So I have attended both of our local triathlon training camps here in good ole Halifax (well Dartmouth really) this year. My main reason for going this year was that TriNS had purchased a GoPro camera and was going to do some video analysis of our swimming.
I was of two minds. 1) I didn't want to see how bad I was swimming and 2) I really needed to see why I was swimming so badly. Reason 2 won as I just had to know.
Well the second camp just happened this past weekend and we got to review our videos. Luckily for me I had been taped twice and we all got to crowd around and critique loads of footage of Ian swimming.
I have learned a few things (I would have posted a video but I don't have it at the moment). I am uneven, and one arms is not too bad, while the other arm is signalling for a taxi or something. My hips sink, so my kick tries to compensate, so that looks bad. I breathe like I am drowning (well I knew that one already). And my flip turn looks like an open turn. Well I don't actually flip turn so that is fine.
Words and ideas were thrown about on how to help me correct these things. Catch, turn, rotate, head down, chest down, hips up!!! So basically, learn to swim you fool!
As my readers know, I just learned how to swim. I am finally comfortable enough in the water that I think I can start to figure out how to do these wonderful things like "catch the water." I am obviously, though, going to have to figure out exactly what all of this means. Normally I see all sorts of pictures of descriptions of the "catch." Or else full speed shots of it from pro swimmers. Great! But I still don't actually get it. What the heck is my arm supposed to be doing? And just when I think I start to figure it out I read something different.
Well I picked up a DVD from the library called "The Swim" the other day. I have watched a grand total of 5 minutes so far, but I have high hopes that it will contain some vital p[piece of info that I am missing. I plan on going through it ASAP, and will fill you in on how good (or bad) it really is. And you will be learning the truth from a mediocre swimmers.
But back to video for a second. Get it done. No matter what image you have in your head of you swimming (or running or cycling), you really can't know until you see it through someone else's eyes. And preferably in High Def. And when it comes to swimming, below the water line because that is where you are swimming.
I hope to have a video done later this year, after I have time to digest the info given to me, and figure out what it all means. And once I figure out how I should look under the water.
Hey, don't get me wrong here, I am really happy with where I am. I couldn't front crawl at all 2 years ago at my first triathlon. And here I am coming in only slightly behind the group in a training session now. But maybe I can get to the point where I am with the slow people, and no the slow person.
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