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.
Hi all... Former High School and College swimmer trying to get back into swimming to get in shape again. Found this thread fascinating as kicking was always one of my problem areas.
Tried your 4 x (3x25 easy 1x25 sprint kick) today, had my kicks at around 25 secs/25) based on looking at the clock, didn't have anyone to time me officially. Going to work on improvement as I still do a 4 beat kick on free.
So...on to my question... My freestyle kick is and has always been terrible. In a 100 I could keep a fast kick up and my 100 time was ~ 52.00 back when I was a "swimmer" and competing. In practice it never was very much over a 4 beat kick. Here's the crazy thing, my backstroke kick is really quite good. I have a fast kick and my 100 back was ~54.00 and I really attribute my backstroke to my kick. My "event" was 200 back which I came in at 1:58.00, and I could keep a fast kick the entire race, and could NEVER keep it up in a 200 free. Why, when the kick is essentially the same, was a great on my back, but terrible on my front. I would really like to work on this now that I'm an old fart and could use some things got get back into shape. Thanks everyone, great thread!
Hi Adam,
Welcome, it's unusual to be able to sustain a great kick in backstroke but not freestyle. It's also unusual to go 54 in the 1bk & 52 in the 1fr. Usually swimmers have a bigger spread between the 2.
I'm curious to see how your kicking times fall.
Test:
1) 25 flutter kick fast with a board,
2) 25 streamline flutterkick on your belly, and
3) 25 streamline flutterkick on your back.
Start the same way on all 3
I think it might be a mental thing. Kicking on your back seems to be more natural to you and maybe faster. You can learn to 6 beat kick when you're swimming freestyle and develop the ability and conditioning to sustain it for an entire 200. Make it a priority and a project and keep working on it day after day week after week and Post your progress.
Hi all... Former High School and College swimmer trying to get back into swimming to get in shape again. Found this thread fascinating as kicking was always one of my problem areas.
Tried your 4 x (3x25 easy 1x25 sprint kick) today, had my kicks at around 25 secs/25) based on looking at the clock, didn't have anyone to time me officially. Going to work on improvement as I still do a 4 beat kick on free.
So...on to my question... My freestyle kick is and has always been terrible. In a 100 I could keep a fast kick up and my 100 time was ~ 52.00 back when I was a "swimmer" and competing. In practice it never was very much over a 4 beat kick. Here's the crazy thing, my backstroke kick is really quite good. I have a fast kick and my 100 back was ~54.00 and I really attribute my backstroke to my kick. My "event" was 200 back which I came in at 1:58.00, and I could keep a fast kick the entire race, and could NEVER keep it up in a 200 free. Why, when the kick is essentially the same, was a great on my back, but terrible on my front. I would really like to work on this now that I'm an old fart and could use some things got get back into shape. Thanks everyone, great thread!
Hi Adam,
Welcome, it's unusual to be able to sustain a great kick in backstroke but not freestyle. It's also unusual to go 54 in the 1bk & 52 in the 1fr. Usually swimmers have a bigger spread between the 2.
I'm curious to see how your kicking times fall.
Test:
1) 25 flutter kick fast with a board,
2) 25 streamline flutterkick on your belly, and
3) 25 streamline flutterkick on your back.
Start the same way on all 3
I think it might be a mental thing. Kicking on your back seems to be more natural to you and maybe faster. You can learn to 6 beat kick when you're swimming freestyle and develop the ability and conditioning to sustain it for an entire 200. Make it a priority and a project and keep working on it day after day week after week and Post your progress.
