How much does a good kick contribute?

In his book, The Science of Swimming, Doc Counsilman devotes several pages to the kick in freestyle swimming. He states that "the arm stroke in the crawl is the main source of propulsion and, in the case of most swimmers, the only source of propulsion. The kick serves primarily as a stabilizer and means of keeping the feet high in a streamlined position." Counsilman, who, had a doctorate in what we would call today, exercise physiology, did much scientific experimentation with swimmers. He did an experiment used to measure the effectiveness of the flutter kick at various speeds. He found out that at speeds greater than five feet per second, kicking did not contribute anything to the speed of the swimmer and that in some instances, actually created an increased drag! Counsilman says that the longer the race, the less emphasis is placed on the kick. The heart can supply only so much blood to active muscles. If the swimmer kicks exceedingly hard, too much blood is channeled to the leg muscles and there is less blood available to the muscles which pull the arms through the water, with the result that they fatigue more easily. When sprinting, a swimmer rides higher in the water and if the swimmer does not increase the kick tempo and kick effort, the front part of the body will rise and his legs will drop further into the water. Counsilman sites a research project from 1965 by Adrian, Singh and Karpovich which indicates that as the swimmer swam faster and approached top speed, the kick became increasingly important factor. Counsilman concludes that a swimmer "can kick too much, but can also kick too little. The degree of effort needed in the kick must be experimented with and, in the final analysis, the swimmer should adopt the method that allows him to swim the fastest. This, of course, will vary, within limits with different swimmers and with the different distances they are swimming." The final paragraph of this section of the book goes on to say that Counsilman does "not believe that the primary function of the kick is propulsion." I think what Counsilman advocated 40 years ago is still applicable today. Of course 40 years ago we were not kicking 15 meters underwater. But still I think what Doc is saying has merit. Certainly for those of us who concentrate on the longer distances, the kick surely is a stabilizer. And for those sprinters who are able to integrate the kick properly, a strong kick may add propulsion especially underwater. First of all -- Doc never knew that 17 inch feet, that acted like fins, could produce that much propulsion. Today as swimmers get stronger, taller, and have bigger and more flexible feet, the kick is will continue to be more propulsive and contributes a great deal to swimming speed. With that being said the feet cannot produce the lift and drag forces that the hand can produce, and unless we can become fish like some people often want us to swim like, then two hands, attached to two forearms will produce an amount of propulsion feet and legs (as big and strong as they are) cannot match. As swimmers adapt to higher and higher stress, faster, more effective and efficient kicking, in spring and long distance events will become vital as a propulsive mechanism. The distance swimmers in another decade will increase the amount of propulsion derived from the feet if they are to keep dropping times. Kicking will continue to become an ever increasing means of propulsion as swimmers evolve and become faster. Tall, strong swimmers with big feet will become the norm in the coming decades, it's a given. Good luck, Coach T.

In his book, The Science of Swimming, Doc Counsilman devotes several pages to the kick in freestyle swimming. He states that "the arm stroke in the crawl is the main source of propulsion and, in the case of most swimmers, the only source of propulsion. The kick serves primarily as a stabilizer and means of keeping the feet high in a streamlined position." Counsilman, who, had a doctorate in what we would call today, exercise physiology, did much scientific experimentation with swimmers. He did an experiment used to measure the effectiveness of the flutter kick at various speeds. He found out that at speeds greater than five feet per second, kicking did not contribute anything to the speed of the swimmer and that in some instances, actually created an increased drag! Counsilman says that the longer the race, the less emphasis is placed on the kick. The heart can supply only so much blood to active muscles. If the swimmer kicks exceedingly hard, too much blood is channeled to the leg muscles and there is less blood available to the muscles which pull the arms through the water, with the result that they fatigue more easily. When sprinting, a swimmer rides higher in the water and if the swimmer does not increase the kick tempo and kick effort, the front part of the body will rise and his legs will drop further into the water. Counsilman sites a research project from 1965 by Adrian, Singh and Karpovich which indicates that as the swimmer swam faster and approached top speed, the kick became increasingly important factor. Counsilman concludes that a swimmer "can kick too much, but can also kick too little. The degree of effort needed in the kick must be experimented with and, in the final analysis, the swimmer should adopt the method that allows him to swim the fastest. This, of course, will vary, within limits with different swimmers and with the different distances they are swimming." The final paragraph of this section of the book goes on to say that Counsilman does "not believe that the primary function of the kick is propulsion." I think what Counsilman advocated 40 years ago is still applicable today. Of course 40 years ago we were not kicking 15 meters underwater. But still I think what Doc is saying has merit. Certainly for those of us who concentrate on the longer distances, the kick surely is a stabilizer. And for those sprinters who are able to integrate the kick properly, a strong kick may add propulsion especially underwater. First of all -- Doc never knew that 17 inch feet, that acted like fins, could produce that much propulsion. Today as swimmers get stronger, taller, and have bigger and more flexible feet, the kick is will continue to be more propulsive and contributes a great deal to swimming speed. With that being said the feet cannot produce the lift and drag forces that the hand can produce, and unless we can become fish like some people often want us to swim like, then two hands, attached to two forearms will produce an amount of propulsion feet and legs (as big and strong as they are) cannot match. As swimmers adapt to higher and higher stress, faster, more effective and efficient kicking, in spring and long distance events will become vital as a propulsive mechanism. The distance swimmers in another decade will increase the amount of propulsion derived from the feet if they are to keep dropping times. Kicking will continue to become an ever increasing means of propulsion as swimmers evolve and become faster. Tall, strong swimmers with big feet will become the norm in the coming decades, it's a given. Good luck, Coach T.