Swimming Advice Nedded

I've wondered if I don't kick enough. I find myself not kicking, mainly to preserve the energy in my legs for the bike/run. However, this may be completely wrong. So, yeah. I didn't answer your question at all...

Here are some links to other posts that may help out...

http://forums.usms.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3927&perpage=15&p...

http://beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid...

First of all, from everything I have heard kicking isn’t that important in triathlons – you want to save your legs for the bike and the run. BUT – if your legs are tired with minimal kicking they not be as fresh for the bike and the run – I swim with a masters group and we do one kick set (~600 yards) with the board every practice. I have been really working on improving my kick with help from my coach and the way to do it is to kick hard – I mean hard – it should be hard to talk – and it should hurt – eventually you get used to the pain – I have managed to drop my interval for 50 kick from 1:45 to 1:15 in about a month. These results have translated into faster swim times for me. Also unless you are having problems with the mechanics of you kick, leave the flippers at home.

Happy kicking!

I am just reading a book about swimming highly recommended on this website: Total Immersion. According to this book kicking is not important, what is important is to correct your body position and make your stroke more efficient (makes sense). Their explanation is scientific and has a lot to do with physics. It was a total shock for me because it is different to all I learned 30+ years. I am an ok swimmer, not fast but I can swim for 1 hour without stopping. I have a good breathing technique but I must confess I drag my legs when I swim. I was watching IM Kona last weekend and I noticed some pros did not use their legs much while swimming. Their kicks were paced.... I am giving this technique a try.

90% of your power in the swim comes from the pull. The importance of the kick is to balance the body, especially during the breath. You'll hear swimmers talking about the 2-beat or the 6-beat kick, which is just the number of times they kick between breaths. Neither one is right or wrong, it's a matter of preference. A tight, light flutter kick is all that's necessary as long as you are pulling properly. Good luck!

I also have a terrible kick.  While kicking on my back I will actually move backwards!!! It's been described as a runner's kick, and is due to low ankle flexibility.  Only thing I know of to improve it are ankle stretches. 

Now I'm concentrating on learning a 2 beat kick, with the idea that all I need from the kick is to keep my legs up in the slipstream created by my torso.  I don't try to get any propulsion from my legs at all.

Seems to be working.

I've read in a few places that one great use for swim fins is to teach a correct freestyle kick. They will provide much much better feedback and will also increase ankle flexability.

Hey... look what I found
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/Article-detail.asp?Articleid=...

and another copy of it..
http://swimming.about.com/od/freeandback/a/runner_kick.htm

If your kick won't move you forward then it probably isn't helping with your balance as much as it could either.. By kicking less you are just being less ineffecient.

Thanks for the advice. I am going to add some of these new ideas into my training this week.

ANant

LOL, yes that's been my goal, to be less inefficient.  Don't want my kick to slow me down.

Shoulda mentioned that I've been using zoomer fins for all my TI drills.  I'm weaning off them now for my regular swim.  Could not have done the drills without them.

I just completed 4 or 5 private lessons with a TI instructor. I'd highly recommend getting DVD and/or book or best of all some classes.

To your point, now that I'm swimming using the TI method, I hardly use my legs at all. When I first went from drilling to swimming via the TI method, I was kicking to hard and increasing my stroke turn over speed, which killed everything I learned with TI. Now I work on not kicking at all and using the pull and rotation to propel me. I anchor my legs and do one kick when I rotate.

Read and learn Total Immersion...you will learn a lot. Plus learn to swim so when you are done with your swim, you won't feel exhausted and have tired legs.

Kathy

i am one of best 20 swimmers in my country but alomost all in long distances i do with my arms so 2 strokes 4 kicks . this should help you! just find your ideal rythm and then progress will be faster.

I second all of the TI advice...get the book, go to a clinic, watch the DVD, do the drills...it has been so helpful for me!