The Kicking Lane

Ande...here's one for you: I do "occasionally" work on my kick at practices, but whenever I do a kicking set near the end of a 3000-4000 yard practice, I tend to get cramps either in the hamstrings, or calves. Do you think I should just start off with the kick set right after warmup, or is there anything else that could be done differently. I usually always do flutter kick with a board, and I'm not sure if streamline kicking would be any less stressful vs. kicking w/ a board. Thoughts?

I do have to say that after years of not making 8x100s scy kick on 2 minutes I made them the other day with 10-20 seconds rest on each. I know it is not very fast but for me it was a swim happy moment! :)

Fun kicking sets: * 30 minute kick for distance * Progressive 50's kick: 1 x 50 on :60 1 x 50 on :59 1 x 50 on :58 ..etc.. see how low you can go. -Rick

Fun kicking sets: ... An oxymoron if ever there was one. :-) Skip

Ande...here's one for you: I do "occasionally" work on my kick at practices, but whenever I do a kicking set near the end of a 3000 - 4000 yard practice, I tend to get cramps either in the hamstrings, or calves. Do you think I should just start off with the kick set right after warmup, or is there anything else that could be done differently. I usually always do flutter kick with a board, and I'm not sure if streamline kicking would be any less stressful vs. kicking w/ a board. Thoughts? Not sure why cramps happen, I rarely get them, but got calf cramps in the last 1000 of the 10k I swam on Sat Aug 20, 2011. Maybe it's a nutrition thing. Some of the guys I train with occasionally get them. Consider kicking sooner in practice or drinking a sport drink with electrolytes or eating a bananna before or during practice. Sometimes cramps happen when swimmers train further and harder than they usually do. If you're increasing your daily average, slowly work your way up, instead of jumping large amounts like: 3k to 4k or 4k to 5k Kick with and with out a board. Have kicking goals for each season.

I do have to say that after years of not making 8x100s scy kick on 2 minutes I made them the other day with 10-20 seconds rest on each. I know it is not very fast but for me it was a swim happy moment! :) congratulations! keep working on getting faster, try 8 on 1:55 or 1:50, maybe you can work you way to 8 on 1:45 or 1:40

Do you think I should just start off with the kick set right after warmup, or is there anything else that could be done differently I cramp up sometimes when I kick hard at the end of practice, too. Maybe rather than just starting into a hard kick set work into it by doing an easy or build 100-200 yard kick first.

did no board fly kick, Is this the same as dolphin kicking with arms at the sides?

today we did 10 x 50 kick on 1:00 best average did no board fly kick, some SDK then kicked on my side arms at my side held 34's

Natalie Coughlin tweeted today: "Got to write the workout this PM. Dropped the hammer w/ a good underH2O set. My teammates hate me right now. Hehe, I thought it was good! :)" I wonder what the set was! Definitely had to be dolphin kicking...