So earlier at practice I experimented with flat feet coming off every wall. There was a very noticeable difference. I could surface with ease past the flags, without any DKs. In my first two years of swimming, I have used just the balls (and toes) of my feet in coming off the walls.
Flat feet (that is, both ball and heel) feels a little awkward right now, like any technique change, but I think I'm going to start adjusting to it for permanent use.
Thanks to Jim Thornton who suggested I make this a poll!
I agree with Jim Thornton that short axis strokers get a flatter, though still rolling, foot push-off, just because of the kind of turn that is done. While the long axis strokers tend to have more rolling off, emphasis, on the ball of the foot. On the HS boys' team that I help coach, we have a swimmer who has had 17 operations to set his former "club" feet straight. Because his ankles are very inflexible, he does a mostly flat feet pushoff; because he cannot 'roll' off the balls of his feet, he gets a little stuck before his breakout, but when he uses one dolphin kick, then flutters, he can almost make up for his lack of flexibility (he's mostly a distance s and that swimmer, so has many turns, but he can do a decent IM; also his calves/'gastrocs' are very underdeveloped), and has worked all year to improve his freestyle kick, which he has, so his shorter races have improved a fair amount.
Think that ankle flexibility is extremely important, in all kicks, as well as for turns/pushoffs...and leg strength. Simple exercise:streamline position standing, go up on toes 10-20x/day will improve strength of leg/pushoffs), of course, many other exercises more difficult: examples: squat jumps to streamline position and variations, mid-pool 50s-streamline to past flags/red, kick to 12 1/2 or pullout on *** to mid-pool. See kids...and Masters...give up 1-3 feet on pushoff/streamline/kicks,pull-out/breakout can add up, because of lack of attention to it by swimmers and/or coaches. Like the ideas of the "5th stoke"/ red zone, that to improve, attention must be paid to this aspect of swimming...inluding the start!
I agree with Jim Thornton that short axis strokers get a flatter, though still rolling, foot push-off, just because of the kind of turn that is done. While the long axis strokers tend to have more rolling off, emphasis, on the ball of the foot. On the HS boys' team that I help coach, we have a swimmer who has had 17 operations to set his former "club" feet straight. Because his ankles are very inflexible, he does a mostly flat feet pushoff; because he cannot 'roll' off the balls of his feet, he gets a little stuck before his breakout, but when he uses one dolphin kick, then flutters, he can almost make up for his lack of flexibility (he's mostly a distance s and that swimmer, so has many turns, but he can do a decent IM; also his calves/'gastrocs' are very underdeveloped), and has worked all year to improve his freestyle kick, which he has, so his shorter races have improved a fair amount.
Think that ankle flexibility is extremely important, in all kicks, as well as for turns/pushoffs...and leg strength. Simple exercise:streamline position standing, go up on toes 10-20x/day will improve strength of leg/pushoffs), of course, many other exercises more difficult: examples: squat jumps to streamline position and variations, mid-pool 50s-streamline to past flags/red, kick to 12 1/2 or pullout on *** to mid-pool. See kids...and Masters...give up 1-3 feet on pushoff/streamline/kicks,pull-out/breakout can add up, because of lack of attention to it by swimmers and/or coaches. Like the ideas of the "5th stoke"/ red zone, that to improve, attention must be paid to this aspect of swimming...inluding the start!
