Shinji takeuchi total immersion swim
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VIDEO: Coach Shinji Demos the BEAUTY of Effortless Movement & The SKILL of Slow Practice
Terry and Shinji enjoying a synch swim
The following post was originally published by Terry Laughlin on Aug. 1, 2013. As of today, the video below of Coach Shinji Takeuchi has nearly 1.7 million views on YouTube.
The liveliest thread on the TI Discussion Forum [now archived from 2013] at the moment is titled “a question about continuance” with, as of this morning, 59 posts, which have drawn over 1300 views. What’s curious about this thread is that the initial query was about how to swim faster, yet the bulk of discussion has centered on various forms of “superslow” practice.
Such a discussion could occur nowhere else but the TI Forum!
I should clarify that swimming more slowly isn’t the object. Rather it’s to improve at swimming with consummate ease and to explore your ability to slow particular aspects of the stroke, while maintaining overall flow and body control.
Martial artists have long known the value of moving as slowly as possible to increase awareness, control, fluency and integration. It’s a harder sell in the swimming world.
It’s also a much more exacting skill in the water than on land. Slower movement highlig
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Working on this post has brought me the greatest happiness of anything I’ve written in the 23 years of TI. (The first-ever TI Adult Swim Camp, at Colgate University, began June 17, 1989!) After Shinji became the ‘most popular swimmer’ on-line earlier this week, I felt it was important to share his story–to let his many fans know something about the person who swims with such inspirational beauty.
But also because the real story of TI is about using swimming practice as a vehicle for self-realization. Michael Phelps became the world’s most recognized swimmer-as-athlete in the world with expert guidance from Bob Bowman, often called the world’s best swim coach. Shinji is not only the most recognized swimmer-as-artist; as you’ll read here, he’s also the worlds #1 Self-Coached Swimmer and an embodiment of the philosophy of Kaizen. As he puts it “I still am just a middle-aged average swimmer who tries to improve every day.” His example is as inspiring as his form.
Note: The photos below of Terry (L) and Shinji (R) were shot at a TI Open Water Camp in Eleuthera two months before his video went live on Youtube.
Terry: Why did you begin swimming and how did you find your way to Total Immersion?
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VIDEO: Why Synch Swim? Terrycloth Laughlin current Shinji Takeuchi Demo That Practice