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
Time to revive this thread : Long Life at the "Help My Flutter Kick is Horrible!" club.
July look a good time for me to intesify the training with more spare time, before a very light august, to be fresh again at the start of "new" season at mid-September.
The kicking improvement is still coming a good paces.
My time is down at 24.3 secs, another drop by 1 sec in last month, without any weight lifting only swimming.
looking to try to bring it down to 23.5-23, maybe even a little more, before the end of July.
I've just starter to use a pair of fins (tyr split fins), to find out if they're of any real help about kicking, I've read mixed opinions, but a lot of (all ?) elite swimmers use it so I've great expectation. After the first try they fits great, no pain, I fly on the water, but they've throw off a little bit my regular kicking with too much thrashing the water just after that I've finished to use it but it was only the first time...
I've received also a snorkel, a excellent tools to improve my balance and try to kick in perfect swimming position without brother about turning for air or using the kickboard.
I'll report back at the next update if they've really helped me.
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
- 5/28 25.4 secs
- 7/2 24.3 secs
July 5: 25.45
In case you are not keeping tabs, that is no improvement. Other times, the 50 and 100 free, have come down, so I'm not too upset. We'll see what happens tomorrow.
Hi Ande,
I really appreciate your time and efforts on this board. I am just starting to get into swimming more seriously, and have always kicked without any real rhythm. I've tried doing a 6-beat (1,2,3 stroke, 1,2,3 stroke) but have a heck of a time keeping this rhythm (my legs get mixed up and end up kicking at the wrong time). I do a right kick when I'm fully rotated to the left and starting the rotation to the right), and vice versa. This is at least what I've read and think I've seen on YouTube. Of course the other 2 kicks confuse the dickens out of me, and I invariably get out of rhythm. 2-beat kicks are no problem for me, I get it. Any advice on how to establish the rhythm, and in which part of the strokes I should kick? Also, how do you teach the rhythm to an 8 year-old (my son), or should he just kick as hard and fast as he can?
Thanks.
anyone working on kicking faster?
here's the link to the page with my program on how to get faster
it really works
read the results of those who are doing it
www.usms.org/.../showpost.php
plus here's the link to
Help my SDK is horrible
forums.usms.org/showthread.php
it surprises me swimmers aren't regularly posting to it
Till now:
3/1: 30.2
3/8: 28.0
3/15: 27.12
3/22: 27.62
3/29: 26.27
4/4: 27.18
5/10: 25.55
7/2: 25.45
7/6: 24.94
Today 7/26: 25.92
Haven’t worked out as much this month as work has ramped up. Also, my wife has been traveling, so I’ve had to stay with the kids.
don't worry about setbacks just keep training
as you've discovered you can lose ground (or water) if you let up
keep training to improve your kick
Till now:
3/1: 30.2
3/8: 28.0
3/15: 27.12
3/22: 27.62
3/29: 26.27
4/4: 27.18
5/10: 25.55
7/2: 25.45
7/6: 24.94
Today 7/26: 25.92
Haven’t worked out as much this month as work has ramped up. Also, my wife has been traveling, so I’ve had to stay with the kids.
hey Mazzy
you're welcome
congratulations you've made great improvements
keep going
I believe you can kick much faster and
kicking faster will help you swim faster
Ande
BTW I encourage lurkers to get to work on improving your kick
read the threads I've highlighted and provided links to
do the kicking exercises and you will improve
it's inevitable
Look like most of members are vanished in last few months.
I wish that they're so busy at working hard to improve that they've no time to report.;)
My first season back is now "officially" over. August is not a great time to swim in my area, with most of the pool closed to maintenance/summer vacation, and the few ones open are for leisure mainly. So I'll recharge a little for the next season.
in last few weeks I've tried to swim with fins (Split fins of tyr), I've mixed experience, great to working out the legs but they throw off my kicks techining in some way, so I've discontinued it for the moment.
the snorkel is by far the best equipment that I've used so far. Great to work on techninque, balance, breathing.
I've improved a little bit again, going under the 24 sec few times.
I've still a long way to go but my kickers' times are more respectable.
Looking to further improve next season...
I want to thank again you, Ande, for your Time, your encourangement and your tips & hints.
see you all in the Fall for another great season.
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
- 5/28 25.4 secs
- 7/2 24.3 secs
- 7/31 23.7 secs
(25m free 16.7 secs pushing from the wall)
Ande, if I may I have a question for you. I see people with different opinions on the value of the kick, some saying it is more to initiate hip rotation, others believing in its propulsive value independant of hip rotation. There are some swimmers (even olympians) who barely even kick or at most have a 2 beat kick. Given that you are encouraging people to time their 25M streamline kicks, you obviously give it a lot of importance. Could you comment on how you believe the kick increases speed, i.e. is it for its intrinsic propulsive value or more to initiate rotation or both? Also, do you put a lot of importance in the timing of the kick relative to the arm stroke.
I have been doing a lot of the kicking you describe with a snorkel, and I'm wondering if my kicking form and coordination of kick with arm stoke will come naturally by just doing these drills.
