I am slow, and when I mean slow, I mean slow. I can do a 26 sec 50 with fins, but without I come in just under 1:20! I think a big part of it is just taking the fins off and doing a lot of kick sets to learn to feel the water better with my feet. I have a good breaststroke kick so I don't think my problem is an overly weak pair of legs, although they could be in better shape. Also, myankles are fairly flexible as I can point my toes and make my feet bend backwards past an even position with my shins. However, I do think that I need to loosen up my ankles when I kick. I feel like I get more out of my kick for those brief moments when I allow my ankles to snap back and forth with my kick. I think I actually need to relax more to kick faster as weird as that sounds.
I suppose the answer to my question is that I simply need to take of the fins and do kick set after kick set until I learn to feel the water better with my feet and become more efficient.
A week later and today I went 24.10 off a dive for 25m of flutter kick. I can't imagine that my legs have gotten that much stronger in a week so it must be my technique.
Are there any dryland exercises that would strengthen kicking muscles? Riding a bike perhaps. Funny I don't really associate swimmers with large calf muscles - not like a bikers anyway. Is that because the kick is supposed to come from the hip?
I must confess my legs ache like hell when I do these sprint sets and I am as out of breath as if I had swum a 50 at full pace. As a kid kicking was always rest time for me. I never realised it should be hard work as well.
Thanks Ande!
Syd
A week later and today I went 24.10 off a dive for 25m of flutter kick. I can't imagine that my legs have gotten that much stronger in a week so it must be my technique.
Are there any dryland exercises that would strengthen kicking muscles? Riding a bike perhaps. Funny I don't really associate swimmers with large calf muscles - not like a bikers anyway. Is that because the kick is supposed to come from the hip?
I must confess my legs ache like hell when I do these sprint sets and I am as out of breath as if I had swum a 50 at full pace. As a kid kicking was always rest time for me. I never realised it should be hard work as well.
Thanks Ande!
Syd
