I have two questions.
1)When someone refers to 2 beat or 6 beat for a kick, is that per stroke or is that per two strokes (left arm, then right arm)?
2)It may just be me, but it seems impossible to count my kicks if I am trying to keep track of how many are in one stroke. It's like when people can pat their head while rubbing their stomach in circles...Is there another way to count the "beats" or do you have to be some citizen of waterworld?
These were my personal observations from many years of swimming and from working with a wide variety of swimmers/triathletes. I’m sure others may have other views about the relative value of kicking based on a person’s ability.
What I try to convey to the folks I work with is to get them to understand the importance of kicking for their individual goals. A poor kicking triathlete who will be swimming 500 Meters in a wetsuit in the ocean needs to focus in practice and in the race on stroke technique, breathing, pace and navigation more than on kicking. If the swim is a mile in a fresh water lake then we need to work on the kick to the point where it isn’t a detriment to the swim.
These were my personal observations from many years of swimming and from working with a wide variety of swimmers/triathletes. I’m sure others may have other views about the relative value of kicking based on a person’s ability.
What I try to convey to the folks I work with is to get them to understand the importance of kicking for their individual goals. A poor kicking triathlete who will be swimming 500 Meters in a wetsuit in the ocean needs to focus in practice and in the race on stroke technique, breathing, pace and navigation more than on kicking. If the swim is a mile in a fresh water lake then we need to work on the kick to the point where it isn’t a detriment to the swim.
