|
(Click on the
photo for the author's bio) |
This article was written in 2002 by Rudi Castineyra for
publication on several sport magazines in Turkey. It gives
very useful general training tips and advice for beginner
and amateur freedivers.
After the success of Yasemin's records, interest in freediving
in Turkey has grown a lot. I have been in Turkey now a total
of 10 times and during all this time have had the chance to
meet many Turkish divers and people in general. One question
that I invariably get from almost everybody is what kind of
suggestion can I give to those who want to improve their freediving
performance. I am very happy to see that there is so much
interest about freediving in Turkey, and it reminds a lot
about my native country Cuba, where 4 out of every 10 kids
tried freediving while they were growing up and the country
respected and loved freedivers as much as baseball players
or boxers. By comparison, the United States, the country where
I live now, knows very little about freediving and it is very
hard to create interest on this activity, since most people
are used to completely different sports. So, I wanted to write
this article and give some basic suggestions to all those
freediving lovers in Turkey, as my way of showing appreciation
not only for supporting Yasemin but also the sport in general.
What is freediving and what do we need to know about
it?
Freediving is basically the ability to perform tasks underwater
while holding the breath. We must keep in mind that the human
body is designed to breathe between 20 and 100 times per minute,
depending on the activity we are performing, so functioning
without breathing at all is against our most basic survival
instinct. Therefore, it must be understood that freediving
is more a process of adaptation than athletic training, and
that creating strong and responsive muscles is not the solution
until we teach our bodies to work without oxygen. This learning
process can take a shorter or longer time depending on the
person, but everybody must go through it in order to become
a good freediver. Some people are able to adapt to this low
oxygen set-up very quickly, while others can take very long.
Those who can adapt quickly can potentially be better freedivers,
but those who take longer can also achieve this, as long as
the final results are the same. So, in principle, becoming
a good freediver means that the person must be able to teach
their body how to work with low or no oxygen. How can this
be done?
Adaptive Training
Training is the process by which we teach a living creature
to do something. In the case of freediving, like with any
other training, teaching our bodies and minds to function
without oxygen can be a very long process. So, this process
must be done in a slow and controlled manner, without being
in a rush, not pushing ourselves to do more than what our
bodies can learn naturally. Those who want to become better
freedivers need to be patient. The best way to start training
is not by trying to go deep, but by doing other things instead.
One excellent training tool is the pool, where we can swim
underwater and go for controlled periods of time without breathing.
The person must first find a distance that he/she is comfortable
with and then swim that distance underwater under the most
comfortable of conditions. This means, for example, using
long fins or breathing for a long time before going underwater.
This skill must then be repeated many times until it becomes
very comfortable and easy to do. Then, you are ready to start
increasing the difficulty level of your underwater swims,
but not the distance. Instead of trying to swim longer, do
it under harder conditions. For example, use smaller fins,
breathe for less time before going down, or use no fins, or
combine many of this at the same time. Once you are able to
practice these different routines and become used to the concept,
then you are able to go for longer distances. Again, once
you try a longer distance, start first with the most comfortable
combination of options and do it until you're comfortable
with it.
Once you have mastered this set-up, then you can try this
distance under harder conditions, and so on it goes. If, at
any point during this training you become impatient and you
want to swim too long or do impossible things, then you will
notice that your results will go down instead of improving.
Listen to your body and do what it asks you to do. If you're
tired, rest, if you are finishing a swim with a lot of difficulty,
stop, if you feel wrong, leave it for tomorrow. It is not
only important to understand that progress must be slow because
of safety reasons, so you don't put yourself in a situation
where you could get hurt, but also because if you over-train
your body, it will take a long time for it to recover and
to perform at full capacity again. At the same time, besides
swimming underwater, the diver also needs to spend time working
on his/her muscles, making sure that they are strong and flexible
enough for the requirements of freediving. A freediver needs
to have a strong body all around, not just the legs because
they are the ones used for kicking. More importantly, the
freediver needs to have muscles that are strong, but not too
big so that they don't consume a lot of oxygen. Once we have
created a proper balance between weight workouts and pool
sessions, then we are ready to go to the sea. But, wait a
minute, how do we exactly plan the training so that we do
the right thing?
Designing your training
This is the most interesting part of freediving. The ideal
thing is to have a professional trainer follow the athlete
carefully so that a training system can be designed specifically
for that diver, taking into account all the particularities
that define such person. This is what I do with Yasemin and
that's a big reason why we have obtained such results, but
a general outline can be followed where the diver can achieve
some progress, even if it is not the maximum that can be expected.
For example, I would recommend those who are really interested
to follow a training regime of 5 days per week. 3 of those
days should be in the pool and the other 2 in the gym, the
other 2 days of the week should be of rest, which is a VERY
important part of all training. The pool and gym days should
be alternated, so that each day the person is doing something
different, which will allow the body to use different areas
and react in different ways and the mind not to get bored,
something also very important.
A minimum of 45 minutes and a maximum of 90 minutes
are good for pool sessions, and a minimum of 30 minutes and
a maximum of 60 minutes are recommended for gym/weight workouts.
During those times, you can design your training so that you
start with the easiest things, then move to the hardest, and
finish the workout with something easy again. For example,
you can swim 25 meters u/w with long fins 5 times while breathing
for 2 minutes before each dive to start the workout, and then
you can move to swim the same distance but with short fins
and the same prep time for another 5 times. After that, you
can then swim the 25 meters but without any fins for 3 times,
and then you can swim without fins for another 3 times but
this time with only a preparation of 1 minute instead of 2.
After that, you should go back down in intensity and finish
the session with another 5 sets of 25 meters with long fins
and a 2 min prep time. This is just an example, your sets
should be longer or shorter, depending on your capacity and
your goals. How do you determine how long to swim? Remember,
start with a distance that is very easy and then start moving
up VERY slowly, keeping it always easy. That's the key.
When you go to the gym for weights, you should work
on your lower body one time and the next time on your upper
body, and make sure that you never tire yourself. All the
machines or exercises you do should be performed at no more
than 70 % of your maximum capacity, and each machine should
include 3 sets of no more than 15-20 repetitions each. To
find your 70 %, you first need to find your 100 %, and this
is just the weight that you can lift only one time, because
of how heavy it is, so if this weight is for example 50 kilos,
then your 70 % will be 35 kilos. You should then train for
5 days and then rest for the other 2 days. If you can train
less times per week, that's fine as well, just make sure that
you follow the same procedure, 3 times pool + 2 times weights,
and then 2 rest days and you start again. If you need to stop
in between training days, treat it as if you never stop and
continue exactly where you should, including at least 2 rest
days at the end of the whole thing. Those who have the time
and commitment to train 5 times per week will be the ones
who will reach the quicker results, but it is important that
every person trains at their own pace, according to their
possibilities. How do we test our progress?
Performing a diving test
When are we ready to dive? The most amazing thing people
find about Yasemin's training for example is that she trains
on land for 5-6 months and then dives only for the last 20
days before the World Record. This is actually how it works
with many sports, and it has its advantages and disadvantages.
Yasemin is a very good, natural diver, and she is very comfortable
in the water, so once she gets back in it, she finds her form
right away. Other people may need a longer time to get used
to the feeling of diving again, but in general, diving everyday
is not needed to improve your diving abilities. Every person
should set a goal, a result that they want to achieve at the
end of their training, instead of just going out there and
diving as deep as they can to see what happens. This can be
very dangerous and that's why when Yasemin does a record,
we decide the depth of that record right before she starts
training for it, 6 months in advance. You should set a logical
goal for yourself, not something impossible. Remember that
not everybody can be a world champion and that we can always
improve next time we dive, but if we dive too deep or too
long, that might be the last thing we do while being alive.
Set yourself something easy to start with, for example,
a depth that is one quarter of your stature, or the same number
as your age, etc, etc. So, if you are 150 cm/ 5 feet tall
and 24 years of age, you can either choose to dive to a depth
of 37.5 meters/ 123 feet or 24 meters/ 79 feet, whichever
is easier. Or if those numbers still sound too big, then choose
whatever figure your mind is comfortable with. Once you pick
this goal, you need to train for 4 weeks for every 10 meters
you wanna do, and you should be able to reach a distance in
the pool which is at least 2.5 times the depth you want to
dive to. So, for example, if you want to dive to 24 meters,
you should train for around 9-10 weeks and you should reach
a distance in the pool of at least 60 meters before you try
that dive to 24 meters. Sounds easy? Not really, it's actually
very difficult, and this can change for every person, so my
advice is that you set yourself an easy goal first and then
go from there. Once you have reached your first goal, you
can then plan your next training cycle and set up bigger goals,
but move step by step. Remember, be patient. NOBODY becomes
great in one day, especially in freediving. Lastly, you can
freedive without wanting to reach any particular depth, just
for the fun of it. That's great as well, and in that case,
training can help you enjoy the underwater environment even
more and you don't have to set yourself any training goals,
just train whenever you can so that you become a better freediver.
Safety
The most important thing is for you to be safe while you
train or dive. Every time you go to the pool, you should have
a partner with you, somebody that can keep an eye on you while
you swim your laps underwater. This person should know exactly
what your training consists of, so that he/she can know if
something is wrong as soon as it happens and help you. At
the same time, when you dive, there should be divers with
you ALL THE TIME. A properly trained scuba diver should be
positioned every 10 to 15 meters of depth when you are diving
and they should be properly trained on how to act and react
in case of an emergency. In addition, there should always
be another freediver on the surface waiting for you, ready
to assist you. If there is not somebody available to accompany
you to the pool or the ocean, then don't dive at all. Remember
something, all other sports are done while the athletes are
breathing, but freediving is the only one that requires the
person not to breathe. Therefore, it is very easy for something
to go wrong, and this can happen at any point and to anybody
on any day. The most common problem encountered by freedivers
is blackout, where the person loses consciousness because
of lack of oxygen in the brain. If the person is helped quickly
and properly, then his/her life can be saved, but if not,
death is the result of most blackouts. Most blackouts happen
in swimming pools and in shallow water, not during deep dives
done by experienced freedivers. ALWAYS DIVE WITH A PARTNER.
It is also more fun to share your training with somebody else
instead of diving alone, and you can help push each other
and excel, this is a very motivating tool. There is a proper
way to deal with a blackout, and somebody who is not properly
trained can injure the victim even more, so if you decide
to become a freediver, learn how to deal with this emergency
the right way. I will explain how to deal with a blackout
in an upcoming article, so we can discuss this subject later
on. For now, remember, never dive or train alone.
Some final words.
To finish this article, I wanted to remind all of you out
there that ego is not an acceptable part of a freediver's
mental set up. I have been fortunate enough to do thousands
of dives throughout my life, and the more I dive the more
I realize how insignificant and powerless we humans are compared
to the sea. Only if we respect and love the water, and understand
that we are moving in a completely alien environment, will
we be able to reach our full potential. Those who practice
freediving to satisfy their egos with deep dives are the ones
that get hurt, or that die, because they will never know what
their limits are until the day when they go too far. Remember,
even the smallest mistake can have huge consequences underwater.
It is not important how deep you dive, but for how many years
you are able to dive. Freediving is a sport that, sadly, attracts
many people who only care about being better than others.
Stay away from those, it will be easy to recognize them, trust
me. Don't hesitate to ask for advice from those with more
experience, but make sure that they have true and proven experience,
not a lot of tales to tell. For those who are really interested
in freediving, I suggest that you register for one of the
courses that the instructors of "LearnFreediving.com"
will be teaching around the world this year. You will
become a better freediver AND a safer freediver.
Safe dives to all,
Rudi Castineyra
Click here to write to author
Back
|
