Hi, new to the board, back in the pool about 4 months.
Worked up to doing Mo Chambers workouts, but always substituting for fly in the IM's because I just never learned it.
I've always been a lousy kicker, but I bought a pair of Zoomers and quit using the board, which has helped a bunch. I do dolphins front and side and flutter on my back. I just started to dolphin kick off the flip (without the fins), which has really helped reduce stroke count (10 catchup; 13 -- 14 normally; 15 + is a failed lap). I'm 6'2" and dropped from 200+ when I started down to 190 - 195, which feels great.
Today I tried doing the fly legs in the IM's wearing the Zoomers, and I think there's some hope. Can a 44 year old lousy kicker learn to fly? Is it OK to learn with fins? Are there bad habits to watch out for when learning with or without the fins? Or should I forget about fly and just concentrate on the other three strokes?
I'm having a lot of fun swimming again, love the workouts and chat here, and am not afraid of looking like a complete dweeb.
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Former Member
What is the advantage to kicking with the arms at the side.... as opposed to in front in a streamlined position. I dolphin kick with the arms in front some but NEVER with them at my side. I can butterfly for about 3/4 of a length and then butterstruggle to the end. Although as soon as I hit the butterstruggle, I swim the rest of the way freestyle.
I know what you mean by the kick from the hips. I do this (reasonably) well early in a workout, but then later in the workout I fall into a habit of kicking with the legs.:(
I really want to learn to fly well enough to do two lengths (SCY) without stopping......I seem to suffer with the stamina though. Probably in part because my form is bad and I really have to work hard to move anywhere. Should I go back to step one - very basic wave/undulation work and build up from there? Sometimes I think that would be good.... but I don't have a coach so I'm not sure I would ever know what I was doing right/wrong.
What is the advantage to kicking with the arms at the side.... as opposed to in front in a streamlined position. I dolphin kick with the arms in front some but NEVER with them at my side. I can butterfly for about 3/4 of a length and then butterstruggle to the end. Although as soon as I hit the butterstruggle, I swim the rest of the way freestyle.
I know what you mean by the kick from the hips. I do this (reasonably) well early in a workout, but then later in the workout I fall into a habit of kicking with the legs.:(
I really want to learn to fly well enough to do two lengths (SCY) without stopping......I seem to suffer with the stamina though. Probably in part because my form is bad and I really have to work hard to move anywhere. Should I go back to step one - very basic wave/undulation work and build up from there? Sometimes I think that would be good.... but I don't have a coach so I'm not sure I would ever know what I was doing right/wrong.
