I love to do vertical kicking. We used to wear shoes and hold weights... It helped me develop a strong kick, I think. :)
It definitely broke up the workout!
Jeff has it right. Not only does it work your abs but it will keep your ankles soft and flexible so you don't need ot do ankle & feet flexing at nioght while you're watching tv.
Even though I am usually averse to drills, this one is a good thing to try on a regular basis. Vertical kicking keeps the workout group honest if done correctly, i.e., with hands out of water, and not near a convenient wall or bottom. It can also be a socially interactive time, if the coach has announcements to make or the swimmers just want to complain to one another (what masters do best/ most).
With the new emphasis on kicking up AND down, it will give a lot of work for the time taken in practice. A very efficient and productive set. After only 60 seconds, you feel it.
I do vertical kicking on an interval: 1 minute on, 15 seconds off 10 times through. My goal for the up coming season is 5 hours of vertical kicking (total for the season). We'll see.
IN addition to the ab work, I have always thought it was the best way to work on ankle flexibility. Try staying afloat with out your feet pointed. Wasn't that you specialty though, Jeff?
Originally posted by nkace
So you kick the same way you normally do? or is a there a certain way of kicking you should be doing?
Arms & hands out of the water? Really?
I am not sure who you are directing this to, and I do not know what you mean by "Really," but I don't mind answering:
Kick with your arms out of the water. The higher your hands, the more difficult the excercise. I have a 90 degree bend at the elbows and keep my upper arms at water level. Sometimes I bring my arms straight out (a strea line position) but only do that in 20 second spurts.
I agree with what everyone is saying and will add that as a kicking drill it's a great conditioner. When I put fins on, either zoomers, split fins, or just standard fins you really feel it both in your heart rate and your VO2. In fact when I do these, I feel the same sensations as when doing VO2 Max swims. The body is really working hard and you always have to strive for the perfect extention with your arms while the legs work as hard as they can.
When I swam high school, I had a coach who absolutely loved vertical kicking drills. He would have the whole team go to the deep end, age groupers included, and we would spend a whole practice down there. We devoted one practice a week to vertical kicking, and most of us hated it. *Some of us* still hate it to this day.
The workout would go as follows: 5 minutes regular treading water flutter kick; 3 minutes with arms out of the water to your elbow; 30 seconds with arms in streamline position; 30 seconds with arms in streamline position dolphin kick. 1 minute rest on wall, repeat set.
At the end of practice, when we all were too exhausted to move, he would have us high schoolers strap ankle weights on, and do streamline with flutter kick until only one person "survived" - i.e. their chins didn't sink below the water. That person would then get to skip the kick set at the next morning's practice.
I will admit, however, that those not-so-blissful times in high school, my kicking was much improved, and so was my core strength - God how I miss those abs! :p
Originally posted by lefty
I am not sure who you are directing this to, and I do not know what you mean by "Really," but I don't mind answering:
Kick with your arms out of the water. The higher your hands, the more difficult the excercise. I have a 90 degree bend at the elbows and keep my upper arms at water level. Sometimes I bring my arms straight out (a strea line position) but only do that in 20 second spurts.
I am trying to picture if your arms are above your head or if they are on the surface of the water.
