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.
Congratulations on a near second time drop!
The 6-beat is just slightly faster, but it is faster nonetheless and mandatory for a 50. For distance swimming, like 100 and up, I will use the 2beat for most of it.
Thanks! I'm not sure that is all kick improvement as I'm still learning a lot about starts and cleaning them up, but I can certainly see a drop in my kick set times and things feel better on shorter harder stuff. Clock says so too.
Interesting to hear you say that about 100 b/c when I look at where my 6 beat drops off and I think ok, I can either start with a 6 and ride it until it dies an finish with a 2? Start with a 2 and go 50 and finish 6 beat 50? Or a 2 all the way. Still have a long way to go b/f I get my kick fitness to where it's an honest assessment, but I don't envision ever using a 6 beat for anything over 100 that's for sure.
Congratulations on a near second time drop!
The 6-beat is just slightly faster, but it is faster nonetheless and mandatory for a 50. For distance swimming, like 100 and up, I will use the 2beat for most of it.
Thanks! I'm not sure that is all kick improvement as I'm still learning a lot about starts and cleaning them up, but I can certainly see a drop in my kick set times and things feel better on shorter harder stuff. Clock says so too.
Interesting to hear you say that about 100 b/c when I look at where my 6 beat drops off and I think ok, I can either start with a 6 and ride it until it dies an finish with a 2? Start with a 2 and go 50 and finish 6 beat 50? Or a 2 all the way. Still have a long way to go b/f I get my kick fitness to where it's an honest assessment, but I don't envision ever using a 6 beat for anything over 100 that's for sure.
