Kicking goes nowhere

RE: Kicking goes nowhere

orca1946 — Sun, 06 Mar 2016 02:49:47 GMT

Yes - fins will allow more flex for you. Borrow some from a friend to see if you like soft or hard fins.

RE: Kicking goes nowhere

Former Member — Mon, 15 Feb 2016 17:27:40 GMT

Keep kicking with fins. The cramps will reduce and eventually go away. It will help you find the correct form faster and also improve your ankle flexibility. If you are serious you should do daily ankle flexibility stretches. Doing a stretch every day will give you more gains in 2 weeks then only doing it once a week for 6 months I have found in my experience. Look at this article and do stretches 1 and 2 and eventually work up to 3: www.cfracing.com.au/.../

RE: Kicking goes nowhere

ande — Sat, 13 Feb 2016 12:44:44 GMT

This may help forums.usms.org/showthread.php You are hindered by your foot flexibility The point is you can't point your toes. Great kickers don't concentrate on pointing their toes When they kick their toes & feet just go into a point & beyond. Notice how flexible & floppy phelps feet are http://youtu.be/T9eDAQxL5cA

RE: Kicking goes nowhere

ourswimmer — Sat, 13 Feb 2016 12:35:47 GMT

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. If you can't point your toes I am not sure it matters what else you do with your legs and feet. I am a pretty good kicker but if I hold my feet flexed rather than letting them extend loosely I too go backwards. Dragging the legs is not a bad option for a person with inflexible ankles.

RE: Kicking goes nowhere

ganache — Sat, 13 Feb 2016 11:58:16 GMT

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/.../

RE: Kicking goes nowhere

Swimspire — Sat, 13 Feb 2016 10:45:52 GMT

Hi there, it's great to see that you're looking to improve your kick. I would first of all recommend that you get a coach/instructor to look at your kicking technique, or get someone to take a video of you while you are kicking so you can review your progress. It is one thing to watch an instructional video, but because you can't see yourself in the water you won't really know whether you are kicking correctly, or whether you even need the specific drills that the video might prescribe. In the meantime, be patient and practice your kick consistently over very short distances. As you yourself pointed out, you are new to the sport and you've been a runner for many years, so you will not be able to adapt instantly to the water. It will take time for your body to adjust. I would also suggest avoiding the fins - they are going to force your feet and ankles to move in ways that they are not capable of just yet, and might lead to injuries. Believe it or not, the kickboard is not the absolute best way to improve your kick. Try looking for alternative kicking drills that don't use the board exclusively. There are certain drills that will help improve your kick without actually isolating the legs too much. The "side-to-side" drill for example will help you practice the kick with help from upper body, so you'll be reinforcing the leg work without as much frustration. Again, be patient and be persistent. Good luck!!

RE: Kicking goes nowhere

Sumorunner — Sat, 13 Feb 2016 04:39:23 GMT

Yes, I signed up for a 10 week master swim class, but it doesn't start until Feb 25. I'm just being a bit impatient.