I got a really nice (unsolicited) compliment the other day. It’s kind of neat (at the same time strange) when someone you don’t know compliments you on your improvement when you didn’t even know anyone was looking. My response was typical Tom. “Thank you very much, that was very nice of you.” I’ve been told before that I can’t take a compliment, so that is my attempt to receive it (instead of making a face like :-/ ) <—- My chin looks huge that way, I never noticed that before.
I’ve been really concentrating on swimming technique since I started all those hours ago in April, and I am surprised at how much I actually enjoy doing it. Every time across the pool I take one aspect on the stroke and concentrate on only that thing for the whole 25 meters.
Here is a list of what goes through my head (body) as I practice:
Push your chest down as if you are swimming downhill
Keep your arm extended fully as you take a breath
Kick, but don’t break the surface of the water
Pull your arm slowly out of the water, but put it back in as quickly as possible
Rotate from side to side as if drilling through the water
Make as few bubbles and splashes as possible
Don’t hold all your breath in your cheeks
Go as slow as you can
Now go even slower
Be as calm as the water
Lose track of individual muscles
Relax so it doesn’t even feel like swimming
Take as few strokes across as possible
Stretch your torso, be really tall
Start the list over again
The compliment came from an avid swimmer who is at the pool 4 days a week and has been swimming for years, so I guess it makes me feel good that I’m on the right track.
