FREESTYLE MADE EASY: A User’s Manual
By Terry Laughlin

Copyright © 2005 Total Immersion. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, printing,
recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Total
Immersion, Inc. For information, contact Total Immersion, Inc., 246 Main Street, Suite 15A, New Paltz,
NY 12561. Revised: December 16, 2003 Total Immersion, Inc.

Congratulations on purchasing Freestyle Made Easy. We are more excited about FME than any
video we’ve produced previously because it addresses every question or challenge raised by our
students over the years. While the video is self-explanatory, this user’s guide includes detailed
tips for mastering each drill and should prove invaluable as a continued guide on the path to
mastery of the TI process. For the most complete guide to swimming freestyle for any distance
and in any body of water, we strongly recommend our book Triathlon Swimming Made Easy,
available from

www.totalimmersion.net

or 800-609-7946.

Three Steps to Success
The most exciting insight of our experiences in teaching thousands of improvement-minded
swimmers has been that virtually anyone can learn to swim beautifully through intelligent and
patient practice. The key to foolproof learning is in mastering three non-negotiable skills:

1. Increase your comfort and stop wasting energy on fighting the water by learning balance.

When you master balance, you'll also learn every other swimming skill much faster.

2. Learn to pierce the water. By slipping through the smallest possible "hole" in the water,

you'll need far less power, and expend far less effort at any speed.

3. Learn to stroke smoothly. The “Human Swimmer’s” arm-and-leg churning habit wastes huge

amounts of energy on creating turbulence. Learning to propel with fluent, whole-body
stroking movements provides effortless power and maximizes economy of movement.

Step by Step Mastery
Whether teaching our students face to face or via video, we follow a process inspired by the
mindful practice of yoga and tai chi. We begin by teaching a series of balance positions that are
exceedingly simple, yet establish a profound connection with the water. By patiently mastering
the basics, you’ll be prepared to advance through a whole range of more challenging skills with
ease and speed. Next we teach a thoughtfully choreographed sequence (Switch drills) that leads to
graceful, fluent swimming. Success at each step leads seamlessly to the next step. The synergy
produced by mastering these simple moves in a logical progression is so powerful that even after
the first few drills, you should feel yourself flowing through the water with more ease and less
struggle than you ever thought possible.

About Our Swimming Models
After teaching thousands of improvement-minded swimmers, we know that TI works for
anyone, regardless of age, experience, skill or fitness. Beginners find our drills the fastest way to
establish harmony and balance in the water, and to imprint the slippery positions that will let
them move through the water with ease. Advanced swimmers find them the best way to polish
their technique and increase efficiency. For this video we have chosen swimmers from a range of
ages and abilities to show you how universally our drills can be learned and applied. In fact, five

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of our nine demonstrators only began swimming as adults. We hope you gain some insight and
inspiration from each of the swimmers on our tape by observing the individual ways they express
fluency and realize that your own expression of TI Swimming doesn’t have to meet a rigid ideal.

Tobey DeMott and Jennifer Armstrong are novices who were introduced to Total

Immersion only three months before this video was made. Kathryn Loyer, Mark Wilson and Ian
Murray are all triathletes who began swimming as adults. Kathryn and Ian are now TI Teaching
Professionals. Suzie Baggs is a former collegiate swimmer who had been introduced to TI drills
in her Masters program only a few months before this video was made. Joe Novak swam for
Terry Laughlin at the U. S. Military Academy, becoming one of the best sprinters in the U.S. He
is an officer in the U.S. Army and a trained TI Coach. Fiona Laughlin was a college swimmer and
is now a TI Teaching Professional. Terry Laughlin has been swimming since 1966 and is still
improving his efficiency and fluency 37 years later.

EFFECTIVE PRACTICE: HOW TO MAKE A FISHLIKE STROKE PERMANENT

While the old saying tells us that “practice makes perfect,” in truth, practice makes

permanent. Every length you swim contributes to a habit of either fluency or struggle and muscle
memory makes your old stroke resistant to change. The fastest way to become a more efficient
swimmer and make that efficiency permanent is by learning a new way of swimming from the
bottom up, through stroke drills, rather than piecemeal stroke corrections.

Why Drills Teach Better than Anything Else

Some swimmers, fearing a loss of fitness, are reluctant to spend precious pool time on

stroke drills. But because your endurance and speed are determined far more by efficiency than
fitness, an hour of concentrated skill practice can often produce more improvement than a month
of hard training. Here are the ways in which TI drills perfect your stroke better than anything else
you can do in the pool:
Your muscles need a dose of amnesia. If you’ve been swimming for any length of time,
your inefficiencies have become a deeply ingrained habit. Every lap simply reinforces your
energy-wasting old style. Because your nervous system doesn’t interpret them as “swimming,”
drills give you a “blank slate” on which to engrave change. This allows for dramatic improvement
that is nearly immediate…and will become permanent through practice.
Small pieces are easier to swallow. Because your stroke is made up of so many finely
coordinated parts, it’s virtually impossible to focus on the whole at once. Stroke drills simplify
the complex whole stroke into a series of mini-skills, each of which can be quickly mastered and
becomes the key to solving the next. These building blocks assemble easily and gradually into a
new, more efficient stroke.
Instead of trial and error, it’s trial and success. Because mini-skills can be mastered so
quickly and easily, you begin practicing graceful, fishlike movement right away. The more you
practice it, the more it becomes your new habit and crowds out the sloppy old one. And the less
time you spend swimming with your old habits, the faster you learn to swim better. Your string of
successes boosts your motivation and self-confidence and you learn faster.
It’s language the body understands. Conventional stroke instruction tries to get to your
muscles through your mind. First you read or hear a description of a skill, then try to figure out
what the movement will feel like, while wondering if you got it right. Drills bypass all those
vague translations. They simplify and accelerate the learning process by teaching your body how
it should feel when you swim well. And because drills heighten your kinesthetic awareness, they
make it easier to fine-tune your form after you begin practicing whole-stroke again.

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How to Master the Learning Curve

How should you use this video? The more you have to learn, the more you should drill.

For novices this can mean up to four times as much drilling as swimming. Every lap of drilling is
positive reinforcement for your swimming. Every lap of swimming the old way is likely to pull
you backward. Though every swimmer is different, drills work for most with incredible speed.
The TI drills will work fastest if you:
Think before you swim. Drills teach you what you’re hoping to learn only if you do them
correctly, never carelessly or in a hurry. Study our images carefully, using slow motion and stop
action. You might initially watch the entire video straight through to understand the whole
progression, then, before each practice, review just the drills you intend to practice. Do every
length with clear understanding and purpose.
Practice with feeling. Spend 30 uninterrupted, thoughtful minutes on each new drill to
firmly imprint the new sense into your muscle memory so that you can eventually be guided more
by feel than thought. Then, each time you go to the pool, experiment with subtle refinements until
the skill begins to feel natural and effortless. The more familiar you become with the drills, the
more you should shift your attention from the mechanics to the qualities of economy, ease, flow,
and grace. As these qualities become habit in your drilling, your swimming will be transformed
as well.
Shorter is sweeter. Repeats of 25 to 50 yards – with 3 to 5 “yoga breaths” between each
for rest, reflection, and adjustment – and sets of 10 to 15 minutes duration, will bring the greatest
benefit. Each successive length should feel a bit smoother and more relaxed, a bit more precise
and economical. If not, check the video again (or have a friend watch as you practice), or go back
to the previous drill and polish that one before returning to the drill that’s giving you trouble.
Swim as well as you drill. After you’ve practiced a drill long enough to make it second
nature (for advanced drills this could take weeks), alternate drill and swim lengths – at first more
drilling than swimming, but shifting gradually toward more swimming. Try to make each swim
length feel a bit more like what felt best about the drill. The main benefit of the drills is that they
give you heightened insight into how to make your swimming feel more efficient. When you can
“swim as well as you drill,” you know the lessons have been learned.
Use the right tools. We’ve found at TI workshops that Slim Fins and the Fistglove®
stroke trainer can be valuable learning aids. During the momentary pauses in Sweet Spot, which
are integral to each drill, you’ll need a moderately propulsive kick to maintain momentum and
stay smooth. If your kick is non-propulsive (usually from rigid ankles), you could tire quickly and
find your drill practice compromised. Fins can “buy you time” to pay better attention to fine
points. Just keep your kick very relaxed if you do wear fins. (Also see below on how practice with
a partner can overcome a poor kick.) Fistgloves move you to a much higher level of awareness
for what the drill is supposed to teach, and encourage you to focus more on movement quality.
But take time to master the basics of the drill before putting on the gloves; they’ll work better in
reinforcing the lessons, once you already drill well.
Keep practicing! The best aspect of drills is that they’re self-adjusting. We teach the same
drills to unskilled adults as to highly accomplished swimmers. Each group gets exactly what it
needs: The inexperienced swimmers learn basic skills. The more advanced swimmers acquire
subtle polish. So as you improve, you won’t have to learn new drills; you’ll simply do the same
ones with more refinement.

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The TI Buddy System

Recently, we made an exciting discovery in our workshops. By having our students

partner and teach balance to each other, following guidance from our coaches, everyone learned
faster. The Buddy System had the greatest impact on students who struggled with their kick or
tended to sink. But more accomplished swimmers benefited as well, probably because they were
also teaching as they learned. And following the workshop, quite a few of our alumni told us of
exciting successes in teaching friends and family members to swim better. In Buddy System
learning, swimmers take turns in two roles: The swimmer, who learns the correct position for that
drill with help from the coach. The coach, who positions and supports the swimmer’s head, and
assists with momentum by towing or launching, then releases and continues observing the
swimmer to assist as needed. Over time, we’ve applied the Buddy System to virtually every stage
in the learning process, in every instance with exciting results. While many swimmers will be
able to successfully master all the steps in solo practice, we do encourage you strongly to
collaborate with a learning partner as illustrated on the video, if you have the opportunity. Having
a partner who understands the TI method as well as you do will be the next best thing to having
your own TI coach.

Advantages of the Buddy System

Learning to control our bodies in a horizontal position in the water presents some unique

challenges:

•

We lack visual feedback on our own position.

•

We are not accustomed to actively controlling torso muscles to stay horizontally balanced.
On land we stand on our balance; in the water we hang from it.

•

We aren’t yet tuned in to sensations that we must learn to recognize over time in the water –
for example: Is our head aligned? Is the lead hand as deep as it should be? Are our shoulders
stacked?

•

Using the Buddy System, students:

•

Experience perfect balance without struggling to achieve it,

•

Learn better by helping and observing others solve the same problems,

•

Develop a cooperative, we’re all in this together attitude, and

•

Can focus on what good balance position feels like, and how little effort it takes to maintain it.

Assisting “sinkers” and poor kickers

If your partner struggles with balance, your assistance can be invaluable. Their instinctive

reaction to sinking or loss of momentum is to kick harder, which just increases turbulence and
fatigue. Towing allows them to master balance and ease without worrying about sinking or loss of
momentum. The added momentum is also invaluable in preparing them learn to drill solo,
because it's far easier to conserve momentum, than to regain it when you've lost it.

When decent kickers are towed, then released, they can maintain momentum on their

own. But poor kickers lose headway quickly. When this happens, resume towing for a moment,
then watch to see how long they maintain it. Repeat several times, as needed. Repetition – and the
fact that they are traveling through the water – seems to help poor kickers acquire better
kinesthetic awareness. Gradually, you should be able to tow less frequently and more briefly, and
see your partner learn to maintain momentum for longer stretches.

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In addition, the most effective response to a loss of momentum is to find ways to reduce

drag – including drag from a big splashy kick. Vertical kicking is also effective in making the
kick gentler and more compact.

When playing a coaching role, it’s sometimes helpful to tell your swimmer exactly what

you are going to do, before you do it. For example, “I’m going to support your feet now,” or “I’m
going to move your arms closer to your sides.” This minimizes disruptions to the swimmer’s
concentration, and helps to keep the swimmer relaxed.

Finally, if you have any doubts about your qualifications to “coach” your partner, simply

report to your partner exactly what you observe. Pay particular attention to head position and
alignment. Minor misalignment of the head will be multiplied by a factor of 5 or 10 in the legs.

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THE TOTAL IMMERSION FREESTYLE DRILL PROGRESSIONS

Lesson One: Balance Drills

These drills may seem so simple, at first, that experienced swimmers may be tempted to

quickly move on to more “challenging” stuff. But if you have human DNA – even if you’ve
already swum in the Olympics – you can still improve your balance, and as it improves you’ll use
less energy at any speed. If, on the other hand, every stroke you've ever taken has been a
frustrating struggle, Lesson One can give you an unprecedented feeling of being fully supported
by the water without tension or discomfort. Once you have that, you’ll immediately swim with far
more ease, and the rest of the lessons will go much more smoothly.

In watching underwater video of thousands of "human swimmers," what I notice first is

how their arms and legs are almost completely occupied with trying not to sink. They may think
what they're doing is "stroking" but virtually none of their energy is producing propulsion; most
of it goes into fighting "that sinking feeling." Only when you learn to balance effortlessly without
your arms helping, will it be possible to drill or stroke efficiently. Thus your first step is to get the
water to support you without help from your arms.

Drill #1: Balance on Your Back (BB)
The most important lesson of this drill is head position. Notice the water touching the corners of
Jennifer’s goggles and the tip of her chin in the first closeup. Every drill demonstrator shows the
same head position. Imprint this head position here and maintain it in Sweet Spot in every drill
that follows. If coaching a partner, begin towing from the shoulders to provide some momentum,
then position the head, once they’re moving well enough not to sink. After release, keep moving
ahead of your partner, so your draft helps them maintain momentum without effort.
During solo practice, use these focal points:

•

Hide your head (keep your head neutral with water touching the corners of your goggles)

•

Kick with a compact, silent flutter - lightly flicking your toes toward the surface

•

Arms pressed lightly to your sides (no sculling or bracing)

•

On each successive repeat aim to travel more quietly and with less effort. If you feel yourself
losing balance, just stand up, breathe deeply to relax and resume with a push from the bottom.
Your momentum will aid as towing did. Your main goal is to replicate the sensation you felt
while being towed.

Drill #2: “Sweet Spot” (SS)
The “Sweet Spot” is where you'll find true equilibrium and balance and is influenced by body
type. If you're lean or densely muscled, your Sweet Spot will probably be almost on your back.
Finding Sweet Spot is critical because you’ll start and finish every drill here. On the video, notice
how Joe keeps Susie’s head stable, while he assists her in rotating. In the underwater view, notice
how Susie’s right (bottom) arm is motionless at her side. In the Active Balance segment (in the
Endless Pool), notice how Terry doesn’t use his hands to help with rotation. When practicing
solo, focus on the following:

•

Try to feel as much as possible like you did while being towed.

•

Start each width with head hidden in BB, then rotate very slightly to reach SS.

•

Keep your head as still and stable as possible. Water should touch the corners of both goggles

at all times.

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•

Focus on slipping through the water as cleanly and quietly as possible. If you feel a bit less comfortable
on one side, try to tune into what allows you to feel more comfortable on the other side and try to make
both sides the same.

Help for Weak Kickers
The most important thing to notice on the video is how Jennifer kicks by just flicking her toes
gently toward the surface. Though her kick produces little momentum, she doesn’t try to
compensate by kicking harder, which would only churn up the water more and make her tired.
She learned to keep her kick compact, while being towed by Tobey. And vertical kicking while
resting at the deep end of the pool, will help you improve your feel for kicking with a long leg
and no knee flexion.

Drill #3: Lengthen Your “Vessel” (LVSS)
LVSS teaches you that longer vessels move faster with less effort. This is the “home position” for
all TI freestyle drills. LVSS is also the fundamental backstroke balance position, and a good
position in which to practice flutter kick. On the video, notice how Tobey keeps Jen’s head stable
as she rotates to SS, then helps her extend her arm to the correct position. Likewise, Susie for Joe,
before releasing him. When practicing solo, your focal points should include:

•

Try to feel as much as possible as you did while being towed – long, sleek and relaxed. Keep
your head hidden – with water at the corners of your goggles – and lay back on your lower
shoulder until your hips and legs feel light.

•

Swimmers trying LVSS for the first time sometimes sense a loss of balance usually because
they’ve rotated farther after extending the arm. If you feel a loss of balance, return your arm
to your side, regain your balance, then extend the arm weightlessly without changing your
body position

•

Keep your extended hand in the position in which you feel the least strain, but it might be
useful to experiment with a palm-out position, which can help prepare you for skating.

Drill #4: Fish Drill
Fish will help you learn to balance directly on your side in the nose-down position (the only time
you’ll be balanced on your side is when you are nose down). It’s also the easiest way to learn to
keep your head directly in line with your spine – as it will be in Skating, all Switch drills and
swimming. On the video, you’ll see both Joe and Tobey launching their swimmers from the feet.
And you see Jennifer starting Tobey from the head. If doing Buddy System, it’s probably best to
start by towing from the head as Jen does for Tobey – and note how firmly Jen positions Tobey’s
head directly on the spine line. When practicing solo, focus on these points:

•

Try to feel as much as possible like you did while being assisted. Give particular attention to
your head position – leading with the top of your head and looking directly down.

•

Also memorize the side balance position and lean just a bit on your lower shoulder to keep
your hips and legs feeling light.

•

Try to follow a “laser line” down the pool as you rotate back and forth between nose-up and
nose-down positions, with your head also remaining right on the spine-line as it rotates.

•

Slip through the smallest possible “hole” in the water, with the least water disturbance.

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Drill #5 Skating (Sk)
In Skating you’ll experience balance for the first time in the position you’ll use swimming
freestyle. The first time you do Skating, start in Fish (as Susie and Jennifer do), then extend your
hand. (Note how Tobey prompts Jen on this.) If you achieved virtually effortless balance in
earlier drills, extend your hand just below your head. This is the “3 o’clock” position. If you don’t
feel easily balanced there, just keep angling your hand/arm deeper, until your hips and legs feel
supported. This may be a 4:00 or 5 o’clock position. Also flex your wrist – fingertips downward –
by 30 to 45 degrees – your partner should manually assist with this. It typically takes a LOT of
repetition to get these “clock” positions correct. In the Endless Pool segments, you can see Terry
doing this for Fiona. Also notice how Jennifer bubbles lightly from her nose, while in the nose-
down position. When practicing solo, focus on all of the following points:

•

Continually check that your nose is straight down, shoulder straight up and extended hand
below your head, kicking gently and slipping through the smallest “hole” in the water.

•

To breathe, roll all the way back to LVSS; keep your arm extended, but let it float back up
near the surface. Take 3 deep, slow breaths before you return to the Skating Position.

•

Feel as if you’re following a laser line as you rotate between nose up and nose down positions.

Lesson Two: UnderSwitch Drills – Effortless Power from Your Core
The UnderSwitch drills will teach you how to use rotation of your balanced and slippery core
body to generate effortless power for propulsion. These will be the most dynamic and powerful
movements you have yet practiced.

Drill #6: UnderSkate (USk)
USk teaches the essential skill of staying on your side during recovery – saving all the energy of
body rotation to be released at the moment the anchored hand begins stroking. See this most
clearly in the stop-action underwater view of Joe. If he were to stroke his left hand at that precise
moment, it would be perfectly synchronized to the action of his right hip driving down, adding all
the power of body rotation to his stroke. Also notice that Joe’s left hand is in the “clock position”
he established in Skating. The overhead view of Terry in the Endless Pool is the best way to see
the clean, laser-like rotation between nose up and nose down positions. Focus on these points as
you practice:

•

Before you begin the UnderSkate recovery, check that your head and hand are in the same
position you established in Skating.

•

If you don’t feel completely supported by the water, look down more and angle your hand
deeper.

•

Use this mantra for bringing your hand forward: “Wipe your belly and see your hand.”

•

When you see your hand, check that your shoulders are still stacked.

•

Practice on both sides until it’s second nature to stay balanced on your side when your hand is
under your nose.

Drill #7: UnderSwitch (US)
This is the first drill to tap the power of the kinetic chain by teaching you how to link an
armstroke to core-body rotation for effortless propulsion. It also simplifies the learning process
for swimming “taller” with the front-quadrant (FQ) stroke timing that keeps your bodyline long.
It does this by giving you a visual cue for when to make the switch. The underwater, slo-and-stop
view of Joe will give you the clearest sense of how this drill teaches you the FQ timing and links
your propelling armstroke to body roll. If you find yourself still underwater after the Switch – like

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Ian – try switching with a bit more snap. After you’ve mastered the basic movement, give
attention to these focal points one at a time. Focus on doing one thing really well each length:

• Don’t begin sneaking your hand until you check head hidden, shoulders stacked, hand in

“clock” position, and angle your fingers down.

•

Switch when you see your hand and switch too far. Think of it this way: “Take your belly
button to the air; your head just goes along for the ride.”

•

Switch through the smallest possible “hole” in the water and drill silently.

•

Try to pause your kick for a moment as you switch…Pick it up again in LVSS.

Drill #8: Double UnderSwitch (US2)
Single-Switch drills teach core-body propulsion and precision stroke timing, but the single
sweeping movement is more like a golf swing, than a swimming stroke. Multiple switches bring
swimming rhythms to those movements, with time to regroup, evaluate your practice, and make
fine adjustments between cycles in LVSS. In watching the video pay particular attention to the
overhead view of Terry in the Endless Pool. Notice that there’s no pause before the second switch
in each cycle. You can improve your rhythm with two adjustments:

•

Reduce rotation. Rotate to less than 90 degrees during multi-switches. (i.e. Your shoulders do
not reach a vertical position.)

•

Keep your stroking hand moving. Finish the stroke and immediately begin recovery. The
stroke-back-and-return-forward should be one uninterrupted – but unhurried – movement.

Drill #9: Triple UnderSwitch (US3)
US3 will give you even more space to make yourself more Fishlike and learn the feel of a
swimming rhythm. Each swimmer on the video will contribute something to your complete
understanding of how to do US3 well. One of the key points for triathletes and long distance
swimmers is how Susie pauses her kick during the three switches, then picks it up again when
she’s nose-up in LVSS. Key focal points for US2 and US3 practice include:

•

Keep your head hidden and still. Water should flow over the back of your head during all three
switches.

•

Keep your timing consistent. Switch at the exact moment you see your hand under your nose.

•

Slice your extending hand DEEP to your clock position, then tip your fingers down and feel
firm water pressure on your hand and forearm before you switch.

•

STAY SLIPPERY, particularly while sneaking your arm and switching

•

Finally reduce the glide between switches. Roll your body a bit less during the three switches,
to increase rhythm, and see if you can pause your kick while switching, resuming it gently
after you return to Sweet Spot.

Lesson Three: ZipperSwitch Drills for Mastering a Compact, Relaxed Recovery
From Lesson Two, you’ve learned to generate effortless propulsion by using your hand to simply
hold on to a spot in the water while dynamic body-roll takes you past that spot and how to travel
farther as you do by keeping your bodyline long during switches. ZipperSwitch drills will
improve your sense of balance and teach you a compact, relaxed recovery. Having painstakingly
developed a balanced, aligned foundation, we don't want an arm-swinging recovery to hurt that.
So Lesson Three will teach you an energy-saving, alignment-preserving, drag-reducing recovery.

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Drill #10: ZipperSkate (ZSk)
ZSk is the most valuable of all balance drills because it lets you know exactly how to “lay on
your lungs” for balance. Once you feel that in your bones, you never forget the feeling. You
could easily practice this drill mindfully for 15 to 30 minutes every week for a month or two and
learn valuable lessons on every lap. On the video, please pay particular attention to:
1) Joe keeps his hand completely underwater on recovery and pauses it right next to his ear.
2) Jennifer angles her extended right arm deeply to help her stay balanced as her left arm comes

forward to ZipperSkate position. And, unlike Joe, because she tends to sink, she returns it to
her side immediately. If she kept her left hand fully submerged, as Joe does, she would
probably sink less.

3) Ian’s left hand is so relaxed that water pressure flexes it backward as he brings it to his ear.
4) Joe’s hand shows the same relaxation on the underwater view, before he begins to pump it.
5) The partnered coaching by Joe and Ian is a brilliant example of how to get the fine points just

right.

As you practice ZSk solo, focus on the following:

•

If you sink, lower your head position and angle your extended hand DEEPER. Your goal is to
sink in a horizontal position. If you are a sinker, quickly slide your hand back to your side.

•

If you’re stable and supported, “skate" for a few seconds with your arm hanging as a dead
weight alongside your ear. Practice recovering super slowly. Feel the water’s resistance
against your hand. Lead with your elbow and soften your hand and arm. Can you make that
recovery action as gentle and relaxed as Joe’s and Ian’s?

•

Finally, pump your arm up and down once or twice alongside your ear. This will imprint the
spot where the hand will drive down to switch in the next drill.

Drill #11: ZipperSwitch (ZS)
The compact, relaxed, unhurried recovery from ZSk will help to effectively link your armstroke
to the power of core-body rotation. ZS imprints an early, steep and deep entry as “purposeful
exaggeration” to correct the strong tendency to over-reach on entry and heightens awareness of
the FQ timing that keeps your bodyline long throughout the stroke cycle.
On the video, please pay particular attention to:
1) The way Jennifer and Ian use the arm-pump from ZSk to help them find the right entry point.

You shouldn’t have to practice this for long, but it is an invaluable way to quickly learn
where to make the switch in ZS.

2) The way Joe and Ian keep their hands completely submerged through recovery to where they

make the switch. Both are also completely in control and unhurried in that recovery.

3) How “patient” Terry is with the extended arm – waiting for the other hand to slice down.

As you practice ZS solo, focus on the following:
1. A compact and unhurried Zipper recovery – hand under water, elbow leading, arm soft. As
soon as your hand catches up to the elbow, pump it, then slice down and in as you switch and roll
to LVSS on the other side.
2. Drive the hand DEEP – to your “clock position.”
3. Relax there for 3 yoga breaths, then repeat in the other direction. After two lengths, the arm
pump can be optional.
4. Continue to emphasize the following:

•

Head right in line with the spine – water flowing over the back of the head.

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•

A compact, unhurried recovery. Arms soft, elbow leading. HUG the surface.

•

An early, steep, and deep entry – alongside your ear – to your clock position.

•

Practice silently.

Drill #12: Multi ZipperSwitches (ZS2+)
ZS2+ introduces swimming rhythms to recovery and entry skills taught above. When you do
three or more switches (relaxed and rhythmic swimmers can do as many as six) this is the most
transforming drill in the entire TI sequence. ZS2+ primes you to transition from skillful drilling to
beautiful swimming.
On the video, please pay particular attention to:
1) How far Joe travels in the course of five switches – his head just keeps traveling past lane

markers. This is from maintaining a long sleek bodyline as he switches rhythmically.

2) How controlled and unhurried Kathryn’s switches are – with Fistgloves
3) How utterly relaxed – yet impeccably consistent in her timing – Jennifer remains through five

switches.

4) The angle of Terry’s entry and extension, easily seen from underwater in the Endless Pool.

In your solo practice of ZS2+, use these focal points:

•

Hide your head… Water should flow over the back of your head much of the time… Look
straight down and watch yourself slide effortlessly past tiles on the pool bottom.

•

Keep a low profile… Hug the surface, as if swimming under a very low ceiling.

•

Soften your arms and hands… Feel the water resist your hand, but try to recover without
splash or turbulence.

•

Drive the hand deep! Keep aiming for the “clock position;” on each switch, the hand should
“replace” the hand that was there.

•

Feel the complete support of the water and recover with as much “leisure” as possible.

•

And finally drill without making a sound.

Two Heads are Better Than One
This isn’t a drill per se, but the learning/practice method it illustrates can be invaluable for nearly
anyone. Both Joe (who is a world-class sprinter) and Ian are highly accomplished TI swimmers
and coaches, but both are devout in their belief that mindful practice of fine points can help them
continue improving without pause. One form is standing in place to practice a subtle movement
or skill repeatedly without distraction. The other is to work with a partner to help you with the
parts you can’t see yourself. In this case, they’re working on leading with the elbow for as long as
possible in recovery – lightly restricting the recovering wrist at just the right moment helps
remind the swimmer to slice down at that point. If you’re going to practice this with a TI Buddy,
watch this segment together first.

Lesson Four: Learn to Swim as Well as You Drill
Lesson Four will teach you precisely how your stroke will feel for the rest of your life. For some,
Drill 13 is "swimming," at least for a while. The great value of Drill 13 is that it gives almost
anyone, even someone in the very early learning stages, an easy way to practice Fishlike
Swimming.

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Momentum/Pushoff Drills
Momentum drills help you experience speed and balance, in a slippery position. This provides
two major benefits: (1) Once you learn a balanced, streamlined pushoff, you can start every
length with momentum and in good balance. (2) If you have felt as if you needed to kick a lot
during drills up to this point, these drills will teach you to use your core body to achieve balance,
rather than your legs. The video of Joe doing these drills should be most instructive. As someone
who is very lean with very long legs, he is the very definition of someone for whom balance
ought to be a great challenge – and it was as he was learning TI. In the underwater segments,
you’ll notice that he minimizes his kick as much as possible in order to force himself to get
balanced by using weight distribution and his extended hand to stay horizontal. Here are some
additional hints on how to master these drills. If you can practice with a TI Buddy as Joe and Ian
demonstrate, you’ll gain an amazing sense of effortless balance – with just a slight assist from
your partner.

Step 1: Streamlined Pushoff to Balanced Breakout
It will be helpful to practice the streamlined position on the deck or standing in shallow water:
Extend both arms overhead, with elbows straight and lock hands together, with thumb of top hand
closed over bottom hand, hand over hand, wrist over wrist, squeezing your biceps just behind
your ears. Streamline by compressing below your shoulders, like squeezing toothpaste from the
middle of the tube. Then do the following:
1. Start in the shallow end, back to the wall, then: Sit: Crouch with only your head above the
surface, elbows at sides with forearms and hands extended forward. Roll: Lift feet from the
bottom, and simultaneously roll forward and drop under the surface, using your hands to assist in
bringing the upper torso horizontal under the water. Plant and push: Extend the arms and torso
into the streamlined position while going horizontal beneath the surface, plant both feet on the
wall, and push off evenly and forcefully.
2. Glide in balance as far as possible without kicking. Your goal is to surface in a horizontal
position – back of head, shoulder blades and suit breaking the surface simultaneously, as far
down the pool as possible. After breaking through the surface, continue pressing in and gliding
for as long as you continue to inch forward. Note: Balance-challenged swimmers should push off
quite shallow – barely below the surface – and with extra speed so your momentum alone will
take you to the surface. When you master a no-kick balanced breakout, advance to the next drill.

Step 2: Pushoff to Skating Position
1. Do the streamlined pushoff as above, shallow enough that your momentum alone takes you to
the surface. Just before you surface, stroke with one arm, leaving it at your side, while driving the
other hand deep as you rotate to Skating position (arm extended, shoulders and hips stacked, nose
straight down).
Note: It’s essential to drive your hand deeper than you think it should go – and to angle your
fingertips downward.
2. Travel as far as possible in skating position and in balance, using only the momentum of your
pushoff.
3. Begin kicking as late and as gently as possible to continue momentum and keep your legs near
the surface. Repeat six or more times, alternating sides. Your goals are to travel just a bit farther
each time before you begin kicking, and to use a progressively more gentle kick to maintain the
horizontal position.

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Step 3: Pushoff to Zipper-Skate
As you gain a truly effortless sense of balance without kicking, add a ZipperSkate to your
pushoff, as follows:
1. Push off exactly as described above but, after surfacing, pause for a single beat after you feel
your balance in Skating position, and then draw the trailing arm forward into the ZipperSkate
position.
2. After several practice tries, refine your timing so you can complete the stroke and, without
pause, immediately – but unhurriedly – begin to draw the arm forward to the Zipper Skate
position.
3. Continue gliding for as long as possible without kicking – or with the lightest possible kick – in
the ZipperSkate position. You should feel your balance and stability improve noticeably in this
position.
4. Keep your focus on driving the other hand deep with fingertips angled down, as Joe does.

Drill #13: OverSwitches (OS2+)
This drill teaches you how your new "Fishlike" stroke will feel. In fact, you'll be swimming with
your new stroke between pauses in Sweet Spot. OS2+ reinforces the FQ switch timing that helps
you swim taller. It also strongly imprints a deft, knifelike entry to reduce turbulence and drag.
Finally, it teaches you to drive your hand to a solid anchoring position, to hold a LOT of water,
and connect your arm to effortless power from core-body rotation.

The video segments show you how to practice four key skills: (1) Ear Hops, (2) Holding water at
the beginning of the stroke, (3) releasing and relaxing at the end of the stroke, and (4) seamless
breathing. Let’s examine the importance of each:

Ear Hops: In Zswitches we imprinted an entry position alongside the ear. We’re not aiming to
have you continue swimming this way, but to use purposeful exaggeration to overcome the
common "human-swimming" instinct to over-reach on entry. Here’s the full process:
1. Zipper drills teach you to "switch" while your hand is directly alongside your ear. This is
actually too early for "swimming" but helps make a strong break from prior habit.
2. On OverSwitches, practice "Ear Hops" (so named by TI Coach Gary Fahey) in which you take
your hand barely out of the water and immediately reinsert. The segments of Terry in the Endless
Pool and in a regular pool will give you the best understanding. Watch them at slow motion.
3. Continue to practice Ear Hops on disciplined, mindful Superslow whole-stroke repeats, to
allow this new movement to become imprinted.
4. As you swim faster, don't attempt to restrict your hand to the same entry position. Instead allow
it to move freely as feels natural (not "old-natural" but "new natural"). Simply swim without overt
inhibition. Your entry position will adjust with speed – but should end up closer to your head at
all speeds.

Holding Water: When you enter your hand at the deeper, steeper angle, we’ve been reinforcing
since the “clock position” in Skating, you put your hand and forearm in position to act as a “big
paddle” for holding a lot of water. Aim to trap as much water volume inside your hand and
forearm as possible, then be patient about feeling the water give back some pressure to your hand
before stroking. Some ways to improve your feel for this:
1. Practice with Fistgloves as Kathryn demonstrates. After 15 or 20 minutes with them on, your

bare hand will feel like a big paddle that can hold a LOT of water.

2. A moment of patience on the catch, as shown by Terry in the underwater Endless Pool view.

This lets you feel some water pressure – and eliminate air bubbles – before you stroke.

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3. Heighten your feel for creating water pressure by doing the partnered exercise demonstrated

by Mark and Terry. Take turns with a TI Buddy on loosely holding ankles, then releasing
after about six strokes.

Release and Relax: We began to learn the skill of relaxing your arm by focusing on a “soft” arm
and yielding to water pressure on ZipperSwitches. Reinforce it here by:
1. Learning not to push back at the end of your stroke, but to release in a “C-shaped” finish as

shown in the 3-swimmer underwater views. It’s shown in slo-motion already, but study this
in even slower motion, perhaps frame-by-frame to see how all three swimmers finish the
stroke and exit the water – by rounding off, not pushing back.

2. To get an even stronger sense of a completely relaxed “dead weight” hand and forearm

during recovery, practice the recovery/entry exercise demonstrated by Joe Novak, standing in
shallow water on the video.

When practicing OS2+ solo, do as many switches as you can without feeling breathless, using
them to imprint the same focal points as in Drill #12, plus these:
1. When you take your hand out, try to have it out of the water for the briefest possible time and
have your fingertips clear the water by the minimum possible clearance.
2. Slice your hand back into the water just in front of your goggles. Cut a hole with your fingers
and slip your arm cleanly through that hole.
3. Be "patient" on your switches: Start the next stroke as your fingertips enter the water.
4. Gradually shift focus from your switch-timing to your core-body-rolling rhythm. Once you feel
body rhythm, adjust body roll to allow for fluid, rhythmic, and seamless movement with no
hesitation or interruptions.

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storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Total Immersion.

Breathing 101
Your swimming movements are all in place now. The transition from drilling to swimming is
accomplished by replacing the Sweet Spot pauses with rhythmic breathing. For some students this
can be the most challenging part of the entire process, but with patience anyone can master the art
of the “Seamless Breath,” which means to fit breathing into your body-rolling rhythm with no
interruption. Start with Overswitches to establish your core-body rotation rhythm then fit a breath
into that rhythm:

Fit Breathing into Your Rhythm
Start each lap with at least four switches – to imprint your core-body-rolling rhythm. Then try one
seamless rhythmic breath like this:

•

Breathe by rolling right to where the air is and immediately back in the other direction.

•

Try to do that with no interruption of the rolling rhythm you established with your switches.

•

Roll as far as necessary. Keep your head in line as you roll your head and torso as one unit to
air. If you don’t get air easily, roll farther. Fiona in the Endless Pool illustrates this well.

•

If that breath goes smoothly, do another the same way, several strokes later. If you sensed a
slight interruption in your rhythm, try to smooth it out on the next breath.

•

If you lose control, go back to Sweet Spot on the next breath and think about how to regain
control on the next 25. Slow everything down. Be quieter and more gentle. Don't let yourself
feel hurried. Fistgloves® can be a big help.

What Makes Your Freestyle FISHLIKE?

The object of this video has been to teach you to swim the whole stroke with more flow,

grace, and economy than ever before. When you move from practicing drills to swimming the
whole stroke, how should that feel? Truly gifted swimmers have a rare intuitive understanding of
how to move through the water effectively. You can develop your “inner coach” by ignoring how
far or fast you swim to focus only on doing what feels good and trying to make good feel better.
Pick one of these focal points and swim short repeats (25 to 50 yards) slowly and easily, trying
mainly to feel as described. Between repeats, take three to five deep, slow “cleansing” breaths
until you feel ready to swim with ease again. To test which work best for you, count your strokes
for 25 or 50 yards before beginning, then compare your stroke count while practicing these focal
points.

What: Hide Your Head
Why: Good head-spine alignment is essential to all skilled movement.
How:

•

Lead with the top of your head, not your forehead.

•

See the bottom directly under you, and not much that’s forward of you.

What: Swim Downhill
Why: Balance – feeling completely supported by the water – is the non-negotiable skill of efficient
swimming.
How:

•

Lean on your chest until your hips and legs feel light.

•

Rhythmically press in one armpit, then the other, while swimming freestyle.

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Freestyle Made Easy: A User’s Manual

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storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Total Immersion.

What: Lengthen Your Body
Why: A longer body line reduces drag, allowing you to swim faster, easier.
How:

•

Slip your arm into the water as if sliding it into a sleeve.

•

Keep extending your arm…slowly… until you feel your shoulder touch your jaw.

What: Flow like Water
Why: Making waves or creating turbulence takes energy, all of it supplied by you.
How:

•

Pierce the water; slip through the smallest possible hole.

•

Drill or swim as quietly as possible.

Portions of this viewer’s guide have been excerpted from Triathlon Swimming Made Easy: How
ANYONE can succeed in triathlon (or open-water swimming) with Total Immersion by Terry
Laughlin. While the title refers to Triathlon, this book is actually a detailed learner’s manual for
anyone who would like to swim a fluent, effortless freestyle for any distance, and be comfortable
swimming in any body of water. It is the perfect practice guide for those who’ve begun building a
new stroke with Freestyle Made Easy. Visit

www.totalimmersion.net/free-books.html

to read free

excerpts from TSME or call 800-609-7946 to order TSME, Fistgloves, or Slim Fins.

You’re now ready to view the video, and to send your swimming – and your experience of
swimming – into a new dimension. Be patient, swim with great thought and precision, and we
guarantee you’ll see dramatic improvement and continue improving for life..

Happy laps!
Terry Laughlin