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.
Parents
Former Member
Here is a great kick set and one you probably haven't done since you were 5 years old. . . .
. . . . .Now do 5 sets of one minute, 45 seconds kicking as hard as you can....as if you are trying to move the side of the pool over one inch. Kick so hard that your leg muscles burn for the last 15 seconds.
After 45 seconds, you get 15 seconds of rest and guess what? Do it all over again. Five time. . . . .
So I tried this set this morning, in honor of my fellow IU alum. Learned a lot about my conditioning:
1) Couldn't go more than 30 seconds. So I kicked 30 and rested 30.
2) The second 30 seconds were the fastest 30 of my life, as in "Oh, God, it's time to start again."
Here is a great kick set and one you probably haven't done since you were 5 years old. . . .
. . . . .Now do 5 sets of one minute, 45 seconds kicking as hard as you can....as if you are trying to move the side of the pool over one inch. Kick so hard that your leg muscles burn for the last 15 seconds.
After 45 seconds, you get 15 seconds of rest and guess what? Do it all over again. Five time. . . . .
So I tried this set this morning, in honor of my fellow IU alum. Learned a lot about my conditioning:
1) Couldn't go more than 30 seconds. So I kicked 30 and rested 30.
2) The second 30 seconds were the fastest 30 of my life, as in "Oh, God, it's time to start again."
