Vernets pool?(it's near Acacias)

If you think that's scummy you've been out of Britain a long long time!

They maintain good discipline in the faster lanes which I can just about swim in, although sometimes if I'm getting passed too often I change. I actually got out the other day to time a bloke's lengths who kept passing me, he was cruising at under 30s per 50m

I prefer Meyrin or Lignon outdoor pools, brilliant facilities IMO but that's only May to September of course.

[Tuberider]

Have to agree with the OP on this. I got a few swimming lessons at the behest of my Mrs, who was a competetive swimmer in her teenage years. Helped me tremendously, improved by technique 100% and made swimming so much more enjoyable. Gliding up and down the pool rather than thrashing around trying to get to the other end is so much more satisfying. I used to swim 1km a day in the open sea, but slacked down since the kids came along.

She recommended a coaching book as well, Total Immersion by Terry Laughlin. Really good techniques in there. You realize once properly taught, that you don't actually haul yourself through the water using the sheer musclepower in your arms and shoulders, which, as a surfer, was what I was doing before. Caught inside, paddle like crazy, right ? Instead you rotate your trunk / core and the arms merely deliver that power, propelling you forward. My feet don't even kick that hard and it doesn't seem to matter.

Never thought I could swim so well. And this is from someone who surfs big-ish waves and spends a lot of time in the water.

Still have not mastered the flip though.

[ccc]

The tall and skinny man, combover, arms crossed, padding around like a caged animal gone slightly wonky upstairs?

That's the one !!

Never did it myself but have to admit to laughing when others did. Feel rather bad about that as it was in hindsight pretty cruel.

We used to also stop in the flumes all the time and come down the bottom in a group. Now that was fun - got chucked out on more than one occasion.

[ccc]

That book sounds good. May get it.

[The Knimbies who say No]

That's the one !!

Never did it myself but have to admit to laughing when others did. Feel rather bad about that as it was in hindsight pretty cruel.

We used to also stop in the flumes all the time and come down the bottom in a group. Now that was fun - got chucked out on more than one occasion.

Dear dear, I know he was a decent guy from chatting to another member of staff once, a very generous person. That said, he did walk around as if he was wearing an invisible straight jacket, looking quite pained. I guess he was just bored out his skull. I just about remember the wall mounted soap dispensers being installed, the stuff they put in them was only good for chucking, which is just as well. I was in a club at the time and one gobby guy got fully soaped up by everyone else after one session. I've never seen hair so soft.

I wonder how many Edinburgh twenty- and thirty-somethings can say "I've been stationary in Twister"...

Happy days indeed!

[ccc]

River rapids was our favourite choice.

Although our best story was in twister.

We once were there with some guy from school who was a bit of a twit.

So we told him to go down first and stop half way. We would all then come down after and have our usual pagger before flying out at the bottom and getting a telling off as usual.

However once he went down this rather large lady came up the stairs. We decided to be very polite and instead allow her to go in front.

I don't know who got the bigger shock when they saw each other round the second bend.

There was a rather large collision.

[bendy]

The thing that gets me about proper swimming is the 'stick your head in the water and breathe like a seal'.

Probably something to do with cracking my head at the end of the pool when I was younger!

[motch]

Aye that's why i got lessons. Was told its the easiest way to improve your tri time wit just technique and no extra effort.

Ps you must be pretty impressive on a bike and running

What was your run time out of interest.

16:35 for the 5k, it wasn't any top event so I pulled back most on the bike and run, competitors sent off every 30 seconds.

Yes the lessons would be the thing to do for sure, I did have a couple at the time but I really need a 1 on 1 or spend loads of time on each part of the swim to get it sorted out. I'm sort of ok with putting my head in the water but have my head out all the time for breathing. I wear contact lenses and i'm always conscious they're going to fall out. I think I may be slightly ashmatic as my chest gets very tight in the water (maybe stress with the event?). After one length my body/feet drop to almost 45 degrees and i must be causing an immense amount of drag! A quick stop helps a little but then i'm losing time. For some bizarre reason I think i have reverse thrust with my legs, although very powerful when I just kick near the swimming pool wall I tend to move backwards ever so slowly!

[Gigantic Purple Slug]

16:35 for the 5k, it wasn't any top event so I pulled back most on the bike and run, competitors sent off every 30 seconds.

Yes the lessons would be the thing to do for sure, I did have a couple at the time but I really need a 1 on 1 or spend loads of time on each part of the swim to get it sorted out. I'm sort of ok with putting my head in the water but have my head out all the time for breathing. I wear contact lenses and i'm always conscious they're going to fall out. I think I may be slightly ashmatic as my chest gets very tight in the water (maybe stress with the event?). After one length my body/feet drop to almost 45 degrees and i must be causing an immense amount of drag! A quick stop helps a little but then i'm losing time. For some bizarre reason I think i have reverse thrust with my legs, although very powerful when I just kick near the swimming pool wall I tend to move backwards ever so slowly!

Impressive time there motch.

How much faster do you go with a border collie chasing you ?

[ccc]

****** that's an impressive time. You should prob just get a few group lessons. With any less than five its more or less a private one.

There is only so much advice or drills or watching you can do on one person in an hour.

Balance, streamlining, efficiency, rotation and reaching are the main things that make a difference. I think !!

I used to hate swimming - now i don't love it - but don't mind it - all down to only about ten lessons and £75

Do it