Swimming journey timeline summary

Season 1: Boon Lay (Basics: Beat kick rhythms and both breath sides, + opposite breaths became my staple)

Researched and realised about

classification and purported pros and cons of the 3 types of kick rhythm.

breathing on odd counts double sides vs breathing on even counts.

Spent first season practicing it to a triggerable extent. Meaning my body knows the difference and can change at will.

2 beat kick.

4 beat kick

6 beat kick (little bit)

Each for left right and tri breath.

Second season, Boon Lay (catch up stroke and gliding)

There was this whole thing about catch up swimming and gliding, I started forcing myself to have something in front at all times. And time the pull in experimental ways.

I had many rhythms that I could pull off. Afterwards. But I didn’t know which would propel me forward. But at least I knew how to force each rhythm out.

Third season. I went Sentosa alot (Sighting in sea and keeping calm in waves)

I took videos at pool.my legs were sinking, my body was snaking, my arms cutting the middle line were causing me to snake, And My straight arms were not pulling any water,

I chose to work on the arms first.

So I opened my arm gap in the pool, I tried to cut parallel. It worked to some extent, although not perfect but at least im always conscious when my body is in bad position and I needed to cut the middle to get it back.

I went MGS to do something about my sinking legs but it didn’t help. So I left them on hold and…

Now I needed to swim in the sea better, so I just swam alot alot at Sentosa lagoon and too the island.

Here I practiced sighiting, and staying calm with the waves hitting me. Both became sufficiently okay.

Season 4. (Closing legs narrowly and reduce kicking sideways)

I saw in following cam from behind my legs were kicking REALLY wide apart on ONE side, and I was slanted to the left permanently.

So I went to the pool and brute forced my knees together, and also tried to kick downwards.

It was quite horrible and tiring but at least my legs did come together when I swim without brute force. And later on the kick was able to at least be forced at will downwards rathe than sideways.

I also tried to correct my permanent slant but it failed. I had no idea how.

Season 5 (Swimming straight and unlocking six beat kick)

I had signed up for Krabi oceanian so I thought I needed really to swim straight.

I was unable to swim straight so had to keep sighting.

I spend few weeks doing blind drills, keeping my arms on same track even when breathing, trying to use awareness vision to see things passing by as I stroke on the breath to know I am pushed forward or not and that I and straight.

I also signed up for pacific swim team to do something about my permanently slant, but it only go away if I did six beat kicks.

the swim training also forced me to be comfortable with six beat kicks, and kicking with fins helped with that too. Later on I would be easily comfortable doing six beat kick anytime.

Then I went for Krabi oceanman

Season 6 (dual breath unlocked, legs position became high)

I signed up for Bali so I decide to start studying again.

This time I realised my right side breath is bad. and I couldn’t kick three one four beat kick on the right. So I went to the pool and drilled dual breath on right side.

This helped me:

1. Comfortable again swimming dual breath when I feel I need to.
2. Able to kick the right side stroke three kicks
3. And surprisingly I suddenly was able to work on raising my kicks to the surface. Shark tailing a lot of the time.

Then I went for Bali race.

Well before Bali race I realised already my head was dipping in the water and made me get see saw effect when I breath.

That’s why I wrote three main things to focus in my race.

1. Feet high able to at least kick out of the water on some beats.
2. Gliding Arm remain parallel from reentry to extended, when taking breath
3. Feel my crown of head is cutting the water edge as much as I can.

However there was no time to work on number three in practice so we came back first.

Season 7. (Head cut water, finally have a workaround to remove permanent slant)

I took some videos and saw it was really the head dipping that decelerate me.

I spent three weeks, in pool brute forcing my head to the surface of the water even after I take breath. It made my legs sink but nvm, first I had to remember how the head feels if I need to force it to the surface.

Then in the last week, I tried to force the feet up even when my head was fixed cutting water. I actually managed to do it!

Now I have both feet shark tailing and the head streamlined. I also realised the breathing must be quick and controlled so when I turn back there is a forced steady height of my head.

Here I also consulted Hweelee. She

Taught me about bending my arms so that I can swim in baby pool.

And my entry was still cutting middle even though I thought I was parallel.

Here I also did something weird, swimming in 10 o clock and 1 o clock helped me become straight suddenly.

So Gains: Head streamline, turn to breath forced to stay in line, and shirktail still there, finally swimming without the permanent slant.

Then I went for meleka race :)

Season 8 now we are back.

In Melaka race, I had felt a kind of cutting feel if I follow a kind of rhythm and also a kind of catchup and an arch. I want to try that next.