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
Hey,
Kicking can be a hard factor to master in swimming especially because it seems so simple- just move your legs and make splashes. However, building strength and endurance in your kicks is crucial and could be the winning factor in a meet. I agree with everyone else I highly suggest removing your fins and focusing on kicking drills. There are many different types of drills you can do to improve your speed:
* Grab a kickboard and sprint kick down and easy kick down
* 6 beat stretch (which is just kicking 6 kicks on each side and continuously rotating.
* Streamline kick
Check out this video for further description on drill ideas: www.ehow.com/video_4459097_kicking-drills-freestyle-swimming.html. Good luck on improving your kicks. :)
Hey,
Kicking can be a hard factor to master in swimming especially because it seems so simple- just move your legs and make splashes. However, building strength and endurance in your kicks is crucial and could be the winning factor in a meet. I agree with everyone else I highly suggest removing your fins and focusing on kicking drills. There are many different types of drills you can do to improve your speed:
* Grab a kickboard and sprint kick down and easy kick down
* 6 beat stretch (which is just kicking 6 kicks on each side and continuously rotating.
* Streamline kick
Check out this video for further description on drill ideas: www.ehow.com/video_4459097_kicking-drills-freestyle-swimming.html. Good luck on improving your kicks. :)
