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swim kick advice needed - Please!
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 2006-07-14 10:14 AM |
Regular  60 |  Subject: swim kick advice needed - Please!My swim has advanced rapidly by my standards. I swam 450-500m (lost count) this morning w/o rest, other than grabbing a wall to turn. Given, I was going pretty slow I was still happy. I am having problems with my kick though. It seems erratic, my feet tend to kick at different speeds and times. When I started swimming about a month ago I was kicking way too fast which caused fatigue. I have gotten my kick slowed down but it still doesn't have a natural rythym. Here are my question- Should my legs be straight? Slightly bent? Should my feet act like flipper? How much should I be kicking? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Chris |
| 2006-07-14 10:20 AM in reply to: #482665 |
Extreme Veteran 347  Sturtevant, WI | Subject: RE: swim kick advice needed - Please! I don't have a whole lot of advice on kicking, but I've found that for me, the less I kick, the faster I go. This might have something to do with conserved energy...I dunno. I'm not a real fast swimmer, but when I was doing an open water workout yesterday, I did my half mile, and it was so enjoyable and relaxing that I kept going! I try to keep my kick as relaxed as possible -- almost an afterthought. When I do think about my kick, or when it gets too fast, I try to imagine that my feet are giant fins. That slows the kick down a LOT. If I keep my kick small and relaxed, it works the best for me! I hope this helps a little! |
| 2006-07-14 10:23 AM in reply to: #482665 |
Expert 834 Medina, MN | Subject: RE: swim kick advice needed - Please! Your legs should be mostly straight. However, you should bend your knees slightly on the downkick, using your feet like a flipper. On the upkick your leg should be straight. In general, most triathletes should use a 2-beat kick in order to save their legs for biking and running. This generally means that you should kick one time for each arm pull. I think the rhythm of it is a downkick as each hand enters the water, or pretty close to that point in the stroke. Your kick should do two things - first, it should propel you forward. Second, it should help you rotate your body. -Matt |
| 2006-07-14 10:30 AM in reply to: #482681 |
Master 1718 Loughborough, England | Subject: RE: swim kick advice needed - Please! MLJ - 2006-07-14 4:23 PM In general, most triathletes should use a 2-beat kick in order to save their legs for biking and running. This generally means that you should kick one time for each arm pull. I think the rhythm of it is a downkick as each hand enters the water, or pretty close to that point in the stroke. -Matt Does it matter which leg you kick with? Say if your right arm is entering the water should you kick with your left or right leg? |
| 2006-07-14 10:40 AM in reply to: #482665 |
Expert 834 Medina, MN | Subject: RE: swim kick advice needed - Please! I'm sitting at my desk and trying to do it in my head, but I believe that when your right arm enters the water you should be kicking down with your left leg and vice versa. I can check for sure on Monday  . In the meantime, if you're doing it the opposite it will be a total mess, hopefully one way will seem more natural for you and it will be obvious. Edited by MLJ 2006-07-14 10:42 AM |
| 2006-07-14 11:08 AM in reply to: #482665 |
Arch-Bishop of BT 10278 Pittsburgh | Subject: RE: swim kick advice needed - Please! I think it does matter, and I speak only as a former physicist, and not as a swim expert. The goal, it would seem, is to help balance forces (or more technically the torques) applied to the body in the water. As your right hand enters the water, it would tend to push your right shoulder up, thereby tipping your body, and rotating you to your left. If you kick with your right leg then, that will amplify your rotation. Kicking with your left leg produces a force on your left side which rather than forcing it down, forces it up as well... thereby maintaining a more neutral position. Likewise when your right arm is coming up the force is now reversed, and your body would want to tip to the right side... The right leg produces the upward force that helps keep the body more stable. So... someone please tell me I'm wrong if I am, because for the life of me, I cannot remember how my kicking goes. I am sure this analysis is an oversimplification, as the process of swimming is way more dynamic, and each leg has a torque component on its upward motion as well, but I imagine that effect is secondary... Just some musings... Peace, Brian |
| 2006-07-14 11:21 AM in reply to: #482665 |
Expert 834 Medina, MN | Subject: RE: swim kick advice needed - Please! Hah. Well, if your hand entering the water pushes your shoulder up, you need to do a lot of work on your entry technique . But following through with your general train of thought, as you FINISH a stroke with your right arm, you want your right hip to be rotating up so that your body is rolling to breathe. In order for your right hip to rotate up, you need do be kicking down with your right foot. When your right arm is finishing is roughly (NOT exactly) the same time your left hand is entering. Therefore, I guess I still think it's kick down with right when left is entering and vice versa.... |
| 2006-07-14 12:21 PM in reply to: #482681 |
Regular 60 | Subject: RE: swim kick advice needed - Please! MLJ - 2006-07-14 10:23 AM Your legs should be mostly straight. However, you should bend your knees slightly on the downkick, using your feet like a flipper. On the upkick your leg should be straight. In general, most triathletes should use a 2-beat kick in order to save their legs for biking and running. This generally means that you should kick one time for each arm pull. I think the rhythm of it is a downkick as each hand enters the water, or pretty close to that point in the stroke. Your kick should do two things - first, it should propel you forward. Second, it should help you rotate your body. -Matt I don't know if I can slow my kicks down that much, it's like they have a mind of their own. Thanks though for everyone's input. |
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