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.
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Former Member
8/16/11: 23.5 SFK, 25.0 flutter w/ board, 13.5 sprint free
8/26/11: 23.5 SFK, 22.low flutter w/board, 13.mid sprint free
9/4/11: 22.mid SFK, 20.hi flutter w/board, 13.mid sprint free
9/14/11: 21.low flutter w/board, 28.hi flutter on back
9/21/11: 20.mid flutter w/board, 28.mid flutter on back, 13.mid sprint free
9/28/11: 20.5 flutter w/board, 27.5 flutter on back, 24.7 SFK
10/7/11: 19.54 flutter w/board, 26.12 flutter on back
10/19/11: 45.47 50yd flutter w/board, 25.81 flutter on back, 29.x 50yd free from push
My kick continues to improve, but the freestyle still sucks. I will work on sprint swimming more later, but for now the full stroke swimming I'm doing is easy (10-20 repeat 100s on 1:40 cycle holding 1:30) to build a base. HR is around 140-150 for that. I quickly build up lactic acid if I try to go even 10sec/100 faster than that.
8/16/11: 23.5 SFK, 25.0 flutter w/ board, 13.5 sprint free
8/26/11: 23.5 SFK, 22.low flutter w/board, 13.mid sprint free
9/4/11: 22.mid SFK, 20.hi flutter w/board, 13.mid sprint free
9/14/11: 21.low flutter w/board, 28.hi flutter on back
9/21/11: 20.mid flutter w/board, 28.mid flutter on back, 13.mid sprint free
9/28/11: 20.5 flutter w/board, 27.5 flutter on back, 24.7 SFK
10/7/11: 19.54 flutter w/board, 26.12 flutter on back
10/19/11: 45.47 50yd flutter w/board, 25.81 flutter on back, 29.x 50yd free from push
My kick continues to improve, but the freestyle still sucks. I will work on sprint swimming more later, but for now the full stroke swimming I'm doing is easy (10-20 repeat 100s on 1:40 cycle holding 1:30) to build a base. HR is around 140-150 for that. I quickly build up lactic acid if I try to go even 10sec/100 faster than that.
