No kick

There are many different philosophies on the use of the kick in swimming - while some prefer to use the kick, others prefer to rely on the upper body and don't find the kick to be helpful. In my opinion, however, it's best not to rely entirely on your arms and upper body to move you through the water for a variety of reasons - including that kicking creates a good balance between your upper and lower body, you are less prone to shoulder injuries if you maintain both good technique and shift the burden from the upper body and the legs, and finally - if you do have an injury to the upper body, you can focus on your kick while you heal (you don't have to rely exclusively on your upper body to move you through the water). I'd encourage everyone to try to learn and develop a winning kick. If you don't practice kicking (correctly and with purpose), you're unlikely to improve. Sumorunner, you should dedicate a portion of each and every practice to kicking. This does not necessarily mean kicking with a board, which at times can be less effective than other kicking drills that help you better improve your kicking technique and better integrate your kick into your fullstroke. There are many drills that emphasize the kick that also include the upper body as well. In terms of ankle flexibility, land exercises and stretches are great, but they may or may not be sufficient to develop increased efficiency in the water - you have to practice in the water to really see improvement in developing your kick. You should also get a coach to take a look at how you're swimming and how you're kicking and to provide you with guidance on how to incorporate kicking into your practices in such a way that you actually can see improvement. You should expect that this improvement will come gradually and with consistent practice and the correct use of kicking drills that work for your particular needs. Here is some additional information on why kicking is important: www.swimspire.com/.../ Good luck!

There are many different philosophies on the use of the kick in swimming - while some prefer to use the kick, others prefer to rely on the upper body and don't find the kick to be helpful. In my opinion, however, it's best not to rely entirely on your arms and upper body to move you through the water for a variety of reasons - including that kicking creates a good balance between your upper and lower body, you are less prone to shoulder injuries if you maintain both good technique and shift the burden from the upper body and the legs, and finally - if you do have an injury to the upper body, you can focus on your kick while you heal (you don't have to rely exclusively on your upper body to move you through the water). I'd encourage everyone to try to learn and develop a winning kick. If you don't practice kicking (correctly and with purpose), you're unlikely to improve. Sumorunner, you should dedicate a portion of each and every practice to kicking. This does not necessarily mean kicking with a board, which at times can be less effective than other kicking drills that help you better improve your kicking technique and better integrate your kick into your fullstroke. There are many drills that emphasize the kick that also include the upper body as well. In terms of ankle flexibility, land exercises and stretches are great, but they may or may not be sufficient to develop increased efficiency in the water - you have to practice in the water to really see improvement in developing your kick. You should also get a coach to take a look at how you're swimming and how you're kicking and to provide you with guidance on how to incorporate kicking into your practices in such a way that you actually can see improvement. You should expect that this improvement will come gradually and with consistent practice and the correct use of kicking drills that work for your particular needs. Here is some additional information on why kicking is important: www.swimspire.com/.../ Good luck!