GUE fundamentals

[elgoog]

In swim trunks alone, I'm pretty floaty and it was a huge effort to try and get even 1-2ft below the surface. My instructor let me wear a weight belt and that made an enormous difference.

 

[BlueTrin]

In swim trunks alone, I'm pretty floaty and it was a huge effort to try and get even 1-2ft below the surface. My instructor let me wear a weight belt and that made an enormous difference.

Did you try to get only half of lungs full ?
I get negative with 3/4 of lungs full roughly.

 

[Graeme Fraser]

A lot of people have no idea how fast or slow they actually swim and the temptation can be to set off like a scolded cat and burn yourself out. During practice sessions I would recommend initially just looking at completing the distance requirements and then work out your average lap time. In a standard 25m pool it will be 11 lengths at just under a minute a lap. Once you've got a target pace worked out it won't be as bad as you think.

Also try to work on your technique. Stretch your strokes rather than pulling them too soon and try to settle into a rhythm.

Good luck.

 

[elgoog]

Did you try to get only half of lungs full ? I get negative with 3/4 of lungs full roughly.

Yes, this was even after a big exhale.

We spent some time trying to figure out how I could comfortably stay under water, not just for the breath hold swim, but because we were going to spend a couple of hours doing the fin kicks in the pool and you have to be submerged for this to really get anything useful out of it. Once the weight belt thing worked out, all the kick practice was happening almost exactly midwater in a 10ft pool.

 

[BlueTrin]

Yes, this was even after a big exhale.

We spent some time trying to figure out how I could comfortably stay under water, not just for the breath hold swim, but because we were going to spend a couple of hours doing the fin kicks in the pool and you have to be submerged for this to really get anything useful out of it. Once the weight belt thing worked out, all the kick practice was happening almost exactly midwater in a 10ft pool.

I have the opposite problem: during front crawl if I exhale too much I will be head down.

My swimming instructor told me to exhale slowly and a bit before I take my breathe in, I do a full exhale quickly before to take my breath when rotating the mouth on the side.

 

[KevinNM]

Do you know what happens if I fail the swim test, do I still get to do the rest of the training (not that I plan to fail it but I would like to know), and I get a chance later to do the swim test ? Or does it prevent from doing the class at all ?

You won’t be stopped from taking the class unless the instructor thinks you are unsafe. If you don’t complete all the requirements but the instructor thinks you can within 6 months you get a provisional. You have to complete the missed requirements with that instructor or some other instructor they designate within 6 months.

If you are clearly not capable of competing the requirements in 6 months then you fail. For example, say you take a doubles course and can’t reach your valves. Performing a bad and or flaky valve drill would probably get you a provisional. Not being able to ever start it gets you a failure.

 

[BlueTrin]

Not really that much. If your are preparing wrong, you will have to relearn it, so the preparation would be pointless. The one thing that is good to practice is just maintaining a stable and quiet position in the water. In the shallows, get yourself close to the bottom and just hang there. No ascending or descending, no flailing of arms/legs, etc, etc. and just practice maintaining that stable quite position.

Thanks I tried today and I can’t believe how much difference it makes to be close to the bottom. Don’t know why but I was able to do 10m by just moving closer to the bottom

You won’t be stopped from taking the class unless the instructor thinks you are unsafe. If you don’t complete all the requirements but the instructor thinks you can within 6 months you get a provisional. You have to complete the missed requirements with that instructor or some other instructor they designate within 6 months.

If you are clearly not capable of competing the requirements in 6 months then you fail. For example, say you take a doubles course and can’t reach your valves. Performing a bad and or flaky valve drill would probably get you a provisional. Not being able to ever start it gets you a failure.

That’s great to hear, not too much pressure then

 

[Graeme Fraser]

Thanks I tried today and I can’t believe how much difference it makes to be close to the bottom. Don’t know why but I was able to do 10m by just moving closer to the bottom



That’s great to hear, not too much pressure then

It may sound obvious, but when it comes to swimming without fins, your arms are providing about 80% of the forward thrust. If you thrash your legs about, those big muscles are demanding a lot of oxygen for not much pay back. This is particularly evident when breath-hold swimming underwater.

When / where are you doing your fundies? Hopefully you'll do a post course report as it'd be interesting to here about.

 

[BlueTrin]

It may sound obvious, but when it comes to swimming without fins, your arms are providing about 80% of the forward thrust. If you thrash your legs about, those big muscles are demanding a lot of oxygen for not much pay back. This is particularly evident when breath-hold swimming underwater.

When / where are you doing your fundies? Hopefully you'll do a post course report as it'd be interesting to here about.

Next week in Vobster.

Yea, I watched a few vids and read: for underwater swimming it seems to be about using your CO2 limit the most efficiently.

I think my problem is that my technique is probably wrong because I don’t glide like this guy: I generate a lot less power.

 

[Graeme Fraser]

Next week in Vobster.

Yea, I watched a few vids and read: for underwater swimming it seems to be about using your CO2 limit the most efficiently.

I think my problem is that my technique is probably wrong because I don’t glide like this guy: I generate a lot less power.

I might be there next weekend as well. I like Vobster, it has a nice chilled out atmosphere, particularly if the sun's shinning!