For over a decade, Swimlab’s core coaching principles have been aligned with the Total Immersion™ swimming method, which is a US based worldwide swimming organisation.
When I took part in a weekend Total Immersion (TI™) Workshop in 2007 in Hong Kong, I was blown away by the changes in my stroke. I always remember swimming my first TI™ 25m and being surprised at my sudden speed and effortlessness. I wasn’t expecting the wall to come so quickly, I bashed my knuckles so hard, and almost swam ‘through’ the end of the pool!
As an educator, and coach of swimming my experience was a ‘light bulb’ moment. I realised how swimming could and should be coached. I was hooked and wanted in!
I love how the TI™ method flips more conventional coaching on its head, making the reduction of waste—in effort, energy, and time—the foremost consideration in its training programs and prescriptions. I love the challenge of learning how to deconstruct swimming problems as it:
- promotes learning mini skills to construct a stroke
- views ‘errors’ an invaluableway of learning
- cultivates a sense of swimming curiosity amongst its followers
- encourages the skill of FOCUS being the corner stone to swimming improvement above all else.
Finally. I feel honoured to have had the privilege of being coached by the late Terry Laughlin, and more so, to have had him as my swimming mentor for so many years.
KIND WORDS FROM THE SWIMLAB COMMUNITY
