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.
Former Member
Just one more comment.
How many on here are top elite swimmers?
Do you think the kick is more important than whole stroke technique for the most of members?
How many are trying to break world records for the sprint?
I prefer to practice my kick during full stroke. And that is how I have done it since I was 20 years old.
This is the worst reason for doing something.
Kristina: That is insanely fast!!
Fort you never answered, How is your ankle after your great kicking extravaganza??????
I hope it is better, truly.
Since I've had the flu for awhile, all my joints are much better thanks. I am just really out of shape and endorphin deprived. I actually think I might have aggravated the ankle by running in shoes that were too old, not by kicking. It's sore in the place I incurred a stress fracture from running. So you can't blame it on kicking, George! :thhbbb:
As soon as this coming weekend is over--Metro. College Swim Championships, I am going to really start working on my kicking (freestyle and SDK) I would like to do some of the tests that you do--where you time your 25 kick every once in a while to monitor progress--I've never had a coach try that before, and I think it definatly would be interesting to see how fast one could get strictly kicking (and swimming too as a result).
Good luck with your champsionships! The U of Richmond swim team is leaving tomorrow for theirs (A10 champs), they've got a great bunch of kids (and fast for a school our size, with 3 OT qualifiers). A fun time of the year for college swimming!
Monitoring 25 kick speed is great. But I would encourage you -- and anyone else interested in events above a 50 -- to ALSO monitor longer kicks like 50/75/100 distances. What you will probably find (as I did) is that kick drops off much more quickly with distance than swimming. But you CAN definitely work on "kick sprint endurance" (ie, to hold onto high intensity kicking). This will help you bring it home on that last 25 or 50 of the 100/200. When it starts to hurt, just imagine blasting past your competitors on that last turn with a few extra (and very fast) SDKs, a la Phelps in the 200 LCM free.
Another thing is will help you with is pacing. When I was young and people only took 2-3 kicks off the wall (if that), they were taken pretty much as hard as you can before popping up and beginning the swim. If you start to do > 4 kicks off multiple walls, you need to learn to swim them fast without killing your legs (b/c the rest of the body quickly follows).
Just my :2cents: ! Enjoy the training...it's all good...
I have never said kicking is not important. I prefer to practice my kick during full stroke. And that is how I have done it since I was 20 years old.
I will change my thoughts about kick training when there is a fifty kick race or a 100 kick race that I want to enter.
I have never seen that event on an entry form.
This is a bit like my thinking swimming.about.com/.../lazy_swim_kick.htm
great advice
I need to do more fast 50's 75's & 100's
I also want to work on blasting SDKs off the last turn
it would be awesome to be fit enough to take 8 - 10 fast SDKs off the last turn in the 100 fl, bk IM & fr
Good luck with your champsionships! The U of Richmond swim team is leaving tomorrow for theirs (A10 champs), they've got a great bunch of kids (and fast for a school our size, with 3 OT qualifiers). A fun time of the year for college swimming!
Monitoring 25 kick speed is great. But I would encourage you -- and anyone else interested in events above a 50 -- to ALSO monitor longer kicks like 50/75/100 distances. What you will probably find (as I did) is that kick drops off much more quickly with distance than swimming. But you CAN definitely work on "kick sprint endurance" (ie, to hold onto high intensity kicking). This will help you bring it home on that last 25 or 50 of the 100/200. When it starts to hurt, just imagine blasting past your competitors on that last turn with a few extra (and very fast) SDKs, a la Phelps in the 200 LCM free.
Another thing is will help you with is pacing. When I was young and people only took 2-3 kicks off the wall (if that), they were taken pretty much as hard as you can before popping up and beginning the swim. If you start to do > 4 kicks off multiple walls, you need to learn to swim them fast without killing your legs (b/c the rest of the body quickly follows).
Just my :2cents: ! Enjoy the training...it's all good...
