I watched a lot of the longer distance swims (1000 & 1650 yards) at Nationals and noted that there is very little and sometimes no kicking for these distances. I have a miserable kick (as in I can go backwards and usually don't move much at all if only kicking:doh: ) so this was actually encouraging to me.
Again, since I swim on my own and have no competitive experience, I am very naive in all matters of swimming in a meet. So I am posting this observation for your input and knowledge. Thanks
As I've transitioned from a sprinter as a teen to a long-distance, open water swimmer and triathlete as an adult, I've watched my kick all but disappear! Part of it is intentional, as those quads eat up a lot of oxygen and energy and if you've got a bike and run leg ahead of you, you want to save them for those efforts. Part of it is that a six-beat kick doesn't really fit in with the slower rhythm of long distance swimming, but a two-beat kick does. I also notice that it's nice to have some saved energy in my legs towards the end of a long-distance swim: as my arms and mind fatigue, it feels good to step up the kick periodically just to shoulder some of the load and give me a little push.
As I've transitioned from a sprinter as a teen to a long-distance, open water swimmer and triathlete as an adult, I've watched my kick all but disappear! Part of it is intentional, as those quads eat up a lot of oxygen and energy and if you've got a bike and run leg ahead of you, you want to save them for those efforts. Part of it is that a six-beat kick doesn't really fit in with the slower rhythm of long distance swimming, but a two-beat kick does. I also notice that it's nice to have some saved energy in my legs towards the end of a long-distance swim: as my arms and mind fatigue, it feels good to step up the kick periodically just to shoulder some of the load and give me a little push.
