Total Immersion
Total Immersion is a privately held, family-operated swimming instruction company founded in 1989, teaching a proprietary efficient-swimming methodology through in-person workshops, coach certification, digital video courses, and a global certified-coach network serving adult recreational swimmers and triathletes.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1989
- HeadquartersLake Placid, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Total Immersion does
Total Immersion, Inc. is a privately held swimming instruction company founded in 1989 by Terry Laughlin and headquartered at 246 Main Street, Suite 15A, New Paltz, NY. The company teaches a proprietary swimming methodology based on principles of balance, streamlining, and whole-body coordination rather than traditional strength-based training, with named techniques including Perpetual-Motion Freestyle, Kaizen continuous improvement, Mindful Swimming Practice, and stroke counting (SPL). Total Immersion serves adult recreational swimmers, triathletes, open water swimmers, age-group swimmers, special populations, and schools and swim programs seeking more efficient and sustainable swimming instruction.
The company operates a hybrid revenue model. In-person delivery includes weekend workshops (requiring a $250 non-refundable deposit per person), multi-day open water camps, coach certification courses, and a flagship Swim Studio in New Paltz, NY taught by Alice Laughlin, Betsy Owens, and guest coaches. Digital delivery includes self-coaching courses, DVDs, and streaming video content through the Total Immersion Academy (totalimmersionacademy.com), which is hosted on the Uscreen platform. The company also generates revenue from books and e-books authored by founder Terry Laughlin and from gear sales including the Tempo Trainer Pro, Fistgloves, and Safety Swim Buoy. Distribution leverages a global network of independently certified TI coaches who deliver instruction in their local markets, including Master Coaches in Japan, Australia, the UK, and Canada.
Total Immersion is family-owned following founder Terry Laughlin's death in October 2017; operations are now led by his wife Alice Laughlin, daughter Carrie (Laughlin) Loveland, and a small bench of master coaches. The company has no disclosed institutional funding, no public revenue, and a stated headcount of 11-50 employees. Marketing is content-led through a long-running blog, YouTube channel, email newsletter, discussion forum, and earned media in publications including the New York Times, Men's Health, More Magazine, Triathlete Magazine, and Tim Ferriss's Tribe of Mentors.
Total Immersion firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Total Immersion
- Legal name
- Total Immersion, Inc.
- Website
- https://totalimmersion.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1989
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Total Immersion is a privately held, family-operated swimming instruction company founded in 1989, teaching a proprietary efficient-swimming methodology through in-person workshops, coach certification, digital video courses, and a global certified-coach network serving adult recreational swimmers and triathletes.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Total Immersion industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Swimming Instruction Services
- NAICS
- Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Aquatics Programs (Pools, Swim Lessons, Lifeguarding) (EDALAIAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Education & Training (Teaching/Instructional Design) Certifications (EDAAANAM)
Keywords
Where Total Immersion is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lake Placid
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Total Immersion business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- In-Person Workshops: Weekend and multi-day swimming workshops taught by certified TI coaches at various locations. Weekend workshops require a $250 deposit per person.
- Self-Coaching Courses: Digital downloadable courses including the Effortless Endurance Self Coaching Course with video lessons and companion workbooks.
- Video Content & DVDs: Instructional videos and DVDs on various swimming techniques including open water, freestyle, and specialty courses.
- Coach Certification: Training and certification programs for individuals who want to become TI certified coaches.
- Books & E-books: Publications by Terry Laughlin including Extraordinary Swimming for Every Body, Triathlon Swimming Made Easy, and Total Immersion: Swimming That Changes Your Life.
- Gear & Accessories: Swimming equipment including Tempo Trainer Pro, Fistgloves, and safety swim buoys sold through the online store.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Weekend Workshop Deposit |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Workshop Transfer Fee |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Total Immersion product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Total Immersion is a swimming instruction company that teaches a proprietary, efficiency-based freestyle methodology through in-person workshops, open water camps, coach certification courses, a flagship Swim Studio, and online self-coaching video courses. It sells instructional DVDs, e-books authored by founder Terry Laughlin, and swimming training gear such as Fistgloves, Safety Swim Buoy, and the Tempo Trainer Pro. The company's flagship digital platform is the Total Immersion Academy, which streams self-paced video courses via the Uscreen video delivery platform.
Product overview
Total Immersion is a swimming instruction company offering a combination of in-person services (weekend workshops, open water camps, coach certification, and a flagship Swim Studio in New Paltz, NY) and digital products (video courses, e-books, and training gear). The core teaching methodology is the Total Immersion (TI) technique focusing on efficient, effortless freestyle swimming through principles of balance, streamlining, and whole-body coordination. Products include the Perpetual-Motion Freestyle self-coaching program, Effortless Endurance courses, open water training videos like 'Outside the Box' and 'O2 in H2O', and books by founder Terry Laughlin. The company operates the Total Immersion Academy for online video courses powered by Uscreen, and maintains a global network of certified coaches offering workshops worldwide.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Total Immersion Academy: Online video platform offering swimming self-coaching courses and instructional videos, powered by Uscreen
Products and services
- Weekend Workshops In-person Total Immersion swimming instruction workshops held at various US and international locations, teaching the Perpetual-Motion Freestyle technique in a weekend format with a $250 deposit per person.
- Open Water Camps Multi-day triathlon and open water swimming camps taught by Total Immersion coaches at various locations including Hawaii and international destinations, focused on open water skills such as drafting, sighting, and pacing.
- Coach Certification Courses Multi-level training programs that certify individuals to teach the Total Immersion method, including Levels 1-3 coach certifications and Master Coach credentials.
- Total Immersion Swim Studio Flagship swim instruction studio in New Paltz, NY led by Alice Laughlin and Betsy Owens offering in-person lessons, workshops, and ongoing coaching.
- Total Immersion Academy Video-based self-coaching platform powered by Uscreen, delivering streaming video courses and self-paced swimming instruction programs to learners globally.
- Self-Coached Workshop: Perpetual-Motion Freestyle in 10 Steps DVD/video self-teaching program teaching the 10-step Perpetual-Motion Freestyle swimming technique through video lessons and a companion workbook.
- Effortless Endurance Self Coaching Course MP4 downloadable self-coaching course focusing on building effortless endurance swimming technique via drills and skills delivered across 15 short videos.
- Outside the Box: A Program for Success in Open Water Video program teaching open water swimming skills including drafting, sighting, pacing, pack swimming, and synch swimming techniques.
- O2 in H2O: A Self Help Course on Breathing in Swimming Video course on breathing mechanics for freestyle, breaststroke, and butterfly using water bowl exercises, shallow water exercises, and whole stroke skills.
- Swim Ultra-efficient Freestyle! The Fishlike Techniques From Total Immersion Kindle e-book by Terry Laughlin on efficient freestyle swimming techniques grounded in hydrodynamics.
- Triathlon Swimming Made Easy E-book teaching Total Immersion open water swimming methods designed to help triathletes and open water swimmers master open water swimming.
- Extraordinary Swimming for Every Body Comprehensive book by Terry Laughlin (2006) providing detailed guidance on efficient swimming techniques and the Kaizen training methodology.
- Zendurance Cycling DVD on cycling endurance training produced by Shane Eversfield, distributed through the Total Immersion online store.
- Fistgloves Swimming training gloves worn on the hands to improve arm-body connection in freestyle strokes.
- Safety Swim Buoy Open water swimming safety accessory providing visibility and flotation during open water swim sessions.
- Tempo Trainer Pro Waterproof electronic metronome worn while swimming to train stroke tempo and pacing.
Quantifiable outcome
- Improved stroke efficiency, often quantified through stroke count reduction
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Total Immersion
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Total Immersion technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature4 records
Total Immersion partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Total Immersion competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Total Immersion social profiles
Digital presenceTotal Immersion financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Total Immersion leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Total Immersion subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Total Immersion funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Total Immersion M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Total Immersion
What does Total Immersion do?
Total Immersion is a swimming instruction company that teaches a proprietary, efficiency-based freestyle methodology through in-person workshops, open water camps, coach certification courses, a flagship Swim Studio, and online self-coaching video courses. It sells instructional DVDs, e-books authored by founder Terry Laughlin, and swimming training gear such as Fistgloves, Safety Swim Buoy, and the Tempo Trainer Pro. The company's flagship digital platform is the Total Immersion Academy, which streams self-paced video courses via the Uscreen video delivery platform.
Is Total Immersion a public or private company?
Total Immersion is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Total Immersion founded?
Total Immersion was founded in 1989. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Total Immersion based?
Total Immersion is headquartered in Lake Placid, United States, in the North America region.
How does Total Immersion make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. In-Person Workshops are the primary driver. The others are self-Coaching Courses, video Content & DVDs, coach Certification, books & E-books and gear & Accessories.
Does Total Immersion have an API?
No public API is recorded for Total Immersion.
What industry is Total Immersion in?
Total Immersion's product category is Swimming Instruction Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDALAIAF, Aquatics Programs (Pools, Swim Lessons, Lifeguarding), with a secondary code of EDAAANAM, Education & Training (Teaching/Instructional Design) Certifications. Its NAICS code is 611620 and its SIC code is 8200.