All,
I swim with a masters group a few times a week.
In full stroke freestyle over 800m I keep pace with a number of my peers, but lose about 50m over 800m when we switch to arms only w/ pull buoy.
Clearly an opportunity for improvement - but I'm a little stumped. My kick is not strong - frankly I struggle on kick sets.
I'd be interested in any thoughts on what I might be doing wrong (or doing so right when I add the legs).
I shoud probably add, I've been working on this for some time and its baffled a fair few coaches!
Guyster.
I can see how some swimmers who have very strong kicks, and may rely too much on their kicks, would want to isolate their arms to build upper body strength.
That being said, I tend to see a lot of swimmers who already have strong upper bodies, but weak kicks, using them as a sort of crutch. Perhaps they should drop the buoy set and consider a kick set.
An excellent point in regards to the use if you rely too much on your kick. I'm guilty of that and am one of those that can benefit from a few sets with the pull buoy.
It just seems I see so many that use it as a crutch. Anybody that has an addiction to a pull buoy should never criticize those that wear a wetsuit in open water swims. It's one thing to gain an advantage in a race. It's another thing if a swimmer can't stand it if he/she is not "winning" every set in practice and has to resort to the pull buoy.
My favorite quote from a swim coach: "If a swim toy makes you swim faster in practice than you do in a race, then throw it away." Still, it is fun to keep a few of the toys around so that I can pretend that I am fast.
I can see how some swimmers who have very strong kicks, and may rely too much on their kicks, would want to isolate their arms to build upper body strength.
That being said, I tend to see a lot of swimmers who already have strong upper bodies, but weak kicks, using them as a sort of crutch. Perhaps they should drop the buoy set and consider a kick set.
An excellent point in regards to the use if you rely too much on your kick. I'm guilty of that and am one of those that can benefit from a few sets with the pull buoy.
It just seems I see so many that use it as a crutch. Anybody that has an addiction to a pull buoy should never criticize those that wear a wetsuit in open water swims. It's one thing to gain an advantage in a race. It's another thing if a swimmer can't stand it if he/she is not "winning" every set in practice and has to resort to the pull buoy.
My favorite quote from a swim coach: "If a swim toy makes you swim faster in practice than you do in a race, then throw it away." Still, it is fun to keep a few of the toys around so that I can pretend that I am fast.
