Apnea Academy Instructors Course

[glennv]

Most people in the instructor course had previously done a one week stage (as he calls it) in Sharm or Italy with Umberto.
These are very intense (10 + hours / day of which 5+ wet hours) freediving workshops that give you a very good idea about the Umberto way of things and to me where a very valuable addition to my freediving skills in general. Also gives you lots of opportunities to play with VW/no-limit sleds etc.
I did 2 of them before the instructor course.
If you do it , one important tip : Get in shape !!!! otherwise after 3 days you will be burned out with this tough program.

 

[Cliff Etzel]

you guys are kidding right?? :naughty

You freedive but don't know how to swim? Shit - I do between 400m - 800m breast stroke 2-3 times a week to keep my upper body in shape and to maintain my cardio fitness - it's required to do 400m no fin swim for my divemaster - have gotten it down to around 12 minutes - trying to get it to 11min right now due to points for the swim.

Anyone who asks me to teach them freediving has to swim a minimum of 200 meters and tread water for 10 minutes before I teach.

Umberto is right - it makes you a part of the water - not fighting it...

 

[jome]

I think 200m is a reasonable minimun requirement - in fact I think it's the legal definition of "being able to swim" here.

Of course I can swim - but then there's swimming and swimming. At my speed, I'll be passing the recreational grannies left and right - but still, I manage block some some real swimmers from doing their thing.

But I only swim breast stroke reasonably - never really bothered with the others. I've done a "swimming Cooper's test" a few times for fun and I think I got 550-600m - I guess that's half decent...

Anyway...I don't know how professional swimmers keep sane. Even running in circles seems like playing chess compared to just starting at that line for an hour. It's always my head that gives up first when I try to do long swims

But now what did any of this have to do with the topic. No idea...I'll get me coat.

 

[naiad]

I have tried soooo hard to improve my swimming, and I just can't do it. Breast stroke is no problem, I can do 2000m. I can also tread water reasonably well. It's front crawl that I have trouble with. I get too tired.

Anyway...I don't know how professional swimmers keep sane. Even running in circles seems like playing chess compared to just starting at that line for an hour. It's always my head that gives up first when I try to do long swims

Me too. I just can't bring myself to do it. If I don't have anyone to go swimming with, I don't do any serious swimming. Even CO2 tables seem like fun compared to being cold, tired, lonely and bored.

Lucia

 

[glennv]

Have you tried waterproof MP3 players :t
You are right, just swimming lanes is madness. Toooooo boring.
That's why i picked up this swim fitness class. After 1 hour of hell you are glad it's over , but anything but bored rofl

 

[naiad]

It's the lane swimming that drives me mad. I like swimming if I have lots of space to myself, and I don't have to go round in circles or stay at a particular speed.

It's true that if you can find a class or group of people to train with, it is much easier to get some serious training done. I am willing to push myself very hard, but only if I can see an incentive, and things like lane swimming, exercise bikes and rowing machines are so boring and frustrating that there is no incentive to go on for more than a few minutes.

I started a thread on freediving and swimming ability...
[ame="http://forums.deeperblue.net/showthread.php?p=597236"]Swimming ability of freedivers[/ame]

 

[Kars]

Jome, perhabs they do not look at the line?

I would recomment seeking a better technique while one is swimming, where to put ones hands, which path the hands follow, head position, feet, back, legs, breathing etc. There is so much to improve and to feel.
And remember that the true technique lesson starts when it starts to become harder stamina wise.

When I'm training, I do chestcrawl for some distances, where I breath little, once every 6 strokes, about 3 times a 50m lane. Like Glenn said, great for Co2 training. I use it as warming up for my monofin training.
I agree that an instructor one has to able to show a very good technique and oneness with our favourite element, water. I'm flabbergasted that world class divers have so much specialised that they couldn't show a decent underwater breaststroke?!
Like Glenn suggested one can learn a good stroke it fairly quickly, making it perfect is a whole other story though.

About the way different people approach the breathhold sport, I love to get to know what others see and love, it may deepen my love for it even further!
Could we say Umberto's mainly approches Freediving as an Art, seeking the perfect harmony with the blue?

You're right Jome, it's hard not to try for self improvement when -at last- an oppertunity of deep water comes

ciao, ciao!

Kars

 

[Cliff Etzel]

I think 200m is a reasonable minimun requirement - in fact I think it's the legal definition of "being able to swim" here.

Of course I can swim - but then there's swimming and swimming. At my speed, I'll be passing the recreational grannies left and right - but still, I manage block some some real swimmers from doing their thing.

But I only swim breast stroke reasonably - never really bothered with the others. I've done a "swimming Cooper's test" a few times for fun and I think I got 550-600m - I guess that's half decent...

Where I train, they have certain lanes for more experienced swimmers than others - really helps when doing dynamic Apnea with fins and then switching to regular swimming.

The swim I require isn't timed - just need to show that you can actually do it.