Well, I see you're just like me in the beginning 7,5 years ago, energised and enthusiastic!
The trick is to use this energy economically. Some people dive in and strand quickly falling victim to a bad unbalanced approach. One thing that should be kept in mind is that freediving is more energy hungry that it may initially feel. It's easy to over train in freediving because it's so soft, silent and peaceful under water. it's like having a cut underwater, it feels much less painful than above. The water is like an anaesthetic.
Next session you can try the following, with your buddy!
Do a CO2 - Table A - static training schedule.
This means your going to a series of breath-holds designed to have you learn to deal with a high amount of CO2 in your system. Remember the CO2 gives you the urge to breath. How to do it?
Well you take you personal best time (say 2') and half that to have a base time of ..( say 1' in this example). Then you plot a schedule and ask your buddy to the count down etc. The time in between the dives is going to shorten, allowing less ventilation and more CO2 buildup, rendering the minute dive increasingly more challenging. At the same time you have the comfort of knowing your O2 is al right.
I prefer a warm pool for this.
Apnea time: surface time:
1' - 2'
1' - 1'45"
1' - 1'30"
1' - 1'15"
1' - 1'00"
1' - 0'45"
1' - 0'30"
1' - 0'15"
1' - 0'15" <- added that last one as a little bonus challenge
During this schedule you'll have the opportunity to learn to relax despite the stronger urge to breath, keeping al these many body parts loose and relaxed. You may feel the CO2 effects such as warmth on the chest, the narcotic effect.
After this static schedule drink water, thank your buddy for his security timing and coaching - he can see and feel parts of your body to see if it's relaxed.
Now for dynamic.
Just have a 200m warm up, free stroke will do.
Than it may be fun to practice the dynamic start. See how you can get the furtherest with only a push of the wall. You and your buddy can take turns and share observations. While you're at it you may see you're floating up when you take a full breath, how much air do you need to be neutral in you buoyancy? How much lead could you use diving full lungs? Waist and or neck? (Look it up here on DB)
Next is combining an efficient start with efficient swimming. Limit yourself to 25m and see if you shave off a number of swim strokes. And as you swim those 'easy' 25m lanes notice the CO2 buildup and keep relaxed and efficient despite it. - do not look up/forward, just let your head relaxed down and enjoy the water and glide through it.
If you have the time you practice the turn in the shallow part first (like you did with the start) by swimming a few strokes to the wal, turn and push off efficiently.
You can also practice you leg stroke by swim legs only the 25m in apnea.
At home you practice yogic breathing. Learning to separate the different ways of breathing, using different muscle groups in isolation. Learn to control you breath by breathing controlled, from the belly, with for instance 5 seconds in, 5 out. Another is 5 in 10 out. Do these with eyes closed so you can look inside and notice what's happening.
You can play meditation and focus games, such as concentrating a 100% on what you're doing. Learning how to empty your mind. Learning to focus and direct your mind.
Contact Ulf Dexter for his great (self) hypnosis expertise.
Building up your muscles strength is also nice. Pay attention to effects food have on your mind and body, stay hydrated, have enough sleep.
You see there are a lot of fun things you can do alone pretty safely, but as you don't know your mind and body yet it's good to remain cautious.
During training with my buddy I like to work on my personal projects, such as preparing for a pb in CNF. Most of my training consist of improving technique, strength, endurance, relaxation. Things that I can do easily without buddy limiting my dives to:
"the first urge to breath" or "the first contraction".
Surely when I have a buddy I like to try for 1 "maximum" dive, where I test to put the skills together and have a long swim. I do these 1 - 3 per month.
You'll find that in the beginning it's very easy to do almost a pb every training. With time it will become more challenging and require more real improvements instead of blunt willpower. I also found that my pb's rarely come from planned attempts. No they come when I mentally was divorced to success and just went for a nice long dive.
When you start deep diving it will become very apparent that blunt will power is NOT the way to success during a dive.
I say use the will power where it's useful, during training technique, strength and endurance.
Love, Courage and Water,
Kars
oh I'm planning to come to Sweden, Nordic Deep this year, it's a great place to meet many fantastic freedivers!
