Perpetual Motion Freestyle in 10 Lessons

What's Perpetual Motion Freestyle? Think of it as ''swimming for grownups''. The traditional way of swimming freestyle is designed to maximize speed in the short term but makes you tire quickly and increases risk of injury by emphasizing fast, shorter, powerful strokes. Total Immersion's Perpetual Motion Freestyle is designed to help you swim longer with more ease and enjoyment, and to allow for the easiest transition from pool swimming to open water. There is no more efficient - or satisfying - way to swim freestyle! Previous Total Immersion swimming DVDs have helped thousands transform struggles into skills, because they provide a rich visual guide to the key positions and movements of low-drag, high-fluency swimming. The Self-Coached Workshop on Perpetual Motion Freestyle goes a step further by teaching you how to learn, not just how to swim. Dozens of fine points and tips on how to avoid the most common missteps and increase your sense of clear direction are provided, based on TI's years of coaching experience. Whether you want to train for Olympics swimming or simply build your skills, this is a must-have for every swimmer!

LESSON 1: Relax Into “Weightlessness”
Human swimmers instinctively fight gravity to avoid sinking. This causes “survival stroking.” Lesson 1 teaches you to cooperate with gravity by relaxing into weightlessness. This increases comfort, saves energy, and frees your arms and legs for more effective movement.

LESSON 2: A More “Slippery” You
Fish swim 10 times faster than humans with far less energy cost because of naturally-streamlined bodies. Lesson 2 teaches you to reshape and reposition arms, legs and torso to minimize drag, helping you travel farther, faster and easier with each stroke.

LESSON 3: Breathe Easy
Breathing with ease is essential to swimming your best. Mastering this early in your improvement process will make it easier to learn the lessons and skills that follow. Lesson 3 teaches you to rotate smoothly to air, while maintaining the “slippery” bodyline created in Lesson 2.

LESSON 4: Active Streamlining
Dolphins swim fast and gracefully, with barely a ripple. Human swimmers can emulate dolphins via Active Streamlining and whole-body propulsion. Lesson 4 teaches you to pierce the water with your extending arm then slip a streamlined body through that “hole.”

LESSON 5: Rhythmic Movement & Breathing Drills in Lessons 1 to 4 included pauses to tweak “mini-skills” for improved comfort and efficiency. As the parts improve so does the whole. Lesson 5 combines foundation skills with flowing, rhythmic movement to more closely simulate whole stroke swimming.

LESSON 6: Propel Effortlessly
The most efficient source of power in human movement is the weight shift, combining “free” energy from gravity and your core body. Lesson 6 improves propulsion by teaching you to connect arm and leg action to the effortless power of rhythmic weight shifts.

LESSON 7: Channel Energy Forward
The key contribution of freestyle recovery is to channel and concentrate energy along the direction of travel. Lesson 7 teaches a compact, relaxed recovery that helps channels energy and puts your hand into the best position to move you forward.

LESSON 8: Integrate New Skills
Lessons 4 and 5 focused on active streamlining and rhythmic weight shifts. Lessons 6 and 7 linked weight shifts to propulsion. Lesson 8 blends new skills into a harmonious whole by sequencing movements from all four lessons.

LESSON 9: Single Arm Practice
Single Arm drills help you get more out of each stroke by connecting armstrokes to hip action and holding more water as you breathe.

LESSON 10: Tune your 2-Beat Kick
The 2-Beat Kick helps you swim long distances at your best pace, without fatigue. It requires virtually no energy but adds whole-body power to your stroke. Lesson 10 calms, streamlines and coordinates your kick for maximum effect.