Hi i counted my dolphin kicks after flip turn and i took 11 dolphin kicks to reach the 15m mark. Is that a good number? those dolphin kick were swift and fast ones. Should i dolphin kick after walls or just flip turn and freestyle?
I am aiming for 5-6 dolphin kicks for a 200m freestyle race.
Also is there any advantage for dolphin kicking off walls instead of just transitioning to normal freestyle?
I was lucky to witness this impressive perspective of UW capacity last year (both 2 bk and free scm). He would disappear then pop up 15M down at the other end for the brief 10m swim before doing it again.
Thanks for the praise, however exaggerated; it sure would be nice to go 15m in 5 dolphin kicks (instead of 11-12)! But realize that John is the real expert here in the 200 free, though too modest (and out of shape) to admit it. I just dabble. He is right to think about the effect that early kicking does on the last 50, which is painful enough as it is.
The bottom line is that the "proper" number of kicks is going to vary from person to person based on how good a kicker you are and your conditioning level (and habits in practice). I think it is a good idea to experiment and see what works best, and also to revisit the issue if you work hard on improving your underwater kicking and conditioning.
I seem to remember someone in another kicking-related thread claiming that kickers are made, not born. While certainly one can always improve any aspect of swimming, I would have to disagree with that statement (putting aside false modesty: I was a better kicker at 8 years old than some ever get to be). Some people are natural-born kickers and others aren't. For example, if your ankles can't hyperextend a lot then I wouldn't worry too much about dolphin kicking and just get up to the surface and start swimming.
I was lucky to witness this impressive perspective of UW capacity last year (both 2 bk and free scm). He would disappear then pop up 15M down at the other end for the brief 10m swim before doing it again.
Thanks for the praise, however exaggerated; it sure would be nice to go 15m in 5 dolphin kicks (instead of 11-12)! But realize that John is the real expert here in the 200 free, though too modest (and out of shape) to admit it. I just dabble. He is right to think about the effect that early kicking does on the last 50, which is painful enough as it is.
The bottom line is that the "proper" number of kicks is going to vary from person to person based on how good a kicker you are and your conditioning level (and habits in practice). I think it is a good idea to experiment and see what works best, and also to revisit the issue if you work hard on improving your underwater kicking and conditioning.
I seem to remember someone in another kicking-related thread claiming that kickers are made, not born. While certainly one can always improve any aspect of swimming, I would have to disagree with that statement (putting aside false modesty: I was a better kicker at 8 years old than some ever get to be). Some people are natural-born kickers and others aren't. For example, if your ankles can't hyperextend a lot then I wouldn't worry too much about dolphin kicking and just get up to the surface and start swimming.
