I've recently posted on trying to improve my kick and received some great advice - in addition, I've searched the archives for different kicking threads and there are several great discussions on improving the kick.
My question is what is the best way to bridge the gap between doing kick sets and incorporating the kick into my freestyle? I'll do an incredible number of kick sets but as soon as I start to focus on something upper body my kick seems to go back to my weaker flutter kick. I should preface this question by stating I really haven't been doing strong kick sets all that long so maybe I just need more time. Are there other techniques I should be using? For example, focus my thinking on a strong kick and nothing else (upper body) until I see improvements? Or some variation like focus on strong kicking with freestyle every other 25???
My question is what is the best way to bridge the gap between doing kick sets and incorporating the kick into my freestyle?
I disagree strongly with the advice to do kicking drills where you kick more or less or in a different pattern from what you want to do when you swim fast.
You have to have a downbeat with one leg when the other arm is reaching forward to catch. So for each arm pull, you have to kick down with the other leg either once or three times (or five times, I suppose). A two-beat kick is like walking; a six-beat kick is like dancing the two-step (which really has three steps; don't let the name fool you).
Thinking of doing "four" or "eight" or "twelve" kicks per two arms is counterproductive for learning timing, IMO. The only way you can do a "four-beat" kick with proper coordination is to do a 3/1 pattern, which some people do very successfully. That pattern might work well for you, but you may as well learn the classic 1/1 and 3/3 patterns first. As for eight or twelve, nobody needs to learn to do a 5/3 or 7/5 or 9/3 pattern which they are never going to use in racing. And your whole goal is to integrate your kick with your arms, not to have your legs flailing around behind you wildly making a lot of splash and fury but accomplishing nothing propulsive.
To get the hang of the coordination, you just need to swim slowly and thoughtfully and keep your mind on your legs. The hand-paddle idea from Donna H. via Bobinator is probably helpful for keeping that mental focus. I also do like the snorkel because it helps you concentrate on kicking and body roll. Eventually it will feel natural.
I occasionally do a drill we have called 90/10 where the goal is to generate 90% of the power through the kick, only 10% through the pull.
A similar one we do is "six kicks per pull" -- like a 12-beat kick drill. It forces you to keep the kick strong and slow the arms way down to get 12 kicks in per stroke cycle.
So, would your recommend learning a two or six beat kick first? I'm new to swimming (about 7 months) and I think this is an area I need to work on.
One of the key elements for adults who are just starting to swim, for anything to become ingrained it takes time, time, time, and more time, and repetition.
For many people just starting out it's a good thing to get good at with what feels comfortable to them to start with (as long as it's reasonably efficient and correct technique), then as their skills develop more, people can push themselves to learn new things.
What I often see in relative beginners is that they try to do too many different things too soon, and end up deciding none of them worked, not giving any of them sufficient time to sink in.
There are many different ways to get good. What doesn't exist is a a magic pill or drill that will get people there fast. Build on your pre-existing knowledge and talents first, then expand on them. Learn what your talents are, and learn your own body, what are your strong and weak spots.
Adults tend to learn this a bit slower then most kids, because, IMO, adults thend to have more inhibitions or overthink things.
When we teach our swim clinics, I like to assess where people are first, before recommending what to do to get to the next level. The best way to learn is often different from one swimmer to another.
This is where a really good coach, clinics or lessons can help you. They can see where you are, help you figure out your strengths and weaknesses and give you some personalized developmental direction.
