Help with Kicking

RE: Help with Kicking

Former Member — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 14:04:40 GMT

Great questions...........great replies and some very insightful comments. Here are my own observations: Fins, unlike paddles, and being flexible, provide their own power due to their very elasticity, i.e., they translate the user's power and increase it (by what %, I don't know). I know that if I use fins, yes my body will ride even higher in a FR, power swim, but it doesn't tire my legs (hams or quads or calves or even ankles) or buttocks (glutes). I just don't see how using fins can be an aid to increasing strength or efficiency in leg (lower-body) propulsion. Whereas, paddles being stiff (there might exist flexible paddles, I've never seen or experienced them if they do) offer extra resistance to the stroke (FR in my case) and thus are a strengthening exercice (IMHO). Yes, they do increase the area that is active in propulsion but I find that they work my shoulder muscle more than they help me in swimming faster. Conclusion (for me and ONLY me): It's great (immense) fun to Freestyle with fins. (I think to myself, "So, that's what swimming feels like to the likes, of Ian, Michael, Alex, et al!") But swimming with paddles is "work".

RE: Help with Kicking

Former Member — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 05:14:55 GMT

WOW, thank you for the great response. It's so nice getting advice and personal experiences from people who know what they are talking about. :)

RE: Help with Kicking

chlorini — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 12:45:58 GMT

I think it can be helpful to do some kicking with fins and some without. The nice thing about using fins as a novice is that they can help you with your ankle flexibility and can reinforce good kicking technique (you can feel the difference between nice, fluid, relaxed from the hips kicking and stiff from the knees down kicking a lot with fins). But I would also do some of your kicking and swimming without fins so that you don't become dependent on them.

RE: Help with Kicking

smontanaro — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 12:32:05 GMT

I don't know but have been wondering about this topic recently myself. I have a crappy kick (maybe 2:20-2:30 for 100 flutter kick, no board). I have a pair of zoomers which I like. I typically use them during the kick segment of warmups or if I'm doing long swim/kick/pull sets (e.g. repeat 400SKP). I may or may not use them later in the practice depending how the individual segments break down. I notice that in Ande Rasmussen's blog/thread he says to dump the fins. Skip

RE: Help with Kicking

Former Member — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 10:27:52 GMT

Never used them. I can see where they might help in teaching someone about kicking from the hip as noted above, but eventually and ultimately, they don't have a place in competitive swimming. Fins can and do help and not just beginners. I use my red Zoomers 90% of the time while swimming and as lijete pointed out, they increase my cardio workout ten-fold. Another reason to use them is to develop ankle flexibility, plus, if a swimmer has had shoulder injuries, then using fins will aid in their body position in the water thus making swimming possible instead of just kicking. And I don't see much difference now when I remove them, so am not sure about the dependency thing. And Runner Girl, I have been a backstroker all my life and kicking backstroke with short fins WILL develop that hamstring strength; that's my only body part that sticks out that is not blubber LOL.

RE: Help with Kicking

Former Member — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 08:53:16 GMT

I read someplace that kicking backstroke with fins will help with hamstrings strength, and so that is another reason that I tend to do most of my kicking backstroke. My hamstrings are definitely out of balance from running, so anything I can do to put things back in balance is good. As for fins having no place in competitive swimming - I'm not competitive!:rofl:

RE: Help with Kicking

Former Member — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 08:38:03 GMT

Never used them. I can see where they might help in teaching someone about kicking from the hip as noted above, but eventually and ultimately, they don't have a place in competitive swimming. Well, this will be sure to piss someone off, since many masters swimmers use them. No place in all of competitive swimming? Bit broad.

RE: Help with Kicking

Former Member — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 07:48:03 GMT

This may be really stupid logic, but I use my fins for kicking when I have a time constraint to my workout. I'll want to get some kicking in, but I don't want to waste too much of my 1 hour lap swim time. I slap on the fins and do some really hard kick sets (usually backstroke) and then get back to the normal routine. One thing that I notice about wearing fins is that I don't push off the wall the same, and I don't like that at all. I've been trying to improve my turns, so I've been trying to put a lot of emphasis on the getting on/off the wall in a timely manner.

RE: Help with Kicking

The Fortress — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 04:50:19 GMT

I agree with Chlorini and Leo, but not with Redbird Alum at all. They have certain uses. Moreover, I would not be swimming without them. I almost never kick with fins though, just my monofin. Here's an old thread on fins, which probably discusses kicking as well as swimming with fins. forums.usms.org/showthread.php

RE: Help with Kicking

poolraat — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 04:46:42 GMT

I see two reasons to use fins: 1) if you need to increase flexibility and 2) you want to stress your cardiovascular system. Stressing the cardiovasular system is accomplished (at least when I do it) because you push the largest muscles in your body harder than they are normally pushed while swimming. In order to accomplish this, I believe you should be doing your kicking with full fins and on an interval no slower than your swimming interval. I have done 50s, 100s and 200s kicking with fins. Hope this helps. Leo I agree with this concept. I will occassionally do a kick set of 100's with zoomers on the same interval and at the same pace as my swim 100's. This definitely creates a burn in the legs. Probably should do it more ofter as my kick is terrible.

RE: Help with Kicking

ljlete — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 04:37:01 GMT

RE: Help with Kicking

Redbird Alum — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 04:16:23 GMT

Never used them. I can see where they might help in teaching someone about kicking from the hip as noted above, but eventually and ultimately, they don't have a place in competitive swimming.