No kick

Until I watch someone in a modern NCAA or Olympic championship final swim a 50, 100, 200, 400/500 with a dragging kick, I will continue to maintain that a strong kick should be the base of swimming fast for most people.

I'm something of a newbie to masters, though I've been swimming a long time. I have no kick, zero, nada. I have tried at masters swim workouts, but if I attempt to move down the lane using kick only, I float absolutely still in the water. If I kick a lot, I get cramps in feet and calfs. What to do??? I would suggest working on your kick using a snorkel. With ot without a kickboard, whatever makes you comfortable. But the snorkel will help you keep the head down and in proper alignment. Head above water with a kickboard keeps the hips too low. Streamline head down iwithot a board s not bad, but I think you lose position when you rotate, so I'd suggest a snorkel, instead. As for the importance of kicking, I'm in the camp that believes it is vitally important. I'd say that it is most importnat for *** stroke and back stroke. Look up Elizabeth Biesel's "titanic" drill. That shows how much kicking contributes. I'd actually contend that it is possible to do backstroke faster only kicking than only pulling. That said, you don't see it much in distance. I think legs use an amount of oxygen disproportionate to the benefit. But on short distances, they are vital. Again, my opinion/anecdote. UDK's are something else, entirely. Those are even more critical. Look up David Berkhoff, of "Berkhoff Blastoff," who is responsible for the 15M rule. He held the world record from his technique of staying underwater doing UDK for probably 70 of 100M. Not legal, nowadays.

The very act of putting on fins makes my feet cramp. I need not even enter the water and the workout is effectively over. I have been a runner for 40+ years and at 71 now, improving ankle flexibility is a very remote possibility. I keep trying though. Interesting. I could have written this post!! :) I was a hardcore runner for 40+ years. Osteo in both knees turned me to swimming on February 21st, 2019. :) (Yes, that was the date when I made the switch.) I hate "toys". (Fins, paddles, floats, wetsuits, etc.) As runners, did we ever employ such aids? (Spikes!! You got me!) Are we ex-runners screwed in the kicking department?

No kick? Peep this: www.youtube.com/watch As far as technique goes if you are cramping from the kick I would suggest doing some foot and calf stretching exercise to get your foot used to pointing and keep up on your electrolytes. Adding some fins will also help with getting the feel of where you generatle the power for the kick and prove that you can propel yourself with your legs. That video is from another Universe. Dolphin kicking, at that speed, is something that Aliens do. Can an old ex-runner benefit from such displays of otherworldliness? I'm baffled about where I would even start.

Another vote for the use of a snorkel in streamline for kick drills. Kicking heads-up with kickboard puts my hips too low and puts too much strain on my lower back. Although I normally don't use a kick board, I will, on occasion, use my snorkel along with a Finis alignment board that I carry in my bag. A new kick drill I got from my coach last week is dolphin kicking on my back using a pull buoy and ankle band. Great ab workout.

I agree to the benefit of using the snorkel. I've tried hard to improve my kick with a kickboard however, would no nowhere and expend a lot of energy doing so. I've been using the snorkel, without a board and have been able to keep my head down and improve my kick. Good luck.

By the way, meant to say snorkel with a board means the board is further forward. Palms flat on the center of the board, slight pressure. Engages your lats and core a little to keep your body flat and level.

I'm with Windrath on this one. Even our level 1 swim lessons work on kids' free and back kick, and neither are any good without the flipper action of a floppy foot. You can actually work on ankle flexibility while watching TV. Rotate the ankle with your hands, and spend some time stretching the calf muscles and toes to help reduce your cramping.

I hate to say this, but... Without increasing ankle flexibility, which was posted on another thread, it won't matter much if you use a board, snorkel, etc. In and of themselves, they will not improve your kicking ability. Yes, they will improve your body position and reduce frontal drag, but without better ankle flexibility, there will be no increase in forward propulsion. So, if you "kick-in-place" or maybe even go backwards when you kick, find exercises to increase ankle, foot, and even toe flexibility to reduce backward drag. There are plenty of them. How successful they will be depends on your specific situation (age, swimming history, etc..). As an aside, the more I bicycle and the older I get, the more time I have to devote to stretching my ankles/toes before I swim to prevent cramps and keep my toe point. Good Luck Sumo - don't give up on increasing those tight ankles of yours. :)

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!