Originally posted by Paul Smith
Here's the deal folks...forget about weights...if you REALLY want to make a significant break through in your swimming relative to competition stop swimming for 4-8 weeks and go to kick only workouts...as you ease back into swimming you will have the opportunity to "learn" how to integrate a new and powerful element to your stroke...something that 90% of the swimmers I see competing do not do well....
This really caught my attention. I seem to have been hearing this a lot lately: people coming back after a shoulder op, doing kick only workouts and then having their best seasons ever.
I don't doubt the authenticity of it either. I am just interested on what is actually going on. Why should this be the case?
Has anyone ever scientifically measured the amount the kick contributes to forward propulsion? I mean ratio wise, compared to the arms, what would it be? 80% arms : 20% legs?
What about the swimmers who are great kickers in workouts but can't translate it into faster swimming?
How do we actually integrate the kick into our swimming so that it becomes a new and powerful element to our stroke as Paul suggests?
Would it be fair to say that a big part of the improvement these (post op/ focus on kicking )swimmers achieve can be attributed to the strengthened core which is a result of the additional kicking. In other words more credit given to the strengthened core than increased forward propulsion.
I don't know. I just throw out these ideas for discussion.
Syd
Parents
Former Member
Small world there Aquageek!! I had no idea that was you next to me!
Way to go on the personal best! What was your final time or how many seconds did you knock off? St. Jean got me for sure on that race but I felt like he did up my game! I was trying to keep up with him!
North Carolina has some super fast gals. I know I'll be running into them later on in the season. ARG! Some of them really could kick my butt (they have in past years!)
You are waaaaay too generous on the complements. Thank you. All I can say is hubby taped my races and it's very apparent that I've got plenty of work to do. :whiteflag:
I own an aquablade (about 3 years old!?); 1 speedo kneeskin; and 1 blue monster speedo fastskin. I think I'm going to pony up and spend some bucks on the newer fastskins (speedo fastskin pro).
BTW, 5 years older than me!? You look VERY fit. I thought you were my age.
Early/ mid 30s. :bow:
Until we meet again. . . in the 500, 1000 or 1650?
Well, heck, I didn't realize that was (S)he-Man I was marveling at the whole weekend (in a non sexual way, for the record). What a great swimmer you are!!! I was actually in lane 2 to your lane 3 in the 500. We were also in the same heat in the 1000 I suspect. I almost came up to you before the 500 to see if you were really planning on going your seed time of 5:23, hoping I'd catch the wave and get pulled along. Glad I didn't try to keep up with your 5:12 pace, even though I did set a PB on that event myself.
You are one heck of a swimmer and clearly the best female swimmer at the meet. My 8 year old daughter was killing me all the way home about getting smashed by a "girl." I informed her that I was smashed by a girl 5 years younger than me, which really didn't help my case but it was all I had.
Many of the faster NC females from the Raleigh Area Masters (RAM) team did not make the trip. Had they been there, you would have had more competition.
How many technical suits do you own, btw?
Small world there Aquageek!! I had no idea that was you next to me!
Way to go on the personal best! What was your final time or how many seconds did you knock off? St. Jean got me for sure on that race but I felt like he did up my game! I was trying to keep up with him!
North Carolina has some super fast gals. I know I'll be running into them later on in the season. ARG! Some of them really could kick my butt (they have in past years!)
You are waaaaay too generous on the complements. Thank you. All I can say is hubby taped my races and it's very apparent that I've got plenty of work to do. :whiteflag:
I own an aquablade (about 3 years old!?); 1 speedo kneeskin; and 1 blue monster speedo fastskin. I think I'm going to pony up and spend some bucks on the newer fastskins (speedo fastskin pro).
BTW, 5 years older than me!? You look VERY fit. I thought you were my age.
Early/ mid 30s. :bow:
Until we meet again. . . in the 500, 1000 or 1650?
Well, heck, I didn't realize that was (S)he-Man I was marveling at the whole weekend (in a non sexual way, for the record). What a great swimmer you are!!! I was actually in lane 2 to your lane 3 in the 500. We were also in the same heat in the 1000 I suspect. I almost came up to you before the 500 to see if you were really planning on going your seed time of 5:23, hoping I'd catch the wave and get pulled along. Glad I didn't try to keep up with your 5:12 pace, even though I did set a PB on that event myself.
You are one heck of a swimmer and clearly the best female swimmer at the meet. My 8 year old daughter was killing me all the way home about getting smashed by a "girl." I informed her that I was smashed by a girl 5 years younger than me, which really didn't help my case but it was all I had.
Many of the faster NC females from the Raleigh Area Masters (RAM) team did not make the trip. Had they been there, you would have had more competition.
How many technical suits do you own, btw?
