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.
Wow you're really improving!
Congratulations
Thanks...but a lot of this is more based on the fact that I've just recently began putting EFFORT into my kicking sets. In the past, it was just something I would do (like a 300 kick w/ board to complete the warmup). Now my 300 is broken into fast 50s with 80-90% or more effort. It'll pay off sometime.
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
Definitely good. I run into my old age group coach now and then, and he always reminds me to make sure I build each stroke of the IM...use the first 50 to "work into" the stroke, and then the 2nd 50 to race it.
I also don't exactly have 4 "great" strokes like some IMers do, so I use my Fly to get out quick. I do use an easy speed (but fast) fly, and then just get through the backstroke. After that, it's almost a coin flip as to whether it's going to be a good or bad race. If I can keep stretched out in the ***, then it's a good day, but if my stroke is shortening...:afraid:
Wow you're really improving!
Congratulations
Thanks...but a lot of this is more based on the fact that I've just recently began putting EFFORT into my kicking sets. In the past, it was just something I would do (like a 300 kick w/ board to complete the warmup). Now my 300 is broken into fast 50s with 80-90% or more effort. It'll pay off sometime.
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
Definitely good. I run into my old age group coach now and then, and he always reminds me to make sure I build each stroke of the IM...use the first 50 to "work into" the stroke, and then the 2nd 50 to race it.
I also don't exactly have 4 "great" strokes like some IMers do, so I use my Fly to get out quick. I do use an easy speed (but fast) fly, and then just get through the backstroke. After that, it's almost a coin flip as to whether it's going to be a good or bad race. If I can keep stretched out in the ***, then it's a good day, but if my stroke is shortening...:afraid:
