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February 24, 2006

Starting From Scratch

A few weeks ago, I worked up the nerve to ask the swim teacher at my gym if we could arrange some time to go over my stroke technique and whatnot. I'd been thinking about it for a while, but it took me a while to work up the nerve to actually ask the teacher. I'm one of the weaker swimmers in the class, and also very easily intimidated... so, I was sort of afraid of her for a while. Which, is ridiculous, because she's actually very nice. (This is the same issue that, in college, made me too afraid to ask the TAs for help when I actually needed it, but that's neither here nor there.) Anyhow, it took us a few weeks to figure out a time when we were both available, but, finally, we met up at 8:30 last Saturday morning.

I'll admit - I was excited about getting some one-on-one help, but I was also a little terrified by the fact that she would be watching me swim, because there'd be no one else there. (Yes, I know that's the point of the individual time, but I'm still a little self-conscious about my swimming, since I know I'm not very good right now. It's like when I first started running - the idea of someone I knew seeing me run - or anyone at all seeing me run - absolutely terrified me - because I knew I was in horrible shape and couldn't run all that well.) However, once we got started, it was OK. I just worried about focusing on what she was telling me to do, and spent so much time thinking about that that I totally forgot I was Being Watched.

I spent an hour working with her, doing lots and lots of position drills. I sort of hate these things with a burning, fiery passion, since I always end up swallowing about 12 gallons of pool water while swimming sideways. However, after spending an hour doing nothing but them, that issue got a little better. Basically, I had to learn how to swim all over again. The last time I had any sort of swim instruction was more than 10 years ago, which was also the last time I did any sort of non-recreational swimming. Apparently, one can develop a lot of bad habits through neglect. Everything about my stroke was wrong - my arm position entering the water, where my arms were entering the water, my body rotation, my head position while I was breathing - nothing was how it was supposed to be, and most of that was so ingrained, somehow, that she'd tell me to change something, I'd think I did, and it would turn out I'd done it exactly the same as before. Which is to say, wrong.

However, by the end of the hour, I had actually made some progress. Sure, my hip rotation was still a little funky on one side, but most of the major issues had been fixed. Even better, I had been able (through the many hated drills) to get a good feel for what it should feel like. On top of that, the last few lengths I swam, with my new improved stroke? Felt like the easiest things ever. Clearly, all of my bad habits were making me work way too hard. I said something along those lines to her, and she said, "Swimming's supposed to be easy, if you're not trying to go fast. It's a lazy sport."

I skipped the group workout on Monday night, because I was afraid that the pressure of trying to keep up with everyone else in the class would put me right back in to all my bad old habits. Instead, I went and swam on my own for about a half an hour or so after work on Wednesday. Up and down the pool I went, focusing on my rotation. Back and forth, back and forth. I can't even begin to tell you how relaxing it was. I was able to empty my mind of pretty much everything else except back and forth, and it was absolutely wonderful. I stopped when I could feel my form slipping a bit - I figured I was getting tired, and rather than push myself through another 10-15 minutes with bad form, I called it an evening. When I got out of the pool, I hardly felt like I'd been working at all. It was absolutely wonderful.

I'm still undecided about going to the group workout Monday night - I think I want to take another week or two to just swim on my own, and make sure I've got the new form locked into my brain before I jump into that. Plus, I think I almost preferred swimming on my own - without having to count lengths, or worry about going too slow for the other people in my lane or holding the class back - it was great. It was the mellow time that I very much needed last week.

Posted by Dawn at February 24, 2006 10:56 AM

Comments

Posted by: jeff at February 24, 2006 06:04 PM

Posted by: Reece at February 24, 2006 10:23 PM