I feel like I get very little power from my whip kick.
I am making sure to make a nice big circle and squeeze my legs together, and I think my feet are pointed in the right direction.
When I practice it on the deck, my instructor says it looks great.
But when I do it in the water, it doesn't matter what I do, I get very little propulsion from my kick.
(When my instructor does it, she goes half way across the pool with one kick! =))
Are there any little hints and tips for whip kick? What's the key to getting power into the kick?
I am concerned about the "kick around".Once your feet are in the catch position they should NOT kick out. Since your feet are outside your knees they will follow a curve back,but the feeling is much more of kicking back than around.
Also... I could use a detailed breakdown of the kick. I've watched plenty of videos and everyone seems to do it differently.
In my head, this is the breakdown I'm using right now (kick only, without pull):
1. Start streamlined (toes pointed in a streamline position a la flutter kick)
2. Bend legs
3. Point toes out to the sides
4. Kick "around" and back to streamline
Now, I have a hunch that my problem has to do with step 4 (not a big surprise since that's where the kick actually happens =))
What should be happening with my feet/toes/ankles during the kick itself?
I am concerned about the "kick around".Once your feet are in the catch position they should NOT kick out. Since your feet are outside your knees they will follow a curve back,but the feeling is much more of kicking back than around.
Okay. So if my instructor says my kick is too small (i.e. not wide enough), is that an indication that my "catch" position isn't right?
In other words, if I think about kicking straight back, then my kick tends to be very small in terms of width.
One drill that helped me improve my kick was breaststroke kick on my back with a pool buoy. I already had a decent kick, so I'm not sure if it'll help you, but it may be worth a try. It really forces you to keep your knees close together, and you have to turn your feet out to get any propulsion. For me, when I switch to kick without the buoy, it feels like I'm going much further with every kick.
all I know is my knee was fine until I tried whipping it a bit more..now it's been groaning for a month...withe myriad ailments and strains I 've had this month, the season cannot end soon enough for me.:(
Some say Masters should have their legs slightly wider to put less strain on the knees. Others say Masters should have a narrower kick to put less strain on the knees.You need to experiment for your self,8 in.seems about right to me.
Yes,though some would argue a narrow kick is better if your feet are rotated out enough.
Narrow legs are good. Iv heard that legs 8 inches apart is the way to go.
As usual, my problem came down to over-thinking.
"Flex ankles, unflex ankles, keep knees together, kick out, kick back, squeeze together, don't let legs drop..."
After three weeks of trying breaststroke thinking about all of that junk, I decided to try just kicking by making circles with my feet simultaneously. For the first time since I started breaststroke, I instantly felt my feet "grab" the water. No thinking involved.
I suppose you could argue that it was all of the thinking beforehand that let me to do it "effortlessly". But I sure wish I could've started at that point. =)
It was the same with my flutter kick months back. I thought about it. I posted threads here. It just wasn't working. I was kicking from my knees and flexing my ankles.
Then one day I just started kicking without thinking and zoomed across the pool.
(The only kick I learned "instantly" was the dolphin kick, which I now love doing on deep dives... it's a real problem, because I like diving and dolphin kicking a whole lot more than real swimming now =))
