Swim Smooth v Total Immersion

Hi Forumites,

Welcome to the latest addition of 'AD's Newbie Questions'.  I was wondering if anyone could recommend Swim Smooth or Total Immersion - as in the books, and which one is better than the other?

Thanks everyone!

-AD

never heard of either of them , sorry!  but welcome!  good luck with the research and the swimming that follows it.....

They'll both get wet in the pool    

I have both books but not really studied the swimsmooth one yet.

The total immersion book i have is a bit out of date in comparison with the DVD, I believe they have updated some of the methods on the DVD as they found that people  were taking them the wrong way.

I think both systems are good and will help a beginner swimmer, but I prefer the swimsmooth system, it seems less prescriptive to me, for example the TI method will have you look at the bottom of the pool, The swimsmooth system will have you try looking at the bottom, ahead and in between then doing what works best for you.

how on earth can you learn a technique from a book.......no doubt in my mind i would   believe i looked like a dolphin going through the water gracefully..doing everything correctly...where as in reality i would be floundering like a beached whale

the floundering works for me , bad as I am at swimming it is always my highest ranking discipline in any event , even those times I was talked into a duathlon..

Personal preference but I prefer TI to swimsmooth. I like the "more prescriptive" element and the emphasis on being relaxed. And I can get 1:1 tuition locally which is a huge bonus (but not cheap!). 

Mr F taught himself to swim from the TI book, non front crawler to 10K Dart swimmer in 18 months, not to do the 10K, that only took 3 hours, but to learn to swim. Drawback, get him started on the subject and he sounds like he's trying to get you into his cult. A friend has recommended Swim Smooth as a progression from TI so the guru is getting a copy for Christmas.

Kate.you had me laughing at your husband  and the cult thing .easily done 

Hi all, I have just bought and watched the Swim Smooth DVD, 10 steps to front crawl, the DVD cost £30. I don't even think that it's good value for complete beginners, all the tips and instructions can be found on the Swim Smooth site, or on the internet / you tube.  So if anyone is thinking about buying a copy, I would think again and save yourself £30. Just my opinon.      

I've got both books. I've not managed to read more than a chapter or two of Total Immersion but have got through most of Swim Smooth as I found it easier to follow.

I've also got the Swim Smooth DVD, the one with the 8 week training plan on CD, which I've found useful purely because you can see how the drills are supposed to be performed, which I was struggling to get my head around when simply reading the descriptions.

One to One

or even coached as part of a group

then use Swim smooth.

Some of it you just can't learn from t'web.

Even the Ti officionados only really started to rave once they had been to Ti coached sessions.

Before the internet was invented and before Marketing had devised Total Immersion and SwimSmooth, we used to have something called "Swimming Lessons" or "Adult Improvers". Please please please, use these resources. They still exist.

Totally agree with Blisters. What I think I am doing when I swim is completely different to what I am actually doing. I've possibly been indoctrinate with TI now though so I'm part of that cult lol.

I did the TI weekend ... what i got out of it was the principals rather than the 'all in for the technique' sort of thing