Coach Penny Wilkin recommends 10 good reads for swimmers this Christmas Leap in, A Woman, some waves and the will to swim, Alexandra Heminsley From the ignominy of getting into a wetsuit to the triumph of swimming from Kefallinia to Ithaca, in becoming a swimmer, Alexandra learns to appreciate her body and still her mind.     2. Swimming to Antarctica, Lynne Cox Here is the joyful, inspirational memoir of swimmer Lynne Cox. By age sixteen, she had broken all records for English. Channel swims, so she set her goals even higher: She became the first to swim the Strait of Magellan, narrowly escaped a shark attack off the Cape of Good Hope, and was cheered across the twenty-mile Cook Strait of New Zealand by dolphins. Her daring eventually led her to the thirty-eight-degree waters of the Bering Strait, which she crossed in her usual outfit — just a swimsuit, cap, and goggles   3. Blue Mind, Wallace Nichol s Why are we drawn to the ocean each summer? Why does being near water set our mind

By Sarah Hill with Kim Kemp As TI coaches my colleagues and I work with people from all swimming backgrounds including those with different degrees of water phobia or issues around water confidence. Most of us take our confidence in the water for granted but over 13.8 million adults in the UK - that’s about one in four of us - are afraid to take part in any form of swimming. For some, the fear can be so great that it interferes with daily life and has far-reaching effects on the quality of the person’s life, affecting confidence and self-esteem, personal and professional life-style choices and relationships with friends and family. There is no typical client with water confidence issues – it affects people of all ages and backgrounds and has myriad causes; often people have tried and failed many times to overcome their fear through self-help or well-intentioned but often misguided encouragement from family, friends or swimming teachers. Client stories show clearly that a lack of unde

By Sarah Hill The most important aspect of the TI philosophy and methodology is its ‘Kaizen’ approach to swimming that is based on the  philosophy  of continuous, incremental improvement. The Kaizen  concept   originated in Japan; the word translates to mean change (kai) for the good (zen) and was developed to improve manufacturing processes. It is one of the elements which led to the success of Japanese manufacturing through its high quality and low costs. Kaizen is based on the philosophical belief that everything can be improved so nothing is ever seen as a status quo – continuous efforts to improve result in small, often imperceptible changes over time which add up to substantial changes over the longer-term. Using problem-solving to make incremental improvements engages us fully in the change process resulting in better focus and greater satisfaction. A Kaizen approach to swimming is no different – it is about focusing on your own continual incremental improvements, or as TI found

How long have you been swimming? How did you get into it, what you like about it, what motivates you? I started swimming in 2012, when I set myself the challenge to swim the Solent, from Ryde on the Isle of Wight to Portsmouth.   I hadn’t done any swimming since school, other than pottering about on holiday, and by now I was in my fifties, so I set a date for July 2013. Knowing that to get where I needed to be, I would need some serious motivation I selected a charity to raise money for, and in July 2013 me and 3 friends swam for Ryde to Southsea for Motor Neurone Disease. Following that crossing, I decided to make the swim an annual event and launched the Ian Pratt MND Challenge, named in honour of my great friend who sadly lost his battle against MND after such a brave and courageous fight in May 2020.   To date, we have had 257 successful Solent crossings and raised in excess of £200,00 for charity. Check the swim out www.swmmingthesolent4mnd.com . I have personally swum t

A selection of books and videos aligned with the TI spirit of Kaizen and continuous improvement  to help you work on your swimming mindset even if you can't get to the pool. C ompiled by TI coach Penny Wilkin                            Mindset, Carol Dweck Dweck explains why it's not just our abilities and talent that bring us success - but whether we approach them with a fixed or growth mindset. With the right mindset, we can reach our own goals - personal and professional. Dweck reveals how a simple idea about the brain can create a love of learning that is the basis of great accomplishment in every area.   The Talent Code, Daniel Coyle  In The Talent Code, award-winning journalist Daniel Coyle draws on cutting-edge research to reveal that, far from being some abstract mystical power fixed at birth, ability really can be created and nurtured.   Grit Angela Duckworth Psychologist Angela Duckworth takes us on an eye-opening journey to discover the true qua

  By Penny Wilkin and Sarah Hill If you’ve had some Total Immersion swimming lessons or attended one of our workshops, you’ll know how important it is to practise your new skills. But when you get to your public pool you may discover that it’s tricky to find space to do the drills and six-stroke practices, particularly at the moment when pools are often limited to lane-only with stricter rules about overtaking etc. So here are some tips and strategies to help practise your swimming effectively in a public pool. ·         It may sound obvious but do your research first – find out when the pool is quiet, what type of swimmers tend to swim when are there sessions when the pool is set up without lane ropes out? It will be easier to find space to do your drill practise if you don’t need to stick to lanes ·         Have a look around at other pools - some may have a children’s pool available which could be ideal for what you need, best to go outside of family swim times though! ·    

How long have you been swimming? How did you get into it, what you like about it, what motivates you? Well, difficult to say because it would probably be forever. I was born in California where everyone has a pool – yes really – so was in the water from a very early age. I began my triathlon career back in1996. I started to train with a local club, where it became very obvious very quickly that I stood out from the group, at least as a swimmer. Swimming was clearly my strongest discipline and I raced regularly until a skiing accident in 2003 ended it (or so I thought). It wasn’t until 2007 that I really felt strong enough to begin running again. I did the Great North Swim (2 miles) in 2013, at the time the longest outdoor swim I had completed. In 2016 I finally took the plunge and decided to re-dedicate myself to the sport and although I had (I thought) good swim technique I decide to approach a coach and get my swimming looked at properly. What made you go for technique lessons

By Penny Wilkin and Sarah Hill Last week I witnessed some disagreements about the etiquette of lane swimming that ended with two people in tears and disrupted swimming for all those involved. This is such a shame because swimming should be a fun and sociable activity (with the appropriate distancing of course) that we can all enjoy whatever our swimming ability or goals.   In the UK, many pools are still closed so people have far fewer places to swim. Managing the pool space can prove difficult at the best of times and is particularly tricky at the moment when swimmer numbers are so limited and regulations so strict. It’s even more important then that we find a way to negotiate the lanes in order to reduce the potential for the all too familiar incidents of ‘lane rage’ we have all experienced or witnessed at some point, here are some tips to help your swim session go smoothly:   Timetables and lane arrangements are particularly complicated at the moment, most pools now need you

Susan Cheshire Tell us a bit about your swimming background A competitive swimmer through to my late teens, I competed mainly over sprint distances and Individual Medley events.  I stopped swimming after university and got back in the pool after a ten-year break. What hit me the most when I started to swim again was how tiring I found swimming. My first experience of Total Immersion was at a weekend workshop 10 years ago and a light bulb went off.  I have both physically and mentally enjoyed re-learning how to swim; I only wish I knew then what I know now! Tell us about your coaching My main coaching role is as Head of Swimming at Bancroft’s School a co-educational school for 7 to 18-year-olds in Woodford, Essex.  Coaching a broad spectrum of swimmers from those learning to swim to County and National level competitors. My private coaching takes place at Bancroft’s and in central London. I love the variety of individuals I coach from competitive swimmers, triathletes, to long-dista