New swimmer frustrated. I can only go 100m and I'm exhausted.. What gives? (Page 2)

My 2cents, if you are paying a Coach, then stay off You Tube unless he tells yo to view something.  And if you are going to learn to swim from You Tube then don't hire a Coach.  You just may be trying to learn two different approaches at once. Pick one or the other. 

I swam in a vertical position. It took quite awhile on my own and with TI videos to even get horizontal in the water. And YES 50m was like swimming to the other end of the earth.  Now that I've got my 100 down to 2:19. I am thinking I may be a good enough swimmer to benefit form a Coach. 

Whatever you do, don't give up. It will come.  

It takes years to become a good swimmer. Stick with it. You'll see results season after season.

Our society is conditioned to click on something then get it. Athletic accomplishment doesn't work like that. Give yourself time and take credit for having the courage to start a big, long term project.

Keep swimming. Best of luck.

x3

I've only been swimming since December (3 times a week) and I was frustrated because I couldn't swim more than a few lengths without blowing up and we were wasting time on drills (so I thought).  Two weeks ago a woman joined our group and I got stuck swimming behind her.  She was slower than I could swim but she had way more stamina than me.

Our lane was crowded so I decided to take it easy and stay where I was behind her.  Next thing I realized I was swimming consistently and my HR was remaining steady and I felt good.  The lengths were adding up and in short order I had swam 750metres.  My previous best was 300metres and I had nothing left at the end.  After my 1st 750m I was sure I could've continued.

For the last two weeks I've been adding more distance and I do get winded but my 45second gaspathons are now just a few seconds.  I lost count of my laps today but I might've hit 1000m - a full kilometre!

Hang in there and slow down (as others have said).  Have fun.

Yes! This, and what I also do just before I start swimming in the tri is just lay face down in the water with my as body as flat out as possible. Just for as long as I could hold my breath to remind myself I can float. Knowing I can float helps me to slow down, catch my breath, and correct my form when I start losing control.

I notice that when I'm getting tired, my bottom starts to dip lower creating drag. When I realize this, I slow down, push my shoulders down, lift my hips, and focus on keeping my legs long, kicking from the hips. It's easier to move in the water, I notice, when I'm level with the waterline. Less resistance!

So, practice, practice, practice the good form and you'll be swimming confidently soon! I started 8 months ago. I'm still not very swift, but I don't have the same fear I had the first lesson. I could barely make it 1/2 a lap!

The biggest thing for me was just going to practice with the intent to learn. That meant asking "silly" questions with demonstrations, asking for demonstrations from coach in and out of water. When I screw up, I tried, and tried again.

Good luck! Be like a child learning something new at practice. Absorb, practice it. I used to hang out for about a 1/2 an hour after my first few lessons to practice what I learned that day. Ask questions, let your coach know what your desires are!

^ true dat. A LOT of swimming is psychological-overcoming fears that are deeply ingrained. Yes, technique is huge - and after you conquer the psychological barriers, it's everything, but so much of time spent in the water in the beginning is really just time that needs to be spent, no way around it. Your brain is learning a new environment, it's not a natural sensation, and it takes a lot of time. All of your instincts are survival based, and this water stuff is a big clusterf**k for the cranium. Hang in there. The gains are small at first, but then it's tidal!

I did my first triathlon about 1 1/2 years ago.. I had not set foot in a lap pool for about 10 years before this opportunity arose.. my friend asked me to go in a triathlon with her, only because her mum's company was one of the sponsors..

Luckily I had the advantage of having an aunty who had been into triathlons about 8 years already, and had fallen hard for them. She developed me a training schedule, including running, cycling and swimming.. I couldn't do 50m before I would stop in the pool, so I did as many lengths of 50m as I could, even if I had to breaststroke a little.. then I would do 2 lengths of 100m, and then as many 50m as I could, then increased it up to 400m.

I then went in the triathlon, panicked, and defaulted to breaststroke.. all I could see was swimmers passing me like I was stationary. So I kept working on my swimming, and found that by calming down and stroking slowly, I was doing much better.

I can now swim about 1000m without stopping, as long as I don't panic. I did the same triathlon the following year, same distance, and swam the whole way, but this time, I did the overtaking.

Consistency in training is a big thing too.

It takes time and patience to learn to swim, don't expect it to come overnight, three lessons are very few, there are loads of things to learn. Some coaches start with drills for body position others may start with breathing drills, everything is important. 

Don't try to progress based on what you see on youtube, if you have never swum before you really need your coach to instruct you and correct you. If you think the personal coaching is expensive consider a group classes. 

If you want to do extra swim workouts, repeat what you've been told in your lesson if you haven't been given any other drills to do.

BR, Erik

+1 to this! When I started swimming in 'earnest' last November, I could barely do 25yds w/o taking a break. As I have progressed, I have focused on smaller breaths and fuller expulsion in the water in order to not hyperventilate. As your technique progresses, you will become more efficient and thus burn less energy. I would like to see what I look like swimming - probably look like a drowning man flailing around and ticking off the guy in the next lane! With practice and concentration comes efficiency.

As far as the drills your swim coach is having you do is the basis of a good swim form - buoyancy drills. You could *probably* do this on your own but that is up to you.

Don't lose faith in yourself! You can swim a thousand miles and then on the next 25 yards it will click.

Disclaimer: I am NOT a very good swimmer but am working at getting better.

I have similar problems as others in this thread. I am fine with a pull buoy, but without can only manage 150m without stopping. Anybody got any drills / tips for keeping my legs up without the pull buoy? I am working on making my ankles more flexible and keeping them pointed but really have no to the basics as to my legs and kick.

You start a thread about how you can't swim more than 100M and then talk about doing a race in 6 weeks? 

Not to be too harsh, but if the race is more than 100M, then you might be in trouble.  A wetsuit is just a crutch and isn't going to make you a better swimmer.

Why don't you ask your coach's opinion?

Mark

You can swim any combination of styles as you like, but if you can't swim the distance in the pool, don't think of signing up, there will be other opportunities. A wetsuit is not a floating device. 

BR

When teaching people, regardless of the subject or the audience, I take a minimalist approach. Rule #1 - never try to teach someone more than three things at once (and there is nothing wrong with teaching only one). Set realistic short term goals that will provide for opportunities for success and increasing self confidence in the person you are teaching. This moves them forward, fuels their enthusiasm, and prevents frustration.

People have made some good suggestions, but let me share this with you. I believe that if i can teach someone to breathe comfortably in the water, I can teach them how to swim well. So for you I believe this should be the focus of your time in the water. This will help you relax in the water which is one of the hallmarks of efficient swimming. Frankly at this point I feel you need more time in the water developing this, and less time with an instructor. There are many drills that people use in teaching beginners how to breathe. I'm sure the peson giving you the lessons gave you some, or you can get some from them. The greatest challenge you have is understanding and accepting that you are just starting off, and that good swimmers have taken years/lifetime to get where they are. That will hopefully reduce your frustration.

I agree with you 100%.  I will wait until the very last minute to decide but may be watching this on from the sidelines.  The Pumpkinman in Las Vegas is in October I believe or maybe November so if I don't make the local one I will shoot for Pumpkinman and reevaluate at that point.  I have had a few good days swimming though the last few days.  I have really tired to slow down my stroke and swim like alot of people have suggested here and I think I may be figuring this out a little bit.  I am hoping to be in the pool 4-5 days a wee for the next few weeks and am hoping for that moment where everything just clicks...