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've been trying to do a standard flutter kick set at the end of my warmups of 10 x 50s @ 1:00 w/ a board. 6-8 months ago I was kicking, but not giving it all (more of the kick 'n chat version), and was barely making the intervals. I gradually started giving more and more effort though, and eventually got to where I could hold :50s @ 1:00 interval. For the last couple weeks I've been able to hold pretty consistently under :45 seconds per rep @ 1:00 interval, with my best avg last week @ :42s. My fastest for one 50 was a :39. I know that I have a good kick, but the key is being able to use it near the end of my races (400IM) when I really need it.
Wow you're really improving!
Congratulations
on your 400 IM
make sure you split it smart:
I try to breathe a lot, save my legs & swim easy speed on fly & bk so I can really work the BR then hammer the free, I usually 6 beat kick the last 50 and need to 6 beat kick the whole 100
I described my 4 IM race startegy in my July 21st 2011 blog
& here's how the race went
The same strategy worked well at 2011 SCY Zones
In that race I 2 beat kicked the 1st 50 fr and should have 6 beat kicked the whole way, but it was my masters best time for a 4 IM.
good luck
keep updating us
I've been trying to do a standard flutter kick set at the end of my warmups of 10 x 50s @ 1:00 w/ a board. 6-8 months ago I was kicking, but not giving it all (more of the kick 'n chat version), and was barely making the intervals. I gradually started giving more and more effort though, and eventually got to where I could hold :50s @ 1:00 interval. For the last couple weeks I've been able to hold pretty consistently under :45 seconds per rep @ 1:00 interval, with my best avg last week @ :42s. My fastest for one 50 was a :39. I know that I have a good kick, but the key is being able to use it near the end of my races (400IM) when I really need it.
Wow you're really improving!
Congratulations
on your 400 IM
make sure you split it smart:
I try to breathe a lot, save my legs & swim easy speed on fly & bk so I can really work the BR then hammer the free, I usually 6 beat kick the last 50 and need to 6 beat kick the whole 100
I described my 4 IM race startegy in my July 21st 2011 blog
& here's how the race went
The same strategy worked well at 2011 SCY Zones
In that race I 2 beat kicked the 1st 50 fr and should have 6 beat kicked the whole way, but it was my masters best time for a 4 IM.
good luck
keep updating us
