What did you struggle with when you started swimming?
Former Member
Basically, what did you struggle with when you started swimming and how old were you? I kind of want to see if others have had the same troubles as I.
I just started swimming recreational this year. I am 20 and started due to my knees starting to bother me more by running, which I usually do.
There are a few things I can't seem to get the hang of:
1.) I can't last very long in freestyle. I can only do 75 at most before I have to stop. I think this is due to my breathing pattern.
2.) My kick is pretty weak, when I use a kick board I don't go fast at all. Due to being a runner before I guess this is a common problem.
3.) I'm trying to get the hang of flip turns but my push off is the problem. I'm trying to push off with my head faced up but I always seem to suck in some water for some reason and have to re-surface fast for air.
4.) I'm also having a hard time with the fast dolphin kick that most people use when coming out of a flip turn.
I was just looking for ways/drills to improve in these areas. I just want to be able to swim at length instead of stopping constantly.
Feel free to share. Also, any help would be greatly appreciated:afraid:
Parents
Former Member
I heard flippers also help with ankle flexibility and strengthening the muscles used when kicking, is that correct?
As for the dolphin kicks out of the flip turn, I watched my college swim team a couple times through the season and most of the summers used it. Also, some of my friends that were swimmers in highschool do the same when coming out of flip turns so I figured it was a good practice.
There is a thread "HELP! My kick is horrible." that outlines how to make your kick better. I did a variant of that until my kick was strong enough that I could do kick sets and keep up without fins. I never got much benefit from fins, and only use them now when I am short on time. Other people have gotten a lot of benefit from fins.
Dolphin kick off the wall is good to have, but it can wait until later in the grand scheme of things. Worry about your flip turn and endurance before you start adding dolphin kick off the wall. It is a real energy consumer, so it may slow down your overall progress.
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Former Member
I heard flippers also help with ankle flexibility and strengthening the muscles used when kicking, is that correct?
As for the dolphin kicks out of the flip turn, I watched my college swim team a couple times through the season and most of the summers used it. Also, some of my friends that were swimmers in highschool do the same when coming out of flip turns so I figured it was a good practice.
There is a thread "HELP! My kick is horrible." that outlines how to make your kick better. I did a variant of that until my kick was strong enough that I could do kick sets and keep up without fins. I never got much benefit from fins, and only use them now when I am short on time. Other people have gotten a lot of benefit from fins.
Dolphin kick off the wall is good to have, but it can wait until later in the grand scheme of things. Worry about your flip turn and endurance before you start adding dolphin kick off the wall. It is a real energy consumer, so it may slow down your overall progress.
