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?
Parents
Former Member
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 =))
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 =))
