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.
a sprint kick improvement program can
improve the kicking and swimming results for poor kicks
I've decided to modify the
testing and training recommendations for
"Help My Flutter Kick is Horrible"
. . .
Well, since I'm already on the old program, I'll be a guinea pig for the new one. All of the times are from a push start, and I kick face down.
1) 25 yds kick with board: 32.17 (Not my favorite activity)
2) 25 yds kick no board: 25.55
3) 25 free: 17.38
4) 50 free: 38.88
Research notes:
a) The timekeeping isn't perfect, since I time myself. #2 may be understated slightly and #3 may be overstated.
b) My times have been dropping over the past couple months as I've stepped up my exercise program, so I'd expect that to continue.
As you can see from the times, I'm practically a noodler. I'm self taught, only started a couple of years ago, and my schedule doesn't let me swim much during the week. But I'm healthy, persistent and patient, so I do improve.
Ande, when you prescribe rest the sixth week, do you mean:
-no exercise at all
-no swimming at all
-no kicking at all, or
-don't do the drills at all?
great
on the 6th week you keep training
do your swimming
just take it easy on kicking and
skip the speed sets till after you test
anyone else want to try this
this way we get to see if your 25 swim gets faster as your kick gets faster
Well, since I'm already on the old program, I'll be a guinea pig for the new one. All of the times are from a push start, and I kick face down.
1) 25 yds kick with board: 32.17 (Not my favorite activity)
2) 25 yds kick no board: 25.55
3) 25 free: 17.38
4) 50 free: 38.88
Research notes:
a) The timekeeping isn't perfect, since I time myself. #2 may be understated slightly and #3 may be overstated.
b) My times have been dropping over the past couple months as I've stepped up my exercise program, so I'd expect that to continue.
As you can see from the times, I'm practically a noodler. I'm self taught, only started a couple of years ago, and my schedule doesn't let me swim much during the week. But I'm healthy, persistent and patient, so I do improve.
Ande, when you prescribe rest the sixth week, do you mean:
-no exercise at all
-no swimming at all
-no kicking at all, or
-don't do the drills at all?
Kicking is very important if you want to be competitive in the sprints.
For 3 years my sprints were stuck, couldn't break :30 for anything. My kicking was pathetic. This year, with a new coach and a great deal of focus on both sprinting in practice and kick, Kick, KIck, KICk, KICK, SPRINT KICK! I found that I not only broke :30 but getting down to a 27.83 at Nationals leading off a relay. My 100 was able to go from 1:08.9 to 1:01.52 and my 200 from 2:31.00 to a 2:19.64.
My 25 kicks with a board have gone from :32 to :24. And in the 50 from a 1:05 to a :52.
There is no way I could have done any of this without a good kick. Now the goal is to get to 26 in the 50 and that will be about where I was as a kid. This week alone I had over 4000 meters of just Kicking.
Kicking also does wonders for those who want to loose the fat off the hips and thighs! :cheerleader: Just an added bonus.
Update:
In last months or so I've slowed the run, nearly at stop, unfortunately :mad:.
A Day, pushing off the wall, off balance, I've strained my right calf, two weeks to get the leg back at 100%, throw in some holidays and few days with fever, you can call it a setback.
I've only managed to break 27 secs, but the flutter kick is notwithstanding improved more that the little time drop attest.
The feedback and endurance are improved by sizable margin, the ankles are more relaxed, I drive the kick more that before from the hip; I think that the major flaw is that I don't finish the kick with the lower leg all the way down all the time, I'm working on it of course.
Looking back a september, at 24 years off, with the somewhat limited times in pool (I estimate around 100 hours) I can be maybe satisfied but not happy.
Next Goal : Under 25 Secs before the end of July, and I'll happy:party2:.
recap :
(Push off the wall, kickboard, Timing Myself, SCM pool, 25m )
- Early October 45.0
- Early january 30.5s
- 2/9 28.1 secs
- 3/1 27.4 secs
- 5/10 26.8 secs
P.S.
Ande Congrats for your "astonishing" times at the Nats, way to go!
to improve your kick concentrate om making sure ankles are constantly moving in opposite direction, movement of feet between feet an overall length of 12 in. Another drill we use to use is tie a shoe lace to each ankle so you feel the distant the feet move up & Down. The feet actually move like a propeller where the whole length of the leg and hips are moving. Another old drill is kick to music such as ABBA its like learning to march you learn to set a different beat. You have to set the tempo for yurself. there are so many kicking drills you have to adapt
I'm finally joining the horrible flutter kick club. I didn't do very many kick sets before, but Ande's writings have convinced me. I did 3x25 flutter with a board today, and I went about :15 on them. I'm going to keep hitting the fast flutter sets and hoping for a :14 now.
:15 is not horrible at all, it's amazing (SCY ? dive or push off wall ?)
