Training Bregor

I didn't realize that Cottmiler had also noted the smart outfit worn by our local KPN. I did wonder if he was training me to breathe in a certain way to calm me down.
I still find that the twist of the upper body to raise the head is the action that I have to work on and Cottmiler has helped by using various drills. The pull by the "lower" arm has helped the twist. In the past I had to learn to roll a kayak without using a paddle and remember the hip flick being the key and being difficult to achieve consistently.
I have been encouraged by doing half lengths of my primitive version of the full stroke - at least I seemed to be obtaining a rhythm and more speed to help my body balance. The 6-1-6 exercise will be helpful.
My breaststroke is now firmly at 16 strokes per pool length and I am encouraged by that. I have changed the direction of the arm movements to be more horizontal - as suggested by Don W - and think it is helping.

The double kick in the breast stroke is a big hit with me - I seem to have added speed where I used to have a glide.
The result was to do the 30m length in one stroke less.
At this stage I still have loads of work to do on the freestyle but feel that my attempts are getting better. Having lost four months of aerobic fitness I realize that just the exercise of breathing in and out heavily is tiring me prematurely. Also I now am trying to breath in "over my shoulder - watching the arm on that side exit the water behind me". As a pupil I like having lots of technical aspects to think of - even with the obvious risk of confusion. When some part of the stroke goes wrong I now have much in my mind to use to guide me how to correct things.
Looking forward to the next lesson.

On 16 November my lesson was positive. My initial length of freestyle was still an effort because of the intensity of the breathing. However I then did 3 separate lengths of drills which were far less exhausting. Yes this is trivial unless the fitness of your lungs is a constraint on progress - but it is a step change for me to advance from half length drills to full length drills.
My breast-stroke was now at 14 strokes per length.
Cottmiler has provided me with plenty of drill ideas and what to look for and when he was away one week I found I could usefully practice many aspects.

We had an interesting session yesterday.  Bregor's enthusiasm knows no bounds!  At his age we have to try all sorts of different actions in order to find out what works.

The No. 1 priority is body balance.  There is no hiding from it.  Whilst a youngster can get this quickly by doing frantic foot flapping (kicking drills), the older learner has a greater challenge and must learn it with core control and a forceful coach.

He insisted on having a go with the Ankle Band!  Later he wriggled about and did some Unco – breathing to the stationary arm side!  This was not half bad and I just stood there amazed!

He had a go swimming up the pool with alternate arms and I noticed he was breathing every fourth stroke.  This is a major advance since previously he had usually attempted the 30 m breathing just pure(!) water.

We make sure he breathes the other side on the return lap.  When you think that there are seasoned swimmers who can’t breathe either side.  He has tried breathing each side but finds this hard.

Anyhow this is the bit that will make some readers rather  incredulous.  Knowing that he could do a lap breathing every fourth stroke and that breathing every second was too hard he forced me to tell him about Bilateral Breathing.

With Bilateral Breathing dialed into his County Chess Player brain, he set off.  You will not believe that he took to this like a 6 gill shark to water!

He loved the rhythm and body roll and the central balance position during the lap.  Maybe not Jono Van Hazel style yet but several onlookers were as equally astonished and impressed as me!

Next week is his last lesson for 4.5 months and we must cure a slight leg action error so he can practice over winter.

cottmiler wrote:
...We make sure he breathes the other side on the return lap.  When you think that there are seasoned swimmers who can’t breathe either side.  He has tried breathing each side but finds this hard.

Anyhow this is the bit that will make some readers rather  incredulous.  Knowing that he could do a lap breathing every fourth stroke and that breathing every second was too hard he forced me to tell him about Bilateral Breathing.
With Bilateral Breathing dialed into his County Chess Player brain, he set off.  You will not believe that he took to this like a 6 gill shark to water!...

Bregor's comment that he preferred inhaling every 4th arm stroke rather than every 2 - "chimed" with me, I know those of us getting "a bit long in the tooth" are supposed to need more air than the younger bods (lung capacity reducing as we age) - but perhaps also, our air exchange mechanism works a bit more slowly as we get older.  What am trying to say, is that it takes a "wee bit" longer for our systems to use, or process, the new intake of oxygen. So some of us can't "manage" sudden explosive exhalations - but benefit more, from a slower exhalation, hence feeling happier with the longer gap between inhalations.  However, it all seems to me, to depend on the rate of expenditure of energy - e.g. when swimming a leisurely breast stroke, the rate of energy expenditure is low, so one can easily make a more prolonged exhalation during the UW arm recovery/glide, than can an FS swimmer aiming to "get a move on" could manage. 

Give Bregor a medal for managing a satisfactory FS with inhalation on every 3rd arm stroke.  I "cheat" a bit, when doing it to avoid complications when I inhale on my "less happy" side.  On my "happy" inhalation (right) side, I start inhaling during the up-sweep of my stroking right arm.  However, knowing from experience that on my left side things can easily go awry - I turn my head to inhale very shortly after the left arm enters the water, probably during the left arm's down-sweep to a catch.  If I forget, and inhale as on my right side (i.e. during the stroking left arm's up-sweep) then my stroking left arm usually goes way out to the side, in the direction of my head turn - not good!!!

The first time I tried this I was impressed by the orderly way in which the body movements could be done. It seems as if there is a middle phase when I do not need to breathe in which I can look straight down and try to be as streamlined as I can. Then when a stroke is needed I have had that extra time to prepare to watch my arm coming out of the water etc etc.
Don's comments on breathing interest me. I found that the intense breathing has been what tires me out most. It is also this aspect that has helped me regain fitness.
Sad to say today's lesson will be the last for a few months for travel reasons. I am extremely grateful to Cottmiler who has patiently guided me to a stage where I have made progress and have many drills and pieces of knowledge to enable me to continue to develop.

Best wishes Bregor - just keep at it!

Bregor had been swimming a few times whilst I was away so yesterday's session had been eagerly awaited.

We started with streamlined pushoffs but with hard exhaling from the get go.  This discipline needs to be learnt.  

We went through the usual body balance trials and arm actions.  He managed a lap or two but arrived exhausted each time because swimming uphill is rather hard.  We did sink downs to get rid of carbon dioxide.

Next we tried to tame the arm actions which were going too wide and causing the body to fight back like a cage fighter.  This was done by doing finger tip drag drill* with catchup.  This keeps the elbows high out of the water and next to the body line and ready to enter correctly.

The realisation that all this could be done in slow motion wasn't lost on Bregor.  

He then managed a couple more laps BUT without arriving ready for paramedic resuscitation!  A definite advance this week.

*Here is nightcrawler doing this sort of thing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNaOIUsESBs

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Last week was rewarding for me. At the start I was exhausted at the end of only one length. Then patiently Cottmiler dealt with various defects in my stroke and at the end of the lesson I completed a length without being out of breath!!! That was the first time in my life that I have achieved that! Thanks.
A great help in improving body balance and stroke was to look back as I trailed my fingers forward across the top of the water to reach far in front. Also my hands needed to have closed fingers and I needed reminding about the timing of the stroke's power.
BREGOR 31/1/2018

We've resumed the training and Bregor's improved fitness is noticeable.

At the end of the session we had a break through. Getting into the Total Immersion skate position, shown below, takes some practice for a beginner especially if the feet are not very flappy but Bregor did it.

From here he was able roll the body from side to side and pull with alternate arms whilst maintaining the body balance which is so crucial. Proper swimming!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Swp1cWO7mCA

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Learning to swim with 1 hour a week is a modest venture and Bregor has started to add an hour of his own to this which is good news.

In an effort to ditch the breast stroke leg from his front crawl I slapped some Maru training fins on his 90 degree feet yesterday and he liked them. Luckily they are flexible enough to allow a little bit of toe flick propulsion to happen.

So we tried a bit of backstroke, dolphin kick and front crawl to train the legs what to do.

He's even thinking of buying some which will be good.

nice training Bregor

i will be working on my own training too but will require some recommendation https://dausel.co/kBxsee