Swim Ultra-Efficient Freestyle!

By Terry Laughlin

Swim Ultra-Efficient Freestyle! - Terry Laughlin
  • Release Date: 2015-01-31
  • Genre: Sports & Outdoors
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 15 Ratings

Description

Terry Laughlin is the world’s most trusted expert on swimming technique. His first book "Total Immersion: The Revolutionary Way to Swim Better, Faster, and Easier" is the best-selling swimming book ever. His innovative Total Immersion methods have helped a million ‘average’ swimmers around the world swim with a skill, confidence, and satisfaction unmatched by any other approach.

Terry’s latest book, Swim Ultra-Efficient Freestyle, is the clearest, simplest, and most comprehensive explanation ever published on swimming technique (and perhaps for any human-movement skill.)  Whether you’re a beginner or have swum for decades; whether you swim for health and relaxation or for endurance and speed; you’ll find insights and instruction (visual aids too) on every page that will provide clear direction on how to swim smarter, better . . . faster.

You’ll learn about a path-breaking ‘fishlike’ approach to swimming freestyle--the first major innovation in this technique in 100 years. These techniques evolved originally to help late-starting adults (the vast majority self-taught) progress rapidly from struggling to swim a short distance to covering long distances with striking ease and skill. They've subsequently been embraced by swimmers of all kinds—including the U.S. Navy Seals!

TI techniques are the world’s most efficient because of two critical innovations:

1. Adapting the balance, streamlined profiles, and integrated propulsion of fish and aquatic mammals to human anatomy; and

2. Distilling the skills and habits of World and Olympic champions that are learnable by anyone--and not dependent on special gifts or talents.

With the TI Method, it doesn’t take youth, strength, or athleticism to become the swimmer you always dreamed of being. [You’ll read about Dr. Paul Lurie who took his first TI lesson at age 94; became a youtube sensation—and swam a quarter mile in open water--at 95; and increased his speed 25% at 96. At 97, he swims 20 lengths every morning.]

Reviews

  • Great distillation of TI freestyle techniques

    4
    By Back to basics…again
    Set up: I have been practicing TI since 2006 with the book and accompanying video. BLUF: after reading the book and thinking about three things during drills (not swimming) I cut my SPL in the 25m pool from 17 to 14.5. Will this book teach you everything in one reading? No. But I hope it will enlighten you and give you the motivation to use all of Terry’s TI tools (books, videos, webinars) to be better at swimming confidently and comfortably. It got me back to thinking about the basics (balance, streamline, propulsion in that order), working on drills (vice endless laps) and to think about small improvements every day. So, because it won’t transform you in one reading and the static pictures don’t tell the whole story- I give it a Four to manage your expectations. But, really, buy the book- great on the iPad!
  • Highly Reccomend!

    5
    By Yayhanaisawsome
    Reading the book as a competitive childhood swimmer who has returned to the sport now having children who now swim competitively, and a desire to help them progress, I can say that this book can help anyone become the swimmer they want to be. Becoming a proficient swimmer requires a knowledge of proper technique combined with a self-awareness of ones body position and movements. This book does a great job of explaining what is good technique through well written words and great pictures. It provides the reader with the knowledge to become self-aware with drills designed to promote proper technique and things to focus on. The book is written, and progressions ordered in a logical way where one step build upon the previous. Things that provide the greatest benefit come first followed by items for further refinement, yet the user can go back to repeat/improve on steps previously done. The book provides a clear path for improvement, is interesting and easy to read. I have in my library many books on swimming covering scientific analysis of technique to swimming drills. This book provides the best verbal and visual explanation of proper freestyle stroke mechanics of them all and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn or improve their freestyle and learn to swim with greater efficiency!
  • Get this iBook!

    5
    By harristom
    Terry Laughlin has been swimming, coaching swimmers, and thinking about swimming and coaching for over four decades. Coach Laughlin's book SWIM clearly explains his current ideas about swimming better freestyle - ideas refined by experience and sharpened by criticism. SWIM also describes the research and sometimes unexpected personal experiences behind his ideas. If you think you have hit your swimming limit, want to cut through the phooey of swim training advice, or just want a fascinating read leading to a better understanding of freestyle, get this iBook!
  • Highly Recommended!

    5
    By stevemallard2010
    I started swimming three years ago when I took up triathlon, age 50. Previously I couldn’t even swim a length of the pool. Since then, I’ve progressed to the stage where I can now swim a mile or so - good enough to get me through a race but at the back of the pack. Speed-wise, i’ve plateaued at a pace of about 2:00 mins per 100 yards. I could never seem to break through this barrier, no matter what i tried. I started reading this book just this morning. Just skimmed through it over breakfast but I did read and re-read one chapter a couple of times - Chapter 5 on achieving balance. Terry makes it clear this is the single most important factor in efficient swimming and certainly it’s something I’ve always struggled with - I have “heavy legs”, my hips ride low in the water creating drag. After breakfast, I went to the pool to try out some of Terry’s ideas. To my surprise and delight, I was immediately swimming 15 seconds per 100 yards faster! And I do mean immediately - like, the moment I jumped in the water. And I found I could repeat this, lap after lap. I can still barely believe this myself - but it’s true. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.Get it.
  • Swim Ultra-Efficient Freestyle

    5
    By GwenD449
    Terry Laughlin's talent as a swimmer is as huge as his talent in explaining the physics behind the silent speed gained through technique. His points are well established with concise descriptions accompanied by pictures or videos. His knowledge is hard-won, having pursued this topic enthusiastically over some decades, and we the readers are the beneficiaries of his explorations into the mechanics and philosophy of swimming as a lifelong activity. Happy laps make for a happy person.
  • The essence of efficient freestyle

    5
    By Memo664
    A distillation of 30+ years of wisdom down to the essence of efficient freestyle. Every point is accompanied by an illustrative photo so you can see what the proper form looks like. Simple, yet there is enough here for a lifetime.
  • From an Adult-Onset Swimmer

    5
    By Houmike
    Glad to finally find a guide that has helped me. It turns out that swimming harder and faster is not the only way.... Terry has given us an approach that those of us who did not grow up swimming can understand!!