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.
Tonight I did 10 x 25 m freestyle kicking.
Times varieing from 28 sec to 23 sec. with a normal push off from the wall. (no SDK) I noticed that my first 12 meters are faster then the last.
The closer I get to the wall, the slower it seems to go.
Is there an explanation for?
Yes
1) the 1st half has a push off the wall & you are fresh &
2) the 2nd half has no pushoff & you're starting to feel fatigued,
especially if you blasted your first 1/2
Solution:
1) improve your conditioning, by doing a lot of fast kicking sets
2) improve your technique
3) start out fast & hard but not ALL ALL out,
maybe kick at 95 or 97 or 98% effort so you'll have more left for your 2nd 1/2
Yes, correct splitting a 25 kick is likely to give you a faster 2nd 1/2 & better over all time than blasting from the get go.
Today I managed to do 25 m kick 2 seconds faster bij keeping the head almost entirely under the watersurface, breathing one time.
After three kicktrainingsets, I feel progression already. Positive point is that I am more aware of what the legs are doing.
Today I managed to do 25 m kick 2 seconds faster bij keeping the head almost entirely under the water surface, breathing one time. After three kick training sets, I feel progression already. Positive point is that I am more aware of what the legs are doing.
Congratulations, that's progress.
For a while you'll improve by chunks.
At some point it might slow down to a trickle.
But for now enjoy the low hanging fruit & keep picking it.
putting your face in the water aligns your body
it keeps your hips higher creating less drag.
The higher your lips the lower your hips.
Something else you can try is
just before you push off
breathe the maximum amount of air & hold it,
when you need your next breath
BREATHE OUT then BREATHE in the max again.
Anybody here working on becoming FASTER whether by improving your flutter kick, SDK or raw sprinting speed?
Pick a program, follow it and post your results
It works if you work it!
I've been trying to do a standard flutter kick set at the end of my warmups of 10 x 50s @ 1:00 w/ a board. 6-8 months ago I was kicking, but not giving it all (more of the kick 'n chat version), and was barely making the intervals.
I gradually started giving more and more effort though, and eventually got to where I could hold :50s @ 1:00 interval.
For the last couple weeks I've been able to hold pretty consistently under :45 seconds per rep @ 1:00 interval, with my best avg last week @ :42s. My fastest for one 50 was a :39.
I know that I have a good kick, but the key is being able to use it near the end of my races (400IM) when I really need it.
I've been trying to do a standard flutter kick set at the end of my warmups of 10 x 50s @ 1:00 w/ a board. 6-8 months ago I was kicking, but not giving it all (more of the kick 'n chat version), and was barely making the intervals. I gradually started giving more and more effort though, and eventually got to where I could hold :50s @ 1:00 interval. For the last couple weeks I've been able to hold pretty consistently under :45 seconds per rep @ 1:00 interval, with my best avg last week @ :42s. My fastest for one 50 was a :39. I know that I have a good kick, but the key is being able to use it near the end of my races (400IM) when I really need it.
Wow you're really improving!
Congratulations
on your 400 IM
make sure you split it smart:
I try to breathe a lot, save my legs & swim easy speed on fly & bk so I can really work the BR then hammer the free, I usually 6 beat kick the last 50 and need to 6 beat kick the whole 100
I described my 4 IM race startegy in my July 21st 2011 blog
& here's how the race went
The same strategy worked well at 2011 SCY Zones
In that race I 2 beat kicked the 1st 50 fr and should have 6 beat kicked the whole way, but it was my masters best time for a 4 IM.
good luck
keep updating us
Wow you're really improving!
Congratulations
Thanks...but a lot of this is more based on the fact that I've just recently began putting EFFORT into my kicking sets. In the past, it was just something I would do (like a 300 kick w/ board to complete the warmup). Now my 300 is broken into fast 50s with 80-90% or more effort. It'll pay off sometime.
on your 400 IM
make sure you split it smart:
I try to breathe a lot, save my legs & swim easy speed on fly & bk so I can really work the BR then hammer the free, I usually 6 beat kick the last 50 and need to 6 beat kick the whole 100
I described my 4 IM race startegy in my July 21st 2011 blog
& here's how the race went
The same strategy worked well at 2011 SCY Zones
In that race I 2 beat kicked the 1st 50 fr and should have 6 beat kicked the whole way, but it was my masters best time for a 4 IM.
good luck
keep updating us
Definitely good. I run into my old age group coach now and then, and he always reminds me to make sure I build each stroke of the IM...use the first 50 to "work into" the stroke, and then the 2nd 50 to race it.
I also don't exactly have 4 "great" strokes like some IMers do, so I use my Fly to get out quick. I do use an easy speed (but fast) fly, and then just get through the backstroke. After that, it's almost a coin flip as to whether it's going to be a good or bad race. If I can keep stretched out in the ***, then it's a good day, but if my stroke is shortening...:afraid:
When using a kickboard, I tend to believe I have a good and strong kick, although it still is an activity that needs a lot of oxygen.
However, when sprinting, I feel lack of coordination and my kick has little of the kick-alone quality. Ankles seem to cross eachother, rythym is gone and I believe that no kicking does not have an impact on speed.
How can I work on this coordination?
I also don't exactly have 4 "great" strokes like some IMers do, so I use my Fly to get out quick. I do use an easy speed (but fast) fly, and then just get through the backstroke. After that, it's almost a coin flip as to whether it's going to be a good or bad race. If I can keep stretched out in the ***, then it's a good day, but if my stroke is shortening...:afraid:
Story of my life! My worst stroke is the backstroke though. I use my technique in the fly to get me out with good pace and then focus so hard on just staying in touch in the back leg (without using too much leg energy). If i am in touch at the back/br turn then I feel confident I can win. If they have gone too far past in the back......oh dear!
