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.
Ande,
I just read this whole thread and am very excited about trying your suggestions. I have always been a very slow kicker, in fact I'm all ARM's my feet just drag behind me, they move but to not propel me through the water.
I have a problem with my legs cramping, and this has been long-standing, 20 years plus. Even when I was in my 20's when a practice was tough, I would always end-up cramping. My coaches get puzzled, trying to figure it out... more electrolytes, banana's pears, etc... nothing really has made much of a difference, I have just sort of accepted that this is the way my body is. But now (after reading this thread) I'm starting to think that maybe my leg cramps are because I have never built up those muscles and I have just dragged my leg's around and when I am really tried (from a hard practice) that when I try to kick, I then cramp because those are my weakest muscle.
I guess the only why to verify this is to be very diligent about trying to strengthen my kick, measure my kick times (and incidents of cramping) over time. What do you think?
Ande,
I just read this whole thread and am very excited about trying your suggestions. I have always been a very slow kicker, in fact I'm all ARM's my feet just drag behind me, they move but to not propel me through the water.
I have a problem with my legs cramping, and this has been long-standing, 20 years plus. Even when I was in my 20's when a practice was tough, I would always end-up cramping. My coaches get puzzled, trying to figure it out... more electrolytes, banana's pears, etc... nothing really has made much of a difference, I have just sort of accepted that this is the way my body is. But now (after reading this thread) I'm starting to think that maybe my leg cramps are because I have never built up those muscles and I have just dragged my leg's around and when I am really tried (from a hard practice) that when I try to kick, I then cramp because those are my weakest muscle.
I guess the only why to verify this is to be very diligent about trying to strengthen my kick, measure my kick times (and incidents of cramping) over time. What do you think?
