Pool training motivation

[Jorg]

Maybe you guys have some good tips for me. I'm freediving since 1998 and always had fun at all disciplines, but beginning of 2003 I stopped training in the pool because I really didn't like it anymore. Always having that feeling of contractions and holding my breath.... yuk! no fun anymore. So the only time when I still go to the pool is to train others.

In the mean time I didn't stop freediving; I only did the deep disciplines and mostly having fun then really training for depth. I can comfortable be underwater , constantly moving, for 2 minutes, and my maximum is 2:50 (last year). Last week I tested my static in the pool again and I came up at 2:00 minutes! I really didn't like the feeling and at the first contraction I came up. My max breath hold I've done is 4:35. I've done this dry last year around april, and never done it again (afraid to do so). In the water my best is 3:45 or so if I remember correctly and did this in 2002.

Same goes for dynamic. My personal best are from 2002 with a dynamic with fins of 65 meters and a dynamic without fins of 50 meters. I did do some dry walks last year and reached 1:43 minutes. Last week I tried dynamic without fins in the pool, just one time, and I came up at 30 meters because I got my first contraction and that's it for me.

So, I want to start again, how can I train in the pool in such a way that I still progress but that I still like it. I'm afraid that when I start again with my normal training regime in the pool that I'll quit after a few times again. But it's time to break some personal bests!

The strange thing is, I don't have a feeling of contractions of working hard when I dive into the deep.

Any help?

 

[naiad]

I feel the same way about dynamic. I like doing static in the pool and dry (well, I don't actually like contractions but I don't mind too much). It is dynamic that I find too much. When the urge to breathe starts, I want to come up immediately. About 30m, with or without fins, is what I am prepared to do most times.

Part of the problem, for me at least, is that I am scared of not being able to find a secure place on the surface, away from other people. With static I know where I am, unless I have drifted about all over the place. This is why I hold onto the side of the pool for static.

I used to enjoy dynamic, when I had a 20m pool to train in, with not too many other people. It is much easier to be in a short pool if your dynamic distance is not very long.

Also, training is a lot easier if you do short distances most times, and only occasional max attempts. Doing repeated max attempts is a psychological struggle as well as a physical one.

Lucia

 

[Evita]

I agree, don't make it more of a struggle for yourself than it already is. Only do max attempts 1-2 times a month.

I would suggest

1. Find some nice/fun people to train with every week, join a club if it is possible.

2. Make a game of it, play a little. Dynamic or static training is not necessarily just swimming a distance or holding your breath for as long as you can. Swim criss-cross instead of straight, race each other or swim as slow as you can, count stuff on the bottom, or try to glide as much as you can and take as few strokes as you can on a 25 m. Swim on your back or on your side, train your technique. There are all sorts of things you can do in dynamic training, the key is variation. For statics, close your eyes and use your imagination, take your mind of the pool. Maybe you are actually in a zoo, not touching the pool wall, but animals with different kinds of fur, skin, how do they feel? Is that a tiger breathing on your face or just bubbles coming out of your nose? ;-)

Have fun, is my wish and my advice to you. Don't even think about your times or distances for the first month or so.

 

[DeepThought]

Maybe it's time to look for an underwater hockey club near you or establish one.

 

[jome]

Do dry statics for a few weeks, every day. Full prep and max attempt.

After that going to the pool is like heaven

(I am only half joking...)

 

[pkotik]

Over decades of experience I've learned that the most important feature of any gym or pool is the human landscape - the clientele. Finding a place you're happy to be is supremely motivating, and nothing is as powerful a motivator as the right company.

This means different things to different people, of course. My advice is to figure out who you like to spend your active time around, and then find a pool full of people like that. You'll practically take up residence there !

 

[Jorg]

Thanks for your points. To comment on some of them:
- We've got a secure lane, so I'm not worried about jumping someone on my back
- I've got a good buddy who knows what he's doing and who I trust completly. Well, now I think of it, only with freediving, not with anything else :t
- The pool we train in is 20 meters long and around 1,40 deep. Ideal place for some dynamic and statics.
- In the past I did once a month a max dynamic, but in the end I was almost afraid for that one max attempt 3 weeks beforehand! One of the reasons I quit. Maybe I shouldn't plan doing a max and just wait when everything feels okay and just swim.
- Evita; thanks for your points. These are things I tried in the past and were fun to do, but after doing them for some time I got the same feeling. Plus I'm too much of an analyst, after doing a training I want to compare it with another training I did and if I make too much variations I can't compare them anymore.
- Underwater hockey, yeah I tried it once but after I catched the puck with my teeth I didn't feel for it anymore... :crutch

I thought a lot the last days about this 'problem', and in the end I think I found some problems:
- In the beginning I was relatively good compared to other freedivers in the netherlands, so in the end I did see I couldn't keep up with some upcomming freedivers and new talents and was a little pissed off about that, so I probably tried too hard keeping up and overtrained myself.
- Every week trying to do 6 times static and 3 times dynamic, together with 2-3 contstant weight sessions, and fitness, cardiovasculair work, normal work, family and business was maybe too much to handle.
- In that period 75% of my time in the water I was teaching other people to freedive and I didn't focus enough on my own feeling with freediving and only focused on meters and minutes. Wrong mindset for me.

So why do I still like depth training? And how can I transfer this to the pool?
I thought about this last night and I think I found a funny answer, but for me it's pretty true. And at the same time it also gives a solution to why I dive better and more relaxed in dark water like here in the netherlands; Because nobody is looking at me and I'm totally alone down there, only untill the last 10 meters when I get up. That's probably also what I like about it.

It's the same with every other sport I've done in the past. Only individual sports where I completly depend on myself and nobody else. And that's also the reason why I don't like wet statics, because if somebody is doing my safety he is constantly watching my back which makes me so tense...

Anybody got the same problem/feeling? Or am I the only one in this?

 

[trux]

I completely agree with Paul. Unless you are fanatic competitor trying to get some world records, finding the right motivation for pool training may be difficult without good people around and some fun. Make sure to bring in some friends and new people regularly. It makes wonders for the club atmosphere if there are some girls too. It is also big fun and good training to play UW hockey as DeepThough advised, or even better UW rugby. When girls are present in the game, it is even better fun and the game is (usually) less violent. Going for a drink after the training, making trips to the sea or lakes, participating in competitions - all that connects you better with your colleagues and greatly helps with the pool training motivation - if you know you are not going just to suffer in the pool, but rather have some fun with good friends, or maybe a drink after the training with some chatting - you will look forward to it, instead of being disgusted. Try organizing dinners, parties, visits of concerts or cinema with the club - you may find other things than just freediving to speak about with them. Simply - make it social. Having good friends around will also make you less paranoid about others looking at you during the statics. You will feel it rather like parental caring about you, instead of observation or supervision.

 

[naiad]

I agree. Having a nice group to train with makes a huge difference.

So why do I still like depth training? And how can I transfer this to the pool?
I thought about this last night and I think I found a funny answer, but for me it's pretty true. And at the same time it also gives a solution to why I dive better and more relaxed in dark water like here in the netherlands; Because nobody is looking at me and I'm totally alone down there, only untill the last 10 meters when I get up. That's probably also what I like about it.

It's the same with every other sport I've done in the past. Only individual sports where I completly depend on myself and nobody else. And that's also the reason why I don't like wet statics, because if somebody is doing my safety he is constantly watching my back which makes me so tense...

Anybody got the same problem/feeling? Or am I the only one in this?

I feel the same way sometimes. I don't mind statics, as long as I know the person who is spotting me well. I don't like to have too many people around me. This is maybe because most of the bad experiences I have had in my life have been because of someone else's stupidity, and not my own. This makes it hard for me to put my life in someone's hands.

Having said that, one of the best things about freediving is the people. They are almost all very good people, the nicest I have met. Now I know who I can trust, my training has become much better.

 

[pkotik]

When it's a pleasure to go to the gym/pool - you go ! I enjoyed the New York University sport center ( where I was an alumni member) so much I kept going there occasionally even after moving to Boston. The place I go to now in Florida is delightful - a feast for the eyes, lightweight meet-and-greets, a pleasure in every way. Me, I don't need any more than that to get me in there.

 

[Jorg]

Don't get me wrong! When I'm in the pool I've got loads of fun! It always a good atmosphere for training and everything, that's probably the reason why I want to pick it up again. The point is that I'm the trainer, always standing ready for everybody else. And now I've got to take some time back for myself.

I'll think I start with some easy dynamics untill the first contraction and hoping to slowly extend that first contraction. This way I'm not pushing or anything, just doing a lap or 2 or I don't know what underwater and that's it. No strings attached, just relaxation. I'll start with some dynamics with and without and if that goes as planned I'll maybe add an occasional static while watching other freedivers glide by... We'll see where that brings me! Just cruising...

 

[laminar]

Hi Jorg,

You have sort of a contradiction going on here. You want to improve, but yet you are afraid that going for max statics and dynamics will discourage.

What are your goals? Do you just want to increase your bottom time, increase your pbs for personal satisfaction, or compete again?

For dynamic, I've found the most pleasant way to get better without stress, is to focus entirely on technique on very short repeats (25m) and be fully concentrating on relaxing and moving well through the water. This alone can be enough to add 25-50m to your pb if you the desire to go for it. I did this before a pb in dynamic no fins, just spent a few weeks doing easy intervals of 25m, focusing on total relaxation and the "sweet spot". Never did any maximum swims or harder intervals. Then at the competition I pulled off a personal best very easily.

For static, I would recommend that a similar approach will help, but at some point you have to add some stress to the training to improve. So, if being in the pool gives you a bad feeling, try doing some anaerobic interval training at 85%+ over your Max Heart Rate. Careful not to over train, but I've found this to work quite well. Rowing machine (ERG), bike training, cross country skiing. You don't even have to hold your breath. This will help a lot if you haven't been training regularly and will increase your plasma volume and CO2 tolerance. Then after two weeks or more, go back to the pool and give things a try. I think you'll find a pleasant change in the sensations.

Pete

 

[perow1]

Move to a place where pools are crowded and pool times are rare. This will give you a feeling of being lucky when you get a lane.

 

[Jorg]

laminar; thanks for the tips, there's definitly something usefull between.

perow1: I know what you mean, I had the same for many months, always swimming underwater between people and hoping that I wouldn't bump into one. Terrible conditions, but at least I was in the water.

 

[naiad]

The point is that I'm the trainer, always standing ready for everybody else. And now I've got to take some time back for myself.

That is very important. It's good to help other people, but if you are not getting any of your own training done, frustration and disappointment can build up.

 

[Kars]

Perhabs it would a good idea to evaluate the way one values the sport, people, life, the world arround and oneselve.

Love, peace and water,

Kars

 

[cdavis]

Hi Jorg,

Sounds like you were hitting it a little too hard. Try changing your approach to a little more laid back. I

I shifted to "laid back" some months ago and it works for me. I do dynamics like a depth dive,example: swim 20 meters, hang 20 seconds(the sink phase), swim 40 meters. I come up when it feel like I need a breath, no pain, no strain, swim very relaxed. You would think that this would not give much training benefit, but my times and distances keep going up and are way past what used to be very difficult for me. Makes it easy to incorporate laminar's advice on technique.

Good luck

Connor

 

[pkotik]

If you're training in the right pool, you'll enjoy it even more if you have nice, clear goggles !

Doing your underwater swimming upside down is highly recommended, too.

 

[fcallagy]

If you're training in the right pool, you'll enjoy it even more if you have nice, clear goggles !

With built in magnification too paul ? In some places that can get you arrested and in others just get you taken away.

 

[pkotik]

If you're training in the right pool, you'll enjoy it even more if you have nice, clear goggles !

With built in magnification too paul ? In some places that can get you arrested and in others just get you taken away.

Dear me, that sounds perfectly frightful, though I suppose it was inevitable that advanced societies would begin to dispose of citizens who exhibit signs of aging - such as wearing magnifying lenses, as I now must when I read or do close-up work. Take them away, you say ? I shudder. Are they making them into little green cookies, with which to feed the young and strong ? Tuesday is Soylent Green day ! They're making them out of p e o p l e ...