I have spent the last 20+ years with a 2 beat rotational kick, hip driven freestyle focusing on middle and ultra distance events(half and full iron). Fast twitch kid and ran the 100/200 and 100 hurdles in high school. Now back in the pool I have come to embrace what fast twitch I have left and apparently have a knack for the sprints!
Doing tons of kick work to begin the never ending process of getting a powerful 6 beat kick. It's pretty lame at the moment. Working on keeping my hips a little flatter and using that as my platform for a powerful flutter. My issue is that I seem to lose my balance and downhill feeling that is so ingrained with my 2 beat rotational kick once I focus on the 6 beat flutter. To fully engage my 6 beat it's feels like I need to let my legs sink a little bit which just seems wrong. When I do that I feel all that extra drag build up immediately and it's a momentum killer. I'm used to having my bum slightly breach the water with my hip driven stroke. Not able to do that successfully yet with my 6 beat. Ideas or thoughts on what I might be doing wrong or is this just how the 6 beat feels when amping it up for 50/100?
I was given a suggestion today by a really fast sprinter from a local club team to kind of squeeze my bum a little bit and kick even more compact than I am. Didn't really get the hang of it, but open to idea on what I might want to focus on with this new kick journey I'm on. Thanks.
As a distance swimmer, it is natural that you would find the 6 beat kick challenging, not only in practice, but in theory. Your downhill feeling from the 2 beat is almost exactly opposite of the drive that a good 6 beat offers. If you are not comfortable with it, you likely feel as if you are plowing through the water.
Since you only use it for 50 or 100, enjoy the ride. Kick like mad and don't get stuck thinking too much during the race. If your legs are paralyzed about 10 yards form the end, you probably kicked just right. Amplitude is not necessary, but it can be effective. Fiddle with the kick in practice and find what works best for you.
As a distance swimmer, it is natural that you would find the 6 beat kick challenging, not only in practice, but in theory. Your downhill feeling from the 2 beat is almost exactly opposite of the drive that a good 6 beat offers. If you are not comfortable with it, you likely feel as if you are plowing through the water.
Since you only use it for 50 or 100, enjoy the ride. Kick like mad and don't get stuck thinking too much during the race. If your legs are paralyzed about 10 yards form the end, you probably kicked just right. Amplitude is not necessary, but it can be effective. Fiddle with the kick in practice and find what works best for you.
