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.
Any one out there have a horrible ____ ?
Want to improve your SDK, flutter kick or sprinting speed?
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Help My flutter Kick is Horrible
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Help my SDK is Horrible
Help! My SDK is Horrible! - U.S. Masters Swimming Discussion Forums
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Anyone working on flutter kicking or SDKing faster?
ande
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Help My flutter Kick is Horrible
U.S. Masters Swimming Discussion Forums - View Single Post - Help My Flutter Kick is Horrible!
my original advice
Help my SDK is Horrible
Help! My SDK is Horrible! - U.S. Masters Swimming Discussion Forums
Help my Speed is Horrible
Help My Speed is Horrible! - U.S. Masters Swimming Discussion Forums
I definitely understand that kicking a lot is important to improving the kick. But here is a question for someone. What about technique? Is it something that just occurs on its own with plenty of reps and ankle stretching? I've been doing a lot of kicking, but what has been elusive for me is the feeling of my knee being fully extended on the way up. I'm starting from my hips and feeling that knee bend a little on the way down but unless I really concentrate on relaxing my lower leg it doesn't fully extend on the way up. And when I do focus on that my ankle tends to flex.
Should I be striving for that? Should I concentrate on my up beat, look for that resistance? Or should I focus on the down beat and let the up beat occur on its own?
What about technique?
kicking technique is very important, some swimmers have better technique than others and it allows them to go faster
Is it something that just occurs on its own with plenty of reps and ankle stretching?
I think it occurs with fast kicking and modeling yourself after great kickers
what has been elusive for me is the feeling of my knee being fully extended on the way up.
not sure what you mean by this?
when I do focus on that my ankle tends to flex.
you shouldn't, it should just happen on your downbeat, as your knee goes from bent to straight
concentrate on popping & reversing
you don't kick all the way through
watch a great kicker underwater and copy them
have a great kicker watch you and offer you suggestions
mainly kick fast 15's & 25's for time and work to improve your times
Should I be striving for that?
Should I concentrate on my up beat, look for that resistance?
on flutter kick, down beat resistance is more important than up beat
on fly you want both up and down
should I focus on the down beat and let the up beat occur on its own?
Probably
I definitely understand that kicking a lot is important to improving the kick. But here is a question for someone.
What about technique?
Is it something that just occurs on its own with plenty of reps and ankle stretching?
I've been doing a lot of kicking, but what has been elusive for me is the feeling of my knee being fully extended on the way up. I'm starting from my hips and feeling that knee bend a little on the way down but unless I really concentrate on relaxing my lower leg it doesn't fully extend on the way up. And when I do focus on that my ankle tends to flex.
Should I be striving for that? Should I concentrate on my up beat, look for that resistance? Or should I focus on the down beat and let the up beat occur on its own?
Hello all, I am new to this site. I am 6-2, 185lb 26yo male, with a background in rowing, track, and recreational swimming. As a recent project sprint-running project, I ran a 400m dash in 49.9, so I consider myself pretty athletic.
However, I am a relatively awful swimmer and an even worse kicker. I'd like to try swimming 3 or 4 times a week as a side project (I am a busy grad student) for the next month or two, doing the sprint kick sets in this thread and see where it takes me. If I can get to swimming a 50yd free in, say, under 23 seconds, I'd be willing to jump in some meets. Right now I'm probably around 27s.
8/16/11:
-23.5s streamline flutter kick ("SFK"?) from push
-25.0s flutter kick with board from push
-13.5s sprint freestyle from push
A few questions:
-how much/for how long can one improve doing only 3 or 4 pool workouts a week
-how much does a 1s improvement in 25yd kick time translate into improvement in swimming speed?
Thanks!
Hello all, I am new to this site. I am 6-2, 185lb 26yo male, with a background in rowing, track, and recreational swimming. As a recent project sprint-running project, I ran a 400m dash in 49.9, so I consider myself pretty athletic.
However, I am a relatively awful swimmer and an even worse kicker. I'd like to try swimming 3 or 4 times a week as a side project (I am a busy grad student) for the next month or two, doing the sprint kick sets in this thread and see where it takes me. If I can get to swimming a 50yd free in, say, under 23 seconds, I'd be willing to jump in some meets. Right now I'm probably around 27s.
8/16/11:
-23.5s streamline flutter kick ("SFK"?) from push
-25.0s flutter kick with board from push
-13.5s sprint freestyle from push
A few questions:
-how much/for how long can one improve doing only 3 or 4 pool workouts a week
-how much does a 1s improvement in 25yd kick time translate into improvement in swimming speed?Thanks!
Welcome exrower!
Congrats on accepting the hmfkih challenge
Your times indicate you are a weak kicker & very arm driven
Improving your kick will help you swim faster
Improving your technique will help you swim faster.
You asked:
how much/for how long can one improve doing only 3 or 4 pool workouts a week?
Longer than you might think
On x/wk
4 is good, 5 is better & 6 is best
how much does a 1s improvement in 25yd kick time translate into improvement in swimming speed?
Not sure, but if you really work on improving your flutter kick
you should develop a much faster kick,
Like kick a 25 under 15, 16, 17 or 18 sec
That will help you drop your 25 free to 12, 11 or even 10!
Give it 6 or 8 weeks of serious effort
New results today:
8/26/11:
-23.5 SFK from push
-22.low flutter kick with board from push
-13.mid sprint freestyle from push
definitely picking up some strength and endurance for kicking w/ board. SFK feels a bit awkward, feet spending too much time out of the water, but this doesnt happen with a board due to the higher head position.
8/16/11:
-23.5s streamline flutter kick ("SFK"?) from push
-25.0s flutter kick with board from push
-13.5s sprint freestyle from push
New results today:
8/26/11:
-23.5 SFK from push
-22.low flutter kick with board from push
-13.mid sprint freestyle from push
definitely picking up some strength and endurance for kicking w/ board. SFK feels a bit awkward, feet spending too much time out of the water, but this doesnt happen with a board due to the higher head position.
8/16/11:
-23.5s streamline flutter kick ("SFK"?) from push
-25.0s flutter kick with board from push
-13.5s sprint freestyle from push
Nice improvements:
Keep training several times a week to kick faster
you can kick a lot faster
When kicking with a board
do small fast kicks but splash your feet.
your feet should come out of the water an inch or 2 or 3
When you're SFKing
breathe in a BIG BREATH of air and hold it
push off deeper or dive in a little deeper and stay under the whole way
toward the end of your 25 angle your body up and let the air in your lungs pull you to the surface, if you can't make the 50 the whole way sneak a breath or 2
do small fast flutter kicks
hold a tight streamline the whole way, unless you must breathe