Does anyone else here NOT kick when they swim freestyle?
When I was 19, a coach told me that a lot of "real" freestylers don't kick, which was a surprise to me because every other coach I'd had would yell at me to kick during my events. I grew up thinking I was the odd one out, but maybe someone on here knows what I'm talking about...
Parents
Former Member
What happened each time I immobilized my legs with a rubber band was:
1) they began to drag, and
2) I went much slower, because
3) my arms had to do all the work, with little contribution from core muscle, thus fatiguing rapidly.
That basically confirms that the leg kick action also contributes to keep the lower body at the surface.
Actually that's not a hypothetical experiment at all, but one I estimate I performed well over a hundred times back in the days when I believed, as most do, that swimming propulsion is produced by the "arms department" and "legs department" working somewhat independently of each other -- each therefore needing to be strengthened with "pulling sets" and "kicking sets." That wasn't my main purpose in talking about this drill, but the band around the ankles exercise is a drill to improve one's potential to improve balance without the kick. That is not a pulling exercise. It is aimed at raising the swimmer's awareness level. Same principle as the swim with fists drill for instance.
What happened each time I immobilized my legs with a rubber band was:
1) they began to drag, and
2) I went much slower, because
3) my arms had to do all the work, with little contribution from core muscle, thus fatiguing rapidly.
That basically confirms that the leg kick action also contributes to keep the lower body at the surface.
Actually that's not a hypothetical experiment at all, but one I estimate I performed well over a hundred times back in the days when I believed, as most do, that swimming propulsion is produced by the "arms department" and "legs department" working somewhat independently of each other -- each therefore needing to be strengthened with "pulling sets" and "kicking sets." That wasn't my main purpose in talking about this drill, but the band around the ankles exercise is a drill to improve one's potential to improve balance without the kick. That is not a pulling exercise. It is aimed at raising the swimmer's awareness level. Same principle as the swim with fists drill for instance.
