Hi all,
It's so funny--sometimes I see people at the pool who really go at it with the kickboard...and then other people wouldn't touch one if their life depended upon it.
I'll admit, I don't use one--mainly becuase I'm impatient, feel like I'm not going anywhere, and am a purist to a fault sometimes.
But, if you think that it's worthwhile, I would incoporate it, all for the sake of improvement.
The great questions are:
Will training with a kickboard make me a better, faster, super awesome swimmer?
And, if you train with one--why? Or, why not?
Thanks everybody (you know you're my outlet!)
JoAnne -aka, Jerrycat ;)
Parents
Former Member
Ion: thank you. That was an enlightening discussion. It also explained something I have noticed in my own swimming. I too have a MUCH stronger flutter kick on my stomach than on my back.
Gareth: Mr. Magaschilo has a valid point about a strong up beat in your kick causing your hips to sink a bit. This could be a problem in freestyle; however, I have found it to be an advantage in sprint butterfly. Consider, the model I use for fly is the body dolphin style TI advocates. I want my shoulders and hips to alternate going up and down to create the body dolphin effect. Since I have one complete kick cycle per arm cycle (I am not trying to sneak in another kick, as in double-beat fly), a strong up kick actually sinks my hips, and raises my shoulders at just the right point in the stroke cycle. I find it hard to maintain over 100's, since it uses so much energy (and since I am not a great flyer), but it works like magic for 50's.
Lefty: the guy I think you want is Jonty Skinner, who was the first man under 50 seconds for 100 LCM, and the only one for several years. I dimly recall some speculation that an after the fact measurement of the pool where he set the record indicated it was a hair under 50 meters, but his world record was the official record for FINA at the time. I was going to recommend to you the SwimInfo page that has the top swims in each event (www.swiminfo.com/.../All_Time_LCM.asp however, he is on neither list, and looking at the times for the 100, his old world record is not even fast enough to be on the list!
Matt
Ion: thank you. That was an enlightening discussion. It also explained something I have noticed in my own swimming. I too have a MUCH stronger flutter kick on my stomach than on my back.
Gareth: Mr. Magaschilo has a valid point about a strong up beat in your kick causing your hips to sink a bit. This could be a problem in freestyle; however, I have found it to be an advantage in sprint butterfly. Consider, the model I use for fly is the body dolphin style TI advocates. I want my shoulders and hips to alternate going up and down to create the body dolphin effect. Since I have one complete kick cycle per arm cycle (I am not trying to sneak in another kick, as in double-beat fly), a strong up kick actually sinks my hips, and raises my shoulders at just the right point in the stroke cycle. I find it hard to maintain over 100's, since it uses so much energy (and since I am not a great flyer), but it works like magic for 50's.
Lefty: the guy I think you want is Jonty Skinner, who was the first man under 50 seconds for 100 LCM, and the only one for several years. I dimly recall some speculation that an after the fact measurement of the pool where he set the record indicated it was a hair under 50 meters, but his world record was the official record for FINA at the time. I was going to recommend to you the SwimInfo page that has the top swims in each event (www.swiminfo.com/.../All_Time_LCM.asp however, he is on neither list, and looking at the times for the 100, his old world record is not even fast enough to be on the list!
Matt
