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.
I'm right now in the process of doing kick-only workouts, with running and weights to maintain fitness, until April where I'm going to start working with a coach to help me with my technique. Anyways this morning I did some fast kicking and here are the results:
After full body weight routine + 15 minutes on the treadmill I did a swim workout that was mostly kicking, only swimming was warmup/cooldown:
SCM pool
400m flutter w/board, part of warmup (7:51)
4x100 rested 25 seconds between o)IM order e)flutter w/board (IM kick in 2:00, 1:59, flutter in 1:50, 1:49).
100 ez backstroke
6x25m rest 30s between 25s all on a push
1 & 2 on back, 7-8 SDKs off wall, went 22.2, 21.8
3 & 4 flutter with board, went 21.9, 21.4
5 on back again, short fast SDKs, went 21.4
6 w/board flutter, 21.3
100 cooldown
I come from a running background and my kicking seems to be coming around nicely. Now I just need to get my stroke technique down and hopefully drop a lot of time this summer.
I'm right now in the process of doing kick-only workouts, with running and weights to maintain fitness, until April where I'm going to start working with a coach to help me with my technique. Anyways this morning I did some fast kicking and here are the results:
After full body weight routine + 15 minutes on the treadmill I did a swim workout that was mostly kicking, only swimming was warmup/cooldown:
SCM pool
400m flutter w/board, part of warmup (7:51)
4x100 rested 25 seconds between o)IM order e)flutter w/board (IM kick in 2:00, 1:59, flutter in 1:50, 1:49).
100 ez backstroke
6x25m rest 30s between 25s all on a push
1 & 2 on back, 7-8 SDKs off wall, went 22.2, 21.8
3 & 4 flutter with board, went 21.9, 21.4
5 on back again, short fast SDKs, went 21.4
6 w/board flutter, 21.3
100 cooldown
I come from a running background and my kicking seems to be coming around nicely. Now I just need to get my stroke technique down and hopefully drop a lot of time this summer.
