Total Immersion Malaysia Level 1: Current Packages Available

I've received several inquiries about the cost of taking Level 1 and Level 2 and here's the latest information hot-of-the-press for Level 1 (see also how to get your RM25 discount HERE):

Level 1 Package Price: NOOB Swimmers

• For noob swimmers (can barely freestyle 25 m), take the 'Complete Step-by-Step' package that gives you eight (that's 8) sessions in the pool. Each session is 1.5 hours long. 
• You'll get video analysis of your stroke (tip: wear a nice swim suit!) and tips on how to improve your current stroke
• You'll learn the 'superman', skating, over switch, snorkel swim, and breathing. (See Bambi do the 'Superman' HERE). 
• Receive a certificate, course notes, cool blue 'Can you swim well' drifit shirt, 'Easy Freestyle' TI DVD and TI Silicone swim cap.
• Price: RM838 (if paid in full. Instalment pricing available too). This works out to about RM70 an hour. Good value considering all the quality stuff you'll get. Also, TI classes here in the US cost USD70 an hour... *sigh*
• Miscellaneous expenses will be RM100 for a snorkel. You might be able to buy secondhand from TI graduates, or borrow. You'll be using the snorkel in Level 2, so it's good to have one. 

Note: This is a scuba snorkel.
You'll need the center-mount snorkel,
the sort that Finis makes :p
(see clickable pic of the Finis Swimmer's Snorkel
 below for an idea of what it's like)

Level 1 Package Price: GOOD Swimmers

• For good swimmers (no problem freestyling 25 m), take the 'Express Class' package that gives you an intense weekend (two-day) course. Count on 4.5 hours of solid instruction per day.
• You'll cover everything the noobs cover, and receive all the goodies they get also. 
• Price: RM645 (if paid in full. Installment pricing available too). This works out to RM71 an hour. Again a bargain considering TI classes in the US cost USD70 an hour ... *SIGH!*
• You'll need to beg, borrow or steal a snorkel for the classes. Or buy one.

Here's my two cents, having taken both Level 1 and 2 myself: You'll need to be prepared to work hard and it's not exactly pocket change, but this is one investment that is worth scrimping and saving for. Why? Because  you'll come away with the ability to swim 'fishlike', effortlessly, and even when you're 90 years old, you'll be able to enjoy the pleasure of an effortless swim and all the accompanying benefits. Not to mention, Total Immersion swimmers look stunning in the water (see TI coach Shinji Takeuchi swim on Youtube).

Ask Advanced Aquatics (Contact Page or Facebook) about signing up. Say Grace sent you to receive RM25 off the package price! You're welcome to subscribe to my blogposts to receive TI updates and promo notifications in your email inbox (click on 'subscribe by email' on the right sidebar). I'm currently putting together a video of my swim before and after TI (Level 1 and 2). Stay tuned!

Questions? Comments? Love Total Immersion? Leave your message at the bottom of this post - I LOVE hearing from you!

xo Gracie

p.s. It would be AWESOME if you could click on any ad here - my sponsors give me a few cents per click. Thanks for supporting my blog!

Total Immersion Classes Malaysia: RM25 Discount off Level 1

Folks,

Since Total Immersion came to Malaysia last year, the programme has taken off big time! Advanced Aquatics who provides TI classes in Kuala Lumpur has graduated over 60 fishlike swimmers for Level 1 so far, and word of mouth from TI converts (including yours truly) continues to draw more people in.

Is Total Immersion for me?
Yes! TI will help you swim more efficiently. You'll use the high-elbow, gravity-aided 'spear' and hip rotation to slice quietly into, and glide powerfully through the water. (All technical-sounding but it basically means 'to swim fishlike' :p). And you'll be pleasantly surprised that you're going farther with so much less effort since your stroke will no longer be powered by churning arms and legs (as conventionally taught), but instead, by your core. Yes, that's right - your core (read: abs). 'How am I going to swim with my core?', you may ask. Well you'll find out when you start your TI journey :)

For triathletes (who comprise the majority of TI students), a more efficient swim translates to having more in the tank for the bike and run legs in a triathlon. That makes for a more enjoyable race, maybe even a spot on the podium :)

For total noobs who just want to be able to enjoy swimming instead of struggling breathlessly to get to the other end of the pool, swimming will become relaxing - even effortless ... Total Immersion completely changed the way I swim, the way I perceive swimming, and distances of 4 km (such as for the Ironman swim) or more, are now achievable. I smile when I remember how 25 m in the pool was such a 'workout'!

Where can I find more info?
Hook up with Advanced Aquatics through their Contact Page or through Facebook to ask about the Level 1 Total Immersion class packages. Say Grace sent you to receive RM25 off the package price! Advanced Aquatics also has great value-added promotions from time to time and you can stay updated by liking them on Facebook. You can also subscribe to my blogposts to receive TI updates and promo notifications in your email inbox (click on 'subscribe by email' on the right sidebar). I'm currently putting together a video of my swim before and after TI (Level 1 and 2). Stay tuned!

Questions? Comments? Love Total Immersion? Leave your message at the bottom of this post - I LOVE hearing from you!

xo Gracie

p.s. It would be AWESOME if you could click on any ad here - my sponsors give me a few cents per click! Thanks for supporting my blog!

Total immersion students imprinting 'high elbow' in their muscle memory at the Sri KDU pool. Small class size and experienced coaches ensure you'll receive personal attention and progress well.

PD Swim-Bike-Run 2012, Instalment 1: The Swim

Folks! Here's the much anticipated report of the swim at the 1st PD Swim-Bike-Run held 28 Jan 2012. It's gonna have to be short this time.

If you recall, we were supposed to do loops of 500 m out and 500 m back. The plan was to have the anchor kayak paddle out 500 m and stay put while we swam to it. Thus we could do as many 1 km loops as we so desired. It's 'supposed' to look like Map 1 below...

Map 1: Grace & Kayak on 14 Jan 2012. 500 m out, 500 m back.

Why do I say 'supposed'? Because the Real Route the kayak took (Justin wore the Timex Global Trainer on his wrist) is Map 2 below:

November Notables and the Laguna Phuket Triathlon 2011

So, the last time I blogged was 29 Oct, 5 days before Spencer arrived in Malaysia for our 1 month adventure. November was just a really great month! How to do you condense a month's worth of happenings into a short blog post? Answer: You Don't. Heheh. You have been warned, this is gonna be a long post but this is my blog and I'm allowed!

Dedication
I'd like to dedicate this blog post to all my friends and family... and Spencer. Thank you for always being there for me. Love you all.

Pre-LPT Secret Training ;)
Quite a bit of what we did in November was geared toward the Laguna Phuket Triathlon at the end of that month. Neither of us had done a long distance triathlon before. The LPT calls for a 1.8 km swim, 55 km bike and 12 km run. Spencer has done a few sprints these past few years, is good on the bike and is a strong swimmer, but not runner. I took part in a few sprints this year, but had never cycled more than 20 km (blame my bike phobia!). So we went running to get him used to the heat. In preparation for the purportedly crazy hills on the cycle leg of the LPT, we also got some rides in: 25 km bike ride halfway up Genting Sempah, 35 km at Putrajaya with Raymond and Mich (thanks for the tour!), and 58 km at Hulu Langat with Yip (to whom we are forever indebted for loaning us his babies for that month, Thanks Yip!). The Hulu Langat ride was a huge confidence booster for me, because after that, I knew what 55 km feels like. Even then, nothing would have prepared me for the Naithorn Hills in Phuket... (more on that later). While Spencer and I packed our days with activities, we were careful to keep me to my sleep and diet regimen. Throughout Nov, I continued weaning off the hydrocortisone with no relapse.

Can Swim Straight?: Port Dickson Open Water Swim and other happenings

Whoa my last post was nearly three weeks ago! It’s been BUSY! I was going to get busy again today with a trail run in FRIM then it started chucking down rain, so I thought I’d dash off a short note here. But first, here's a route map of the PD Open Water Swim that I yak about at the end of the post:

Errr.... I can explain this (see end of post)

Total Immersion Basics: Bambi does the Superman and more!

Summary of Post

Basics of the Total Immersion Freestyle Balancing Workshop, where I got grounded in the core concepts of effortless, fishlike swimming with the Superman Glide, Superman Flutter, Skating and Overswitch (How it all started HERE). I describe how to do all these, aided by (as promised) a hot and willing model!

Bambi

Total Immersion Works! HUGE Stroke Count Drop!

Hey everyone! Just a quick update: So as you know I did the Total Immersion Freestyle Course recently (juicy details HERE and HERE). Yesterday, for the first time since the course, I ventured into my apartment pool and ... Guess what? My stroke count for 50 m has dropped from 62 strokes to 48 strokes, while maintaining the same times as before (some laps even lower!)!!!

Needless to say I am thrilled at this warp-speed inter-galactical hyper-space jump in my swimming efficiency. And it's just going to get better! (more on this below, and also in future updates)

The negative wet-blanket party poopers out there will say 'well Grace, that means you are burning less calories covering the same distance'. To these naysayers, I say naught. It's an insignificant detail. Appearances are WAY more important, i.e., how amazing I look nowadays whenever I grace the water with my presence. In future, I may even look like TI Coach Takeuchi when he swims. No splash, relaxed shoulders, neck, whole body relaxed, graceful yet powerful gliding through the water.

I started out with the snorkel, so I could focus on my form. It took a couple of laps to get used to snorkel breathing again. Did the Superman glide, Skate, Zen Switch and etc, which I plan to describe in detail (with pics of hot and willing models!!) in my next few posts (stay tuned!). I went slow and really enjoyed just feeling the water and how my body moves in it. I think this is one of the best things I gained from the TI Course - Mindful Swimming. Makes me really want to swim more.

For the last 20 minutes I ditched the snorkel and tried to incorporate breathing into the swim. It went okay, but I need a lot of work. I could sometimes do four strokes per breath, but that was kinda stretching it. I also am having difficulty coordinating my two-stroke kick to the arm entering the water. Supposed to be left arm in, right leg kick.

Despite all that, my stroke count is now 48, down from 62!

The next free Total Immersion talk (90 minutes) is at Bukit Jalil, 7.30- 9 pm on 19 September 2011 (Monday). The course will probably be the following three days that week, so keep your schedules free if you decide to sign up for the course after the talk! Sign up for the FREE talk HERE. (Update 25 July 2012: No more free seminars - instead now it's take-the-plunge and sign up for the course. You can call Advanced Aquatics (03-78735608 or 012-6017946), or send an email to ask about signing up for the program. Say Grace sent you, and receive $25 off your TI Level 1 course :)

A click on any ad below this post will put a few cents in my pocket, from the advertisers. Thanks for supporting my blog!

xo Gracie

Before Total Immersion: Video Analysis Workshop of Some Lady Trying to Swim

Hi everyone! As promised, here are the highly anticipated - and extremely embarassing (thank heavens it's not me!) - video and selected photos of the Total Immersion Video Analysis Workshop held on Day 1 of the inaugural TI Freestyle Course in Kuala Lumpur last week.

First things first
The subject in the photos and video IS NOT ME! For your information, I am an awesome swimmer, and in fact I am so amazing that I can swim 750 m and even 1.5 km (See evidence HERE and HERE). It's obvious the lady swimmi... no, make that *trying* to swim in the vids here is moving a lot but going nowhere. No way she will last even 25 m. Now that this important fact has been established, let's start tearing into her stroke style :D

Underwater screenshots of video of some lady trying to swim.

Total Immersion Has Come to Malaysia!

Summary of Post

My experience with the Total Immersion (TI) Freestyle Mastery Level 1 three day course at the National Aquatic Center, Bukit Jalil. Day-by-day brief of what we did, and how my swimming has been totally transformed. Links to the detailed daily stuff, including video analysis of my swimming. Tips on how to improve your own swim and links to free TI resources. And... a $25 discount when you sign up for TI Level 1 in Malaysia! (Just say Grace sent you). TI is for swimmers at any level. The only requirement is that you can swim 25 m freestyle (i.e., forward crawl / front crawl). It is especially helpful for triathletes because it improves stroke efficiency by at least 20 %, thus conserving energy for the bike and run legs.

Dead Man’s Float Cannot Die One

I learnt to survive water and even enjoy it at an early age. My dad brought us kids to the public pool every week and early taught us the “dead man’s float” and drown-proofing (but I’m still afraid of drowning!). I always thought of swimming as tiring and thought if I increased my fitness through swimming lots of laps, I would tire less easily. I learnt to relax more in the water and recently completed Sprint and Olympic distance swims without feeling too tired at the end (read race reports for PD Triathlon Sprint Distance and Olympic Distance, and about an EPIC swim). However, my mindset was that swimming is a ‘good workout’ for my arms, legs and whole body – I need to reach and pull with my arms, kick to propel myself forward, etc. TI has totally changed the way I approach swimming.

What is Total Immersion?