I'm aiming to improve my long distance swimming. I've seen reference to 2 and 6 beat kicks. I've looked on youtube and such but haven't seen anything that clearly shows how it works. Could someone please explain it to me and point me in the right direction? Thanks,
David
Parents
Former Member
Propulsion from a kick is a lot more difficult than a swimmer usually thinks. Most of the swimmers I measure have about a 40 to 45 degree angle when the foot is on he floor (measuring with a protractor at the top of the foot). So most distance swimmers would actually help themselves (in my opinion) by using a two beat kick (not kicking) and dragging their feet close together and close to the surface of the water. By using a two beat kick in a long open water swim (800yds to two miles) you can conserve a lot more energy too. If you have great ankle flexibility, the more you can use your kick, the better. It's your call but you'd better know if your kick is a help or a hinderance. Good Luck, Coach T.
Propulsion from a kick is a lot more difficult than a swimmer usually thinks. Most of the swimmers I measure have about a 40 to 45 degree angle when the foot is on he floor (measuring with a protractor at the top of the foot). So most distance swimmers would actually help themselves (in my opinion) by using a two beat kick (not kicking) and dragging their feet close together and close to the surface of the water. By using a two beat kick in a long open water swim (800yds to two miles) you can conserve a lot more energy too. If you have great ankle flexibility, the more you can use your kick, the better. It's your call but you'd better know if your kick is a help or a hinderance. Good Luck, Coach T.
