Even my swimming needs therapy!

So, part 2 of the journey saw us visit Swim Therapy (www.swimtherapy.co.uk) near Leicester for a video analysis of my swimming technique. Nigel Kube, the Head Coach, offered me a reduced rate for 4 sessions in support of the Arch 2 Arc challenge and I have to say this might be my best 'bang for your buck' sponsorship offer! The set up there is fantastic - they have a fabulous endless pool - MUCH more substantial than some of the ones you encounter at trade shows etc. and a fabulous recording suite of cameras that capture every angle of your stroke. You can have one or multiple strokes analysed but I stuck to my priority stroke, freestyle. After an initial capture, my coach Steve displayed the data on four seperate computer screens, shown at every angle, and talked through areas I could improve. We then filmed some further footage concentrating on a drill he gave me to help me focus on my catch - this is definitely my key area for improvement. It is fascinating how having a third party can help you notice things and, of course, the underwater filming means there is nowehere to hide - all your flaws are exposed!! They also have a dry-land pulley set up which Steve re-inforced the drill on - having this stage was extremely helpful as I could feel exactly what an improved catch should feel like and then mimic those movements in the water. Finally, a copy of the filming is made for you on DVD with voice-over advice from your coach to help you when you go away.

It was, all-in-all a brilliant experience and an extremely worthwhile investment - I would suggest it to anyone. For someone who is going to be spending hours and hours and hours in the water if I can improve my stroke efficiency and power just that little bit it will make all the difference when I am battling the Channel in 18 months time!