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.
Flexible Ankles are part of kicking faster, some people have flexible feet and can bend their feet below the ankle from mid foot down I've been coaching and teaching since 2015. I would emphasize that the key to propulsion in kicking is the loose ankle, and relaxed, following leg from the thigh down. If you have flexible ankles you will get propulsion. The top of the foot is the only part that really propulses in the kick, and the flexible ankle provides the correct angle for that part to do its job. For most folks, the kick is a mystery, but without the flexible ankle, the top of the foot acts as a brake rather than a propulsor. smooth and small is the key.
Flexible Ankles are part of kicking faster, some people have flexible feet and can bend their feet below the ankle from mid foot down I've been coaching and teaching since 2015. I would emphasize that the key to propulsion in kicking is the loose ankle, and relaxed, following leg from the thigh down. If you have flexible ankles you will get propulsion. The top of the foot is the only part that really propulses in the kick, and the flexible ankle provides the correct angle for that part to do its job. For most folks, the kick is a mystery, but without the flexible ankle, the top of the foot acts as a brake rather than a propulsor. smooth and small is the key.
