Level 1 Activities and Complexity

Forums Library Swim Course Instructions Level 1 Activities and Complexity

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    Admin Mediterra
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    Once you have chosen your assignment for the set, you need to choose the activities and quantities to use in that set.

    We provide you with a menu of activities that you may use to develop your control over the skill. You were introduced to these activities at your live TI training experience.

    These activities are listed in the order of their complexity for the neuro-muscular system, starting with most simple activity in which to practice control, to the most challenging activity.

     

    Complexity Made More Simple

    Not much can be done to reduce the overall complexity of swimming smoothly. But Total Immersion has provided us with an effective way to break down that complexity into smaller pieces we can master, one by one, then gradually blend together into a marvelous stroke.

    microskills-whole-stroke-b-800x500

    The complexity of the full freestyle stroke is broken down into skill sets. In each set there are skills, and each skill can be further broken down into micro-skills. In Total Immersion we use focal points which are specific commands we give to our body parts, to train them for their role in that full stroke.

     

    Practice Activities

    You will need to choose activities for each assignment that fit the level of complexity your brain needs – activities that fits your skill, your fitness, and your pace of learning.

    This is a menu of activities that you may use to develop your control over each skill. These are in the order of their complexity for the neuromuscular system, starting with most simple activity in which to practice control, moving to the most challenging activity.

    1. Standing Rehearsal
    2. Drill (with no strokes)
    3. Drill plus 4 strokes (no breathing)
    4. 8 whole strokes (no breathing)
    5. 8 whole strokes (with breathing)
    6. One single length
    7. Multiple lengths with rest between
    8. Multiple lengths with no rest between

    We recommend that you choose three of these to use in a practice set, and use them in the order of complexity.

    You may use a lower complexity activity as a form of active rest between rounds with more difficult activities.

     

    Choose Your Complexity Level

    Level 1 – Choose activities from 1 to 4

    • Standing Rehearsal
    • Drill (with no strokes)
    • Drill plus 4 strokes (no breathing)
    • 8 strokes (no breathing)

    Generally, at Level 1 we encourage you to do short segments within the amount of time you can hold your breath comfortably. Wait to add breathing after you have started to work on the breathing skills.

    Level 2 – Choose activities from 3 to 6

    • Drill plus 3 or 4 strokes (no breathing)
    • 8 strokes (no breathing)
    • 8 whole strokes (with breathing)
    • One single length

    This level assumes you can swim across the pool without great stress, and have some control over your stroke. It assumes you can breathe while swimming without great struggle. If not, consider working with Level 1 activities for a while.

    Level 3 – Choose activities from 4 to 8

    • 8 strokes (no breathing)
    • 8 whole strokes (with breathing)
    • One single length
    • Multiple lengths with rest between
    • Multiple lengths with no rest between

    You may feel you can start at Level 3 for some of the skills, and that is OK. But at any time you run into a skill that is difficult to get control over, we recommend that you switch to a lower level for a while to get your first sense of control. Once you can consistently get control over it at a lower level, you may switch back up to a higher one.

     

    Fine-Tune The Complexity

    To make the practice sets fit your skill level and time just right, you may adjust the activities in these ways:

    • add or remove one practice set
    • adjust the number of repeats in a set
    • adjust the distance or duration of each repeat
    • adjust the amount of rest you take between repeats or sets
    • add a Tempo Trainer that is set to a comfortable (easy) tempo – not too fast, not too slow
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