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
Can you at least point your toes down far enough to be roughly in line with your shin? If so, then it will just take practice.
I was in my early 40’s when I learned to swim, and after a year I still could not kick worth a shißer. My feet would start sinking to where they touched the bottom, but I eventually got the hang of it.
There was a forum member years back when forums were popular, a distance guy, who actually did not kick at all while swimming. His legs and feet just trail behind him motionless, like 2 tails. It is quite a successful technique for him. He’d also blast a 50 in same manner. I swim mostly just 50’s at meets, and I rely on a decently conditioned kick
The answer to the first question is a definite "no", but thanks to this forum (Elaine!) I am doing exercises/stretching which helps.
I've sometimes wondered if NOT KICKING is actually faster for me. :)
I will keep working on this. I hope that in a year or so, I can say that kicking gives me a 1-2% boost in what I do.
The people in this thread that do do sub50sec 50m just kicking.......are you from another planet? :)
Can you at least point your toes down far enough to be roughly in line with your shin? If so, then it will just take practice.
I was in my early 40’s when I learned to swim, and after a year I still could not kick worth a shißer. My feet would start sinking to where they touched the bottom, but I eventually got the hang of it.
There was a forum member years back when forums were popular, a distance guy, who actually did not kick at all while swimming. His legs and feet just trail behind him motionless, like 2 tails. It is quite a successful technique for him. He’d also blast a 50 in same manner. I swim mostly just 50’s at meets, and I rely on a decently conditioned kick
The answer to the first question is a definite "no", but thanks to this forum (Elaine!) I am doing exercises/stretching which helps.
I've sometimes wondered if NOT KICKING is actually faster for me. :)
I will keep working on this. I hope that in a year or so, I can say that kicking gives me a 1-2% boost in what I do.
The people in this thread that do do sub50sec 50m just kicking.......are you from another planet? :)
