I'm 59 and started swimming laps in January. It takes me 50-60 min. to swim a mile. I swim 3 times a week. I started swimming to strengthen my back and it has certainly helped. I had also hoped to see some overall change in my body (more toned, less sag), but that hasn't happened.
Do you have to swim fast to reap the benefits of swimming?
I don't have much power in my kick and am not sure how to improve it. I've tried using a kickboard, but am not able to kick as vigorously when I swim without the kickboard.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Parents
Former Member
...I don't have much power in my kick and am not sure how to improve it. I've tried using a kickboard, but am not able to kick as vigorously when I swim without the kickboard.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Kicking doesn't actually add much to most swimmer's forward momentum. Most of us are not Ian Thorpe, with size 17 feet and extremely flexible ankles. The main purpose for the kick is to aid body rotation, and less is more. If you are kicking outside of your body's slipstream, you're just creating more drag and slowing yourself down.
Kickboard sets don't really teach you how to do this because you're just lying flat on your stomach. Go to the deep end of the pool, or into a diving tank, cross your arms in front of you, and kick vertically from the hips. (Put on a float belt if you feel you need to.) Exaggerate every third kick and see what happens. (left right LEFT, right left RIGHT...)
When you return to swimming, slow down your stroke drastically for a session and try to time your kick so that, when your recovering hand is entering the water, the leg on the opposite site of your body is kicking forward. It may help to put on short fins. You may not get it straight away, it might take several sessions to get the timing right.
...I don't have much power in my kick and am not sure how to improve it. I've tried using a kickboard, but am not able to kick as vigorously when I swim without the kickboard.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Kicking doesn't actually add much to most swimmer's forward momentum. Most of us are not Ian Thorpe, with size 17 feet and extremely flexible ankles. The main purpose for the kick is to aid body rotation, and less is more. If you are kicking outside of your body's slipstream, you're just creating more drag and slowing yourself down.
Kickboard sets don't really teach you how to do this because you're just lying flat on your stomach. Go to the deep end of the pool, or into a diving tank, cross your arms in front of you, and kick vertically from the hips. (Put on a float belt if you feel you need to.) Exaggerate every third kick and see what happens. (left right LEFT, right left RIGHT...)
When you return to swimming, slow down your stroke drastically for a session and try to time your kick so that, when your recovering hand is entering the water, the leg on the opposite site of your body is kicking forward. It may help to put on short fins. You may not get it straight away, it might take several sessions to get the timing right.
