What is a reasonable price for Total Immersion swimming lessons?

I don't know anything about how TI is normally priced.... but compared to masters classes and lessons where I live, that is exceptionally high.  Masters here is $7 a class, and the coach'a do private lessons for $50-$100 an hour depending on the person

$400 for a weekend clinic isn't out of line compared to some of the other "name" swim clinic programs.  With an established program like TI, at least you have a pretty good idea of the syllabus and course content going into it.  

Suzanne Atkinson, aka AdventureBear, works with Terry Laughlin to help certify all the TI coaches to insure they are presenting a consistent product.

One thing that I would suggest is making sure whatever program you select aligns with your goals and objectives.  Although sometimes maligned, for not teaching "fast swimming" (not necessarily true), TI is a great entry point for triathletes with little or no swim background, IMHO.

All the TI folks I have dealt with over the years have been good people.  If you have any specific questions about the program, I'd suggest shooting them an email or even giving them a call. 

That being said, the $70 snorkel "specially designed for TI" does sound like a bit of a crock, since they sell a standard Finis Swimmer's Snorkel on the TI website for $35 (FWIW, I have a Finis snorkel and think it is a great training tool).

Mark

$7 is pretty common for a masters "drop in" fee.  A drop in fee lets you swim with a masters group for their daily workout (and receive whatever level of coaching they normally get).  It does not mean that you are paying $7 for a private lesson.   Drop in fees are intended for new folks wanting to try out a masters program before making a commitment to join, for people who come on an infrequent basis and don't want to pay monthly fees, or for out-of-towners looking for a group to swim with.

I'm lucky that my current masters coach is actively coaching on the deck all the time, knows all the swimmers, knows our individual goals & objectives, and knows when we have races coming up.  I've also gone to masters programs where the coach just posted the workout and you were on your own.

Mark

I know some damn good swim coaches who have stellar results.......never seen one of them get in the water.

Depending on your current swim ability, the TI class may be worth it or not....the same can be said of private lessons from another coach.  Or maybe Masters would get you where you need to be, or even a YMCA swim lesson program.  Like I said, much of the "worth" depends on where you are, what you hope to gain, and how much time you have to devote to swimming faster.

LOL.  I can just envision Bob Bowman jumping into the pool to show Michael Phelps how he should be swimming his butterfly.  

I've seen the opposite too, where the "coach" actually swam the entire workout with the group and didn't do any actual coaching at all.

Mark

I'd recommend getting a TI book and video.  At the beginning, TI is all about following various drills to work on correct balance, streamline, propulsion, etc. - very little whole stroke.  These drills are easy to learn and practice with just the book and video.  Putting all the drills together for whole stroke is more complicated, but can be done with just the book, video, and practice.  TI is a long, tedious process that doesn't necessarily have immediate results (especially where speed is concerned).  In the long run, TI (like other programs) will give you the tools to be efficient in the water and give you a decent stroke with which to build speed.

I bought the book and video and did the drills for at least six months.  I signed up for the second day of the TI class (because I'd already learned, on my own, the drills taught in the first day).  I received some decent feedback in the class, but realized that I'd taught myself what I needed with practice and patience.

I've been swimming with a masters class for the past 3-4 years.  I only do a few of the TI drills on a regular basis, but my freestyle is visibly a TI based stroke.  I'm much faster now than when I was learning TI - in fact, my pace got slower over the 6-9 months I was drilling and learning TI.  Speed came with (1) having good form and (2) pushing through 3000-3500 hard swim sets 3-4 times per week.  

There isn't a $70 snorkel on the market. The whole things seems too pricey.

1)  I believe it is a good thing.  I have a long, smooth stroke with a two-beat kick (unless I'm sprinting) and I'm well-balanced in the water.  It's what I think of when I picture a TI stroke.  As I've gotten faster, I've removed any exaggerated gliding that I picked up (rightly or wrongly) from doing TI drills.

2)  I'd do it again.  TI is not the only route to take, but I like perfecting form before worrying about speed.  Too many people want to increase speed without taking the effort to get the form right first.  I like reading about stroke mechanics and then working through drills with a conscious understanding of the purpose of the drill.  I'd want the same from an individual teacher.  

As long as there is a single person left on the planet with 70.00 in their pocket.....someone will devise a snorkel to rid them of it.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/331606130895?ul_noapp=true&chn=ps&lpid=82

I stand corrected!

I do think the bolded history of ex-comp HS swimming is important, as it does make it  a bit harder to differentiate your own TI-based results from the skills and talent level required and built up during competitive HS swimming.  How much faster did TI make you compared to HS comp swimming?

If I read it right, she didn't swim in HS.

Helpful info, thx!