Rating: 
Summary: Great book ... could have been much shorter
Review: Like other reviewers, I got tired of the author repeating his theory over and over. The introduction and first chapter are literally the same thing! I get the feeling that the first versions of the book were too short and the publisher made the author add in fluff, fluff, fulff so that he could get ...That being said, I still gave the book 4 stars for the content. The swimming methodology is sound and my swimming has improved dramatically since following the stated directions. I would recommend anyone who wants to stop flailing in the pool and really swim to buy this book. Just skim over the repetitious parts.
Rating:
Summary: 90% Helpful
Review: Loved the book. Well-written and 90% of the author's ideas are useful and even compelling. Unfortunately, one of his fundamental tenets is simply wrong. He bases some of his foundational drills on the necessity of maintaining balance in the water, the idea being that our body in the water is like a seesaw with the fulcrum being our air-filled chests. Since our fulcrum is off-center we must bring our legs up into balance by "pushing down" on our chest. "Push the buoy" the author calls it.
This would work if our bodies, like a real seesaw, could have the pushing force applied by someone sitting on us. But a swimmer cannot have someone pushing down on his "buoy" from above. A swimmer must do his own pushing. There is only one possible source for this "push." That force MUST come from the muscles of the torso, which, when constricted (and muscles cannot push, they can only pull) cause the lower body to plummet to the bottom of the pool like a rock. Unless, of course, the swimmer significantly increases the intensity of his kick (and if you have long, non-fat legs your kick must be dramatically stronger.) Increasing the kicking energy defeats the purpose of balancing the body in the first place, which is to keep the lower body up without having to kick so hard.
In fact, any effort to "push" any part of your body down will always cause another part of the body to head south because you can't pull one end of a muscle without also pulling what that muscle is attached to. The emphasis should be upon maintaining a straight line from head to toe; in other words keeping the head in line with everything else. Which means keeping the head down. But even the head should not be "pushed" down below a certain point because the head is "pushed" (actually pulled) by the neck muscles, which are attached to the torso muscles, etc. Pull the head and you'll get a corresponding pull of the lower body.
Balancing the body is important, but balancing can be accomplished only by combining a straight body with the right mix of leg kick, body roll and arm pull. Forget the push.
Other than that, the book is great.
Rating:
Summary: What a swimmer with some A times, but nothing better, thinks
Review: Maybe the book deserves five stars, but I shall be stingy. I am a 16-year old age group swimmer. I specialize in long-distance freestyle and am close to my first AA times in a few events. This book is one of the most important advances in my swimming career. By religiously following every drill in Laughlin's program (including one resembling dead-man's float which was hard on my pride to do in public), I have been able to convert my flat, brute-force freestyle into a more graceful and efficient stroke.
I began to see results after about two weeks, but so far my sprints have been fairly resistant to change, although I am confident that I can slowly increase the speed where I can use my new stroke. Since I bought this book during the summer, I have had no meets to get new times, but I have noticed that in practice I have swum faster with dramatically less effort. My biceps, triceps, and shoulders are no longer bearing all the burden of swimming and I have learned how to make freestyle swimming's power and rhythm come from the core of the body.
I can't say how helpful the book would be for more advanced swimmers, but I will recommend it to swimmers with A and AA times who hope to get AA and AAA times, especially to those who have poor rotation in freestyle. Backstrokers may also benefit somewhat if they need to cure poor rotation.
Finally, I am an assistant coach for my neighborhood's swim team during the summer and I have successfully used the principles of the book to quickly correct many stroke flaws of younger swimmers.
Rating: 
Summary: swim smarter through better technique that really works!
Review: not only have i read the book, but i attended the clinic as well. Terry Laughlin has spent years perfecting the best way to teach adults efficient swim strokes. drawing on the same techniques that olympic swimmers use, he breaks down the freestyle stroke into the components that make it up, and like a good drill sergeant, build you back up the right way. a must for the swimmer who is not progressing, or for the newer swimmer who wants to swim efficiently from the start
Rating:
Summary: This method made me a competent, confident swimmer in 1 week
Review: SHORT VERSION -This method is incredible and works.
-Don't buy this book. Instead buy the updated version "Swimming made easy." It contains significantly improved drills.
-To really make it easy to learn this method, the DVD is gold. A moving image is worth more than a thousand words in this instance. The DVD contains the same drills as the book "swimming made easy." LONG VERSION
First I have to point out that while this method is incredible, this particular book is not the one to get. Terry's book "Swimming made easy" contains almost identical material in the first several chapters but the drill portion has been improved dramatically. I originally bought this book and mastered the balancing drills but when I started working on the later drills I didn't get how all the pieces fit together. With Terry's new drill sequence the drills naturally work you into a complete swimming stroke. In addition, "Swimming made easy" also includes drills for the backstroke, butterfly, and breast stroke." If you want to improve your stroke even faster, I highly recommend the DVD "Freestyle made easy." Being able to see the stroke in action and the resulting propulsion from body rotation makes it much easier to grasp the overall concept. A picture is worth a thousand words in this instance. I purchased the book and dvd at the same time and don't think I would have progressed as fast as I did without the dvd. If you can only buy one thing I would recommned the dvd. You can get a large portion of the conceptual information from the total immerssion web site which has segments of the book free for download. Now for my story. I'm an aspiring triathlete with my first one schedule in about 3 months. The open water swim had me a bit concerned. I've always known how to swim but have never swam freestyle more than a few feet. I went to the pool for the first time and proceed to expend a lot of effort while feeling like I was creeping along with almost no forward momentum. Upon the recommendation of a friend I went the next day and bought this book. That same day I went to the pool and tried the balancing drills and was amazed by the ease with which I could float on the water. Anxious to learn more I ordered the dvd "freestyle made easy" and book "swimming made easy" (I ended up returning the "total immersion" book). I must have watched the dvd at least 3 times the day I got it. I was amazed to see people glide along the water with very little effort. I went to the pool everyday for a week doing 2-3 drills each time and by the end of the week was able to easily swim the triathlon distance of half a mile. I didn't do it in record time by any means but I could do so confidently without any worry of fatigue or drowning (in open water). Because this method teaches you how to let the water support you with almost no effort, whenever you feel like you need an extra couple of breaths you can simply role to your "sweet spot" (roughly on your back) for as long as you need. It's been about a month now since starting to learn this method and I've shaved four minutes off my half mile time. My stroke is continuing to get more efficient and I literally feel like I'm cruising with little effort. A couple of days ago I shared a lane with a gentleman who was going about the same speed as me but expending probably more than twice the effort. The drills teach you how to get propulsion from core body rotation rather than the traditional idea of kicking harder and pushing the water back with your hands. In fact, with this method you use your legs very little which is great for triathlets in that they can save their leg strength for the bike and run. This method teaches three basic things
-How to stop struggling against the water and let it support your body.
-How to streamline your body in the water and reduce drag/resistance.
-How to use core body rotation as the main method of propulsion rather than your arms and legs.
Rating:
Summary: It's The Way
Review: Ten years ago, I swam 5x week, 1.5 hours per day in a competitve masters program in an attempt to be a great all-around triathlete. It never happened, despite winning me a 36 bpm resting heart rate... my swimming held me back; literally. I'm now 35 and, thanks to this book, swimming faster than ever. This despite having made nowhere near the same time investment. This book is The Way!
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Summary: This method of swimming does wonders
Review: Terry Laughlin uses basic principles of hydrodynamics to show the correct way to swim "like a fish". Fish-like swimming is perhaps a misnomer, but he does detail how it's possible to reconfigure one's body in the water, to be like a yacht, not like a barge. There's a whole long section on hydrodynamics for the technically inclined, and for the Olympic watchers there's a bit about how elite swimmers have used these techniques to win. The prose tends toward the purple at times, but it's good background for what's to come: a whole series of lessons and drills that tell you what you're supposed to feel in the water. Until I heard the phrase "swimming downhill," I'd never really thought about what it should feel like to swim, gliding effortless through the water instead of being dragged by it. But with these and other catchphrases, Laughlin can get any swimmer attuned to what should be happening. The book itself is choppily arranged. The skill-building practice swims are located in the back of the book, with the actual descriptions of the skills somewhere towards the middle. Even the sections on weight, one for total body and one insanely long regimen for the rotator cuffs, are stuck in their own little sections far apart in the book. More logical organization would make this a much easier book to flip through, but the results are undeniable. My crawl stroke has improved dramatically, and I can't wait to see what tricks Laughlin has up his sleeve for the other three strokes. This belongs in every swimmer's bedside table, dog-eared and highlighted and worm.
Rating:
Summary: Exactly the swimming help I needed.
Review: Terry Laughlin's book is the answer to my search for help. I was stuck in the slow lane in spite of swimming 200 miles per year. After just three weeks of work with the Total Immersion program, I am swimming faster, with less effort, and have cut my strokes per lap by thirty percent. Best of all, swimming is now fun! The material is presented in a way that is easily followed, and clearly explains how to become more slippery in the water. This, rather than muscle power, is the key to faster swimming. The techniques described will help swimmers at any level of ability. Chapter seven describes a simple test to gage your progress while learning.
Rating:
Summary: When All Else Fells........Swim
Review: Thanks Total Immersion for sharing your wisdom so I could have the gift of swimming.I have enjoyed countless laps by practicing the skill drills in this book.I have also overcome a kicking disability from studying your fish-like swimming videos....Hi to Terry,Glen,Tammy & Fiona !
Rating:
Summary: Fishlike swimming
Review: THE answer for anyone who needs to know how to swim. Yes it takes a while to get to the 'meat' but does a good job of explaining the theory of fish like swimming. The theory, drills and technique work. They can be applied as in the lessons and are THE answer to all those of us not born water babies. If you are a triathlete this is a MUST purchase. Its changed my swimming as an Ironman athlete and I've applied it with great success with the athletes I coach. It could be further improved by addressing the lack of flexibility in age group swimmers and triathletes, but its already a 5-star read!
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