Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #39387 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-03-20
• Rating: Exempt
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 40 minutes

Customer Reviews

an old-fashioned coach trip
On this dvd you get some glimpses of a fine champion swimmer - and some brave, able and utterly silent kids - engaging in what was to me a brisk exhibition of how not to teach or learn. It's kill-joy coaching - with plenty of "arch your back" and "lift your bellybutton" commands - all barked out in the imperative mode, like some old sergeant-major taking a PE class with cowed army cadets. The goal seems be to become a freestyle medalist, and to win freestyle races, as did Tom Jager - with backstoke no more than a step on the road.
You're told you can "do" the dolphin kick as in butterfly, or you can "do" the freestyle kick as in freestyle, but you get very little assistance in thinking through how you might actually go about achieving these worthwhile aims. Watch me, copy me, be me - that's about as far as it gets.
By comparison with the excellence of Steven Shaw's Alexander Technique based approach, or Terry Laughlin's inspirational Total Immersion method - either of which does set you thinking, and believing you can do it, and both of which help you enjoy your progress in the water, and have you wanting to watch over and over again - this is educationally on the edge of laughable: no use for beginners, and probably irrelevant to any budding champion.
It's all set in what appears to be a rather tiny pool, and shot with fairly unsophisticated camera work, so you never quite get enough sustained shots of any one element, and you have to keep a finger ready on both the repeat button and the slow button even to see clearly what's being demonstrated.
There's already plenty of top level swimming and much better camera work to be seen on the sports channels. Great teaching is something else, though, and it usually involves thought and patience, which sad to say didn't strike me as much in evidence here.
As I put it back in its box, I began wondering what does this kind of coaching actually do to nice happy kids?

A very clear demonstration of the backstroke technique
As an amateur swimmer I have greatly benefitted from Tom Jager's swimming technique DVD series. First I watched the freestyle, the breaststroke and improved my style significantly. Now in the present backstroke DVD I realized that my backstroke style is also wrong and I will start correcting it as per Tom Jager's instructions. The picture and sound quality of the DVD is very good and explanations clear as in the other DVDs in the series. There are drills that prepare the student of swimming before the implementation of the full technique. Towards the end of the DVD common mistakes and corrections are demonstrated and explained. Tom Jager first demonstrates the techniques himself in the pool then has a group of children do them. He speaks very clearly. I recommend that anybody interested in improving his / her swimming and teachers of swimming purchase the whole set of DVDs demonstrating the various styles. Teachers can benefit by seeing how one of the world's best swimmers teaches.

The only negative thing is that in the beginning of the DVDs Tom Jager introduces himself and explains his world records himself. I think his achievements should have been explained by someone other than himself. I am sure that Tom Jager is a modest well intentioned person but talking about what a great swimmer he is could sound like bragging to some watchers of the DVD and appear impolite.

I find the other review titled " an old fashioned coach trip " unfair, excessively critical and absurd.