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I got frustrated and didn't swim for next 6 years, till my wife forced me to get back to swimming last year. I taught myself the basic swimming about 7 years back. That is when I got this book, and in one year, my stroke has improved so much that I can do 30-40 laps non stop without tiring or getting out of breath. However I could never improve my stroke from a certain level, because it was not efficient. I always used to get out of breath after doing a lap or two. So I am very satisfied for the money I spent, comparing it to the lessons from a professional trainer.Now for the book, you can skip all the initial chapters and go straight to the drills, it is the drills that make the difference, rest of the book can be ignored barring some training plans mentioned later in the book. Some reviewers mention that it is lacking the pictures, well the drills section has images and of-course everyone is a little different, so some effort from the reader's side to experiment is needed to make their stroke better.
It works. It must be complemented watching videos (type the title of the book on youtube). I use also a snorkel that works perfectly with this technique.
This book, in combination with video clips on the Total Immersion website, taught me how to swim comfortably, with fewer strokes and less exertion than some of the tri-fanatics I trained with. I always loved the water, but I'd never been taught to swim freestyle and I wanted to compete in a triathlon. I tried going to some Masters swim classes but after months of trying I was still exhausted after only 100 meters, and the 1/2 mile ocean swim looked increasingly impossible. Now I easily swim long distances for fun, breathing comfortably on both sides - and believe me, it never would have happened without this book. I love this book and find myself recommending it frequently to people who ask me for advice at the pool.
This book is an essential for any coach wanting to assist individuals with open water swimming. Individuals will benefit greatly from the use of this book but will find greater value when complimented by an experienced coach. The video is also of real value
But I love being in the water. Now swimming is more like a meditation practice or a dance class where the energy of mindfulness is the source of movement (and stillness), not willpower or habit. 20 years later I have begun to use the drills and concepts in this book and now I am even faster than ever with fewer strokes. I give a a close to excellent rating for this book because it has rocked my world and I have fallen in love with water (again) in a way I didn't know was possible. I am about 30 lbs overweight and have been steadily and slowly shedding pounds through swimming. When I was on a swim team, I became the fastest sprinter in a short time and after training only 2 months with the slowest swimmers on the team. I am not a triathlete, I do not swim competitively although I used to in High School. out of my swimming and out to rot in the sun - I never liked them to begin with.
I am guessing much of what Terry Laughlin has come up against in the form of resistance to this totally new 'outside the box' approach to swimming justifies the many pages spent trying to convince nay sayers that the old way is inferior. I also love leaving the kickboards, pullboys, paddles etc. I do not need to be convinced. As a sprinter who has always shirked long distance training regimes, I can now swim nonstop for much longer periods than I ever had before. (My real background is dancing). I have been telling my friends that this is like doing a yoga practice in water.I know that the author wants to reach a wide audience.
This is not as important to me as how I feel in the water, how I relate to it and how I feel after my TI practice. I used to jump in the water and just swim without paying any attention to how I moved. My only criticism of the book is that it is oriented a little too much towards triathletes and males at that, and not enough towards other types of folks who love to be physical - like dancers. This book is totally awesome and TI will be known through history as the turning point in the evolution of all swimmer's' relationship to water.
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