Product Description

The Alexander Technique offers a deeper understanding of the working of the self, and sets us free to think and act creatively. By applying these principles to swimming, this book aims to help produce impressive results in swimmers and previous non-swimmers alike.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #314011 in Books
• Published on: 2001-06-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 144 pages

Customer Reviews

This book cracks the code for swimming properly.
The Art of Swimming is not a book you read from cover to cover but one you will constantly dip in and out of to improve and develop your swimming!

It helped me to fix my breathing difficulties and to relax while doing the breast stroke which is the key to swimming well. I enjoy swimming a lot more now and it seems much less effort. I can also float with ease for as long as I want.

It is full of good, practical advice for beginners and improvers about how to deal with fear of water, breathing, swimming technique, wearing goggles (which I find invaluable even if I look like Fearless Fly) and other swimming aids. Some of it is a bit 'New Age' but don't let that put you off. Swimming should be fun and not a chore - rediscover the joy of water with this book.

A useful angle on swimming
Most books on swimming concentrate on the physical actions of arm, leg and body movement with a view to maximising propulsion. Some more modern, enlightened books concentrate on the essential skills of balancing and buoyancy.

This book is at the other end of the scale, concentrating on your mind and body's relationship with the water and counteracting your learned and natural (land-based) tendencies when interacting with an essentially non-supporting medium (ie water).

It all sounds a bit too new-age and some of it is for me. But the underlying concepts about true relaxation in the water and the methods of achieving this state are very sound indeed.

I tried some of the ideas in this book and realised that although a fully confident swimmer, I was not as relaxed in the water as I believed or indeed needed to be. On achieving this relaxation my swimming has been transformed. I can swim a lot longer and faster easier than before. This improvement is not just a few lengths but more like an 800% improvement in distance ability with front crawl within weeks. This is no joke!

I think you could probably sum up the useful stuff in a much smaller book but it is well worth buying if you want to swim better and stay injury free doing so.

A new path to swimming for both the aquaphobe and swimmer
This book has helped me discover the physical and psychological reasons for my long standing fear of swimming. It clearly sets out step by step the technique that Steven Shaw has developed using the Alexander Technique to overcome the reflex actions that create the panic and rigidity which inhibit freedom of movement in water. It is also very informative for those who are not terrified of water, but who have problems which they seek to overcome. Beautifully illustrated and full of sound advice.