After becoming extremely frustrated with the relatively weak power of my kick (read: sometimes it doesn't move me at all without strokes), I did some reading.
A lot of folks say "drive from the hips, drive from the hips!" But then I watch "good" swimmers -- even olympians -- moving through the water by bending their knees.
Sure, their upper legs move too, but it looks like 75% knees.
How does that qualify as "driving from the hips"?
Now, one article I read said something that made a lot of sense to me: the extent to which you have to use your knees and calves depends on the flexibility of your ankles. If your ankles naturally flex out that way, you can keep your legs straight. If they don't, you might have to bend at the knees to compensate and get the best ankle-angle.
What IS the best ankle angle? Is the ideal kick one with the toes/foot pointed directly back, or is it more like sculling where the foot should be angled relative to its up-down motion? What is the principle here?
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Former Member
When you kick it is an sort of whipping action, it involves kicking from the hip, a bending action from the knee and a flexing ankle. If you watch Thorpes action and try to copy it I think you will find his kick as one to copy. Some will say to do a 2 beat kick others will say a 4 beat but I am in favor of a six beat kick for all distances. The tri athletes have a false idea of the 2 beat takes less energy, but don't forget they are using floating devices to help keep their legs up (wet suits). Your leg kick will stay high by the proper use of your arms and the rolling of the body.
Thanks. You know, when I finally understand all of these basic concepts, I'm going to put together a website that explains them all in detail for the beginner.
I realize now that the principle of kick propulsion is essentially sculling action -- water pushes on the surface of your angled foot, causing force vectors in two directions, one of which is 'forward' relative to you.
That means that there should be a knee bend on the leg that's kicking toward my chest, but a straight leg on the one that's kicking toward my back (for any given kick) in order to get the right foot angle. That explains what I've been seeing in the videos.
It's so frustrating learning how to swim and reading things that say "use a two-beat kick!" Well, that's nice, but that doesn't tell me anything about _HOW_ to kick. More like _HOW OFTEN_. And that's not directed at you -- every single page on the internet says that.
And my private instructor just says, "kick harder!" Well gee.
When I teach people to dance, I don't just tell them "step to the music!" It seems that swimming lessons _ARE_ taught that way with the exception of TI.
Total Immersion is the only thing I've read that makes any sense to me at all, so I've ordered one of their DVDs too. But in the mean time I'm stuck with Internet sites.
When you kick it is an sort of whipping action, it involves kicking from the hip, a bending action from the knee and a flexing ankle. If you watch Thorpes action and try to copy it I think you will find his kick as one to copy. Some will say to do a 2 beat kick others will say a 4 beat but I am in favor of a six beat kick for all distances. The tri athletes have a false idea of the 2 beat takes less energy, but don't forget they are using floating devices to help keep their legs up (wet suits). Your leg kick will stay high by the proper use of your arms and the rolling of the body.
Thanks. You know, when I finally understand all of these basic concepts, I'm going to put together a website that explains them all in detail for the beginner.
I realize now that the principle of kick propulsion is essentially sculling action -- water pushes on the surface of your angled foot, causing force vectors in two directions, one of which is 'forward' relative to you.
That means that there should be a knee bend on the leg that's kicking toward my chest, but a straight leg on the one that's kicking toward my back (for any given kick) in order to get the right foot angle. That explains what I've been seeing in the videos.
It's so frustrating learning how to swim and reading things that say "use a two-beat kick!" Well, that's nice, but that doesn't tell me anything about _HOW_ to kick. More like _HOW OFTEN_. And that's not directed at you -- every single page on the internet says that.
And my private instructor just says, "kick harder!" Well gee.
When I teach people to dance, I don't just tell them "step to the music!" It seems that swimming lessons _ARE_ taught that way with the exception of TI.
Total Immersion is the only thing I've read that makes any sense to me at all, so I've ordered one of their DVDs too. But in the mean time I'm stuck with Internet sites.
