Has anyone heard of this technique or used it in swim practices?
It seems to do nothing for me other than takes 2 min to do a 50 !!
I would rather use small fins or just use my own 2 feet !
My club team has been toyin around with this type of stuff for a couple years now. It's pretty brutal on the legs and yes, very slow. Not only will they do normal kick sets, but also lengthy kicking while just holding onto the wall. I'm not sure why, but they haven't seem to have done it when I've been around for at least the last year.
You can do it with any pair of sneakers, but these are the ones I use: www.aqxsports.com/index.php
My overall impression is that it can be a positive addition to your training.
I've never used this technique, but I've been going to a pool at one of our local colleges lately (WPI) and judging from the pile of wet sneaks on deck every day, their swim team is doing kick sets with sneakies on.
I get a lot of workouts from a team website that spends 6-8 weeks every year swimming their entire workout with sneakers on. At least I think they do. I generally stop going to their site when the shoe madness kicks in
I'm interested to hear what others say about this...I'm intrigued
I haven't done that since high school(in the 60s.)I think it is just one of those ways of trying to do something different.It does put more strain on the legs so you work them harder,but it seems fins do that better and fins help ankle flexibility as well as not distorting the stroke as much.I don't know of any way that they would be superior to fins,but I am prepared to be educated.
As previously posted in Gary Hall's Mythbuster #9, I do a dedicated kick workout every week. So yes, I use shoes religously. Exactly 4 x 50 on the 2:00.
The key is to not think of it as kicking but rather as core work where you have some use of your legs. You must kick strong, and you still should feel the water on the front and back of your feet with the shoes on.
I strongly encourage holding the board out in front of you, don't lay on it or else you just strain your back. Use a snorkel. Don't keep your knees stiff; have a natural movement, but you can easily hurt yourself if you don't first engage your core and then use the legs. Think to yourself "Forward propulsion with less drag!" not "Jerk those joints around with shoes on!" In the end, you will go faster by keeping your legs up high, rather than blowing out your knee joints.
Again, consistency even at a small amount is better than nothing. If you try shoes, don't do it once or twice a season; commit to doing at least 4x50's once per week with shoes.
I like to do it as 4 x 50 with shoes,
then 4 x 50 without shoes (your feet will FLY!!!!!!)
last 4 x 50 or 8 x 25 with fins
Or as an alternative, do the 4 x 50's without shoes Super Blasto! with an easy 50 in between.
then some other bits, finish up with
4 x vertical kicks (23 seconds; then rest to the 1 minute)
I know my gym has rules about what you can and can't wear in the pool, but I don't think it says anything about shoes. :)
There's another thread on this subject that has some interesting input.
Kick sets with running shoes - U.S. Masters Swimming Discussion Forums
Good way to clean the poop off my soles.
:eeew:
Of all things to forget on Friday, I left my Speedo sandals at home, so I had to go barefoot. I sure hope I didn't walk through anything as obnoxious as fecal matter.
Michelle - sounds like a tough kick set. On the 4 x 50 on 2:00 set, how much rest are you getting on each 50?
To directy answer your question,
I hold 1:10-1:15 on the 2:00 for the shoe bits (SCM)
Again, the key is to do whatever is sustainable. I know I wouldn't stick with longer sets or more 50's. When I swim by myself, I like to take a long time on the wall, but blasto when I do go. Simply adjust for what you want to do!
Pay attention to where your body position is - both the angle (don't swim upstream) and the depth (try to get yourself right at the surface). Kick from the core - which I would define as the entire area starting from your chest to right above your knees. Try to keep a shallow kick, about 6 inches at most. Look at the bottom of the pool. Keep your arms in alignment and don't let any part of your body create drag (well, as much as possible).
And as far as Bang for Your Buck - we aren't a huge kicking team. More lately, but quite ofen no dedicated kick sets in a workout. So as little as this may seem, as a percentage of what I have been doing - it's HUGE! Don't work on things your already good at! Given only 1 hour per day, I don't allocate the time to pulling (I either kick or do 1/2 fly) and "make it up" on my Vasa at home. In lieu of pure pulling, when I swim, I make a conscious effort to "get more square area" of my body into the pulling. By having a stronger, more efficient kick, I am higher in the water, better aligned, and thus I actually feel stronger because I am engaging more of my back and full body into the stroke rather than feeling like I am truncated at sharp angles around my shoulders. So I would say my STROKE is stronger, but that's because my stroke includes a larger amount of arm, body, and back muscles than it did before.
The advice above is pretty universal for anyone. However, I strongly advise every swimmer that even with great coaching, no one but you can make that consistent effort - even if it's just 4x 50's, or a mere 4 minutes of vertical kicking! Or just pick something (all on your honor!) you are really terrible at, and work on it! You can do it! It's FUN to see how much you can improve (within the same time constraints!) - like a game!
