Newbie here again. I have no kick. Using a kick board I flail my legs like crazy and go absolutely nowhere. I literally come to a dead stop in the water. I try to kick from the hip. I try to keep them from dropping low.
I found one video on line that explained how runners can have a difficult time developing a kick. I've been a runner 40+ years and my anatomy has adapted to that completely. It's all about how the tendons of the ankle and achilles have formed for running. I physically cannot point my toes beyond 45 degrees and doing so for more than a few seconds will result in calf cramps of mega-proportions. I also tried using fins once and didn't get 20 yards before severe toe cramps. My forefoot is also quite wide and can't be restrained in those things.
Can anyone point me to a video that will give me pointers? Right now I'm going on 100% arm propulsion and the legs are just along for the ride and could even be holding me back.
One reason kicking can result in little forward propulsion is that the person lets their knee move upward when their foot kicks downward. You can think about kicking a soccer ball with your foot. Normally you would swing your leg forward and extend your knee to move your foot forward. This motion would create propulsion. If you allow your knee to move backwards while you extend your foot you would not kick the ball very far. One way you can see what you are actually doing is to kick in a vertical position in the corner of the pool with each arm supporting you and look down to see if your knee stays forward as you kick or whether you knee moves backwards while you kick.
Here is a link to a presentation given at the USOTC on freestyle and talks about the kick:
PDF Slides: www.usaswimming.org/.../Freestyle Foundations.pdf
Video: usaswimming.adobeconnect.com/.../
One reason kicking can result in little forward propulsion is that the person lets their knee move upward when their foot kicks downward. You can think about kicking a soccer ball with your foot. Normally you would swing your leg forward and extend your knee to move your foot forward. This motion would create propulsion. If you allow your knee to move backwards while you extend your foot you would not kick the ball very far. One way you can see what you are actually doing is to kick in a vertical position in the corner of the pool with each arm supporting you and look down to see if your knee stays forward as you kick or whether you knee moves backwards while you kick.
Here is a link to a presentation given at the USOTC on freestyle and talks about the kick:
PDF Slides: www.usaswimming.org/.../Freestyle Foundations.pdf
Video: usaswimming.adobeconnect.com/.../
