Mediocrity and Excellence – Two Paths, One Direction And Your Choice
"Think of life having two paths: one leading to mediocrity, the other to excellence. What do we know about the path to mediocrity? Well, we know it...
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View Review – Ian rates Japanese goggles
We've introduced to our range of goggles two great models from View, made in Japan. One of them is available with an extensive choice of prescripti...
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Front Crawl’s Simple. So What’s The Catch?
For most front crawl improvers, it's difficult to understand exactly what the hand and arm should be doing under water. It's even more difficult to...
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Knowing Your A-Side and B-Side – Is bilateral breathing best for balance?
It's a popular assumption that bilateral breathing in front crawl is a good thing, for 'a balanced stroke'. If we were all capable of perfect...
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Rescued: Learner Lost With Woggle At Leisure Centre
Adults Need More Than A Polystyrene Float! This week I've been working with Paul whose wife bought him a few lessons for Chr...
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Transform your day in 10 seconds
Ian Fends off New Year Sluggishness... 'The first sixty years are the worst,' Patrick MacDonald used to say about learning the Alexander Techn...
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Swimming with a Hangover
Drunken dreams of swimming and the water as a cure... 'Beer-drinking's not to be underestimated', an old friend of mine said. And sometim...
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360 Front Crawl
Benefits of Breathing on Your BackBefore children learn front crawl breathing, it's a good idea to get them rolling all the way on to the back. It'...
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Try Nose Breathing – to slow down and stop gasping
Conventional swimming instruction will always advise you to inhale through your mouth. I went on holiday with my brother about 15 years ago and he ...
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Camp Training
Ian reports from Lanzarote... I've just got back from another trip to the Hotel Costa Calero in Lanzarote. It's good to get away. I go the...
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Feet Notes
10 Tips for Front Crawl Kick... In Eleanor Simmonds' 400 metre gold medal freestyle race in 2012, the US silver medallist had a ...
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‘Can You Guarantee I’ll Swim?’and Daft Questions about Deep Water
We often get asked about guarantees. Earlier this year someone emailed to say he would be coming from the Middle East, could afford only three...
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Sink or Swim?…Try letting yourself sink!
We had three ladies on our residential course this week. All of them were capable of letting go, enjoying the support of the water, finding balance...
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Fish Out of Water
Give yourself a break and have a breather... I always fancied a single speed bike. The simplicity of no gears appeals. The trouble with a si...
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Don’t Just Do It!
Avoid the swimming by numbers trap In Total Swimming Harvey Wiener writes about visualising a big number on the bottom of the pool corresponding...
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