Swim Qs

littlebug

I swam with a pull buoy for the first time the other night and it felt fantastic I felt faster and definitely less tired and could have swam for much longer with, than without it.
Conversely, i'm dreadful with the kickboard, miles behind everyone else and feel like i'm almost at a standstill at points.
I had kind of guessed that i wasn't getting any extra oopmh from my kick but didn't realise that my legs are actually slowing me down.
Presumably this is a body position thing?
I'll be at the pool tomorrow again but won't have a pull buoy. Any tips on how to work on this, things to notice and how to work on correcting it without the pullboy?

catweazle

Presuming you will get more experienced help later on this but I would continue soldiering on with the kick-board. You will get quicker I promise you!

You could invest in a pair of these as well, which will make you fly through the water but I don't think it would be as beneficial as slogging it out without them.

griffin100

On the kickboard stick with it!!

When kicking make sure your legs are straight (do not bend the knees), toes are pointed back and the kick is fast. You will improve and get quicker. I was the same as you until a few weeks ago and being made do kick drills has really helped my kick.

littlebug

no short cuts then I'll keep plugging away.
should be ok in wetsuit though?
The fins look cute

fishtastico

Glad to hear I'm not the only one having this problem. Had my first training session today and using the kickboard, I was basically stationary in the water

promethius

i'm a swim coach and can offer some advice on this
the technique for kicking is taught as a "straight leg". this is to discourage 90 degree bending at the knees which doesn't create much propulsion and lots of drag.

so there should be some movement at the knee, ie a little looseness. if the legs are rigidly locked you can get that stationary mad kicking situation. i've seen it a few times in the water and getting the swimmer to loosen their knees a wee bit makes a big difference.

interested

kick as if both ankles are broken - pointing the toes, kick from the hip with a slight flex in the knee - kick shallow - a faster, shallower kick is less tiring that attempting to muscle big deep kicks.

imho naturally.

littlebug

I had a lane all to myself this morning, just me and my kickboard!
So I tried all of the above taking note of where everything was and what everything felt like and what made me move a bit faster.
First thing was making a point of keeping my head a bit lower in the water and the tail end of me instantly stayed higher in the water. I practiced the kick from the hip, loose knee thing and putting it all together definitely makes things easier. With every breath I tend to default back to old habit though and had to keep making a really conscious effort but I suppose the more I do the habit will change.
thanks all... hopefully I'll be able to report progress in the near future

interested

littlebug wrote: »

I had a lane all to myself this morning, just me and my kickboard!
So I tried all of the above taking note of where everything was and what everything felt like and what made me move a bit faster.
First thing was making a point of keeping my head a bit lower in the water and the tail end of me instantly stayed higher in the water. I practiced the kick from the hip, loose knee thing and putting it all together definitely makes things easier. With every breath I tend to default back to old habit though and had to keep making a really conscious effort but I suppose the more I do the habit will change.
thanks all... hopefully I'll be able to report progress in the near future

Good stuff, the head position is also important, if using a board I'd hold it at the front, with two hands so that the forearms rest on the board if you know what I mean and keep chin on or just below the water - it should be easy to breath .. and keep breathing. I wouldnt be big fan of burying the head just to make the hips come up. A shallow fast kick.
Its all about creating good habits and keeping a feel of the water.

BTH

interested wrote: »

Good stuff, the head position is also important, if using a board I'd hold it at the front, with two hands so that the forearms rest on the board if you know what I mean and keep chin on or just below the water - it should be easy to breath .. and keep breathing. I wouldnt be big fan of burying the head just to make the hips come up. A shallow fast kick.
Its all about creating good habits and keeping a feel of the water.

But nothing else works....

Rawhead

Does anyone use fins for their kick drills?
Started on a new swim plan today (workouts in a binder/swimming for triathletes) and the amount of kick drills is phenomenal, 200mts in WU and 400mts at the end of the main set in today's session.
I got a update from SS and they swear by them, although they were trying to flog some. Just wondering if anyone uses them and if they would recommend them.

griffin100

In Fink's IM book the swim drills he refers to are all apart from 1 or 2 done with fins on.

It has been suggested to me that I use fins for my kick drill now that I'm comfortable ish doing this drill but I'm not sure why, I assume it increases resistance?

promethius

sailfish are doing a wetsuit rental scheme on the day if anyone's wondering. prices start at an eye watering €50 for the entry level suit and go upwards from there...

littlebug

promethius wrote: »

sailfish are doing a wetsuit rental scheme on the day if anyone's wondering. prices start at an eye watering €50 for the entry level suit and go upwards from there...

I just posted the same thing in the Great Fjiord Swim thread.

I can't decide what to do.

Kick drills felt easier and I moved better last night.... but only if I buried my head in the water to make my hips come up.....:o

catweazle

50 euros is a rip off when if you shop around you could but an entry level suit for not much more than 100 euros. Now or soon is a good time to buy wetsuits as I assume the 2013 stock will be in soon. I would advise go to a bricks and mortar shop to purchase a wetsuit as wetsuit sizing can be a very difficult thing to guess. Make sure you get a fully stocked one with Neoprone, I think 5mm all over would be the way to go

Local to you would be Amphibian King, Nigels and Marreys

You will love a wetsuit, they really are a dream to swim in

littlebug

catweazle wrote: »

50 euros is a rip off when if you shop around you could but an entry level suit for not much more than 100 euros.

that's 50 euro with 150 deposit and the option to leave them the deposit and keep the suit after
I was thinking along the not much more than 100 mark myself. Not sure if amphibian king go that low in price range but that's from having a quick look at their website. I might toddle over to Marreys tomorrow and see what they've got but again I think they seem to stock the higher end suits. Never been in Nigels but can have a look later in the week.
Kinda gone off the topic of kick

pgibbo

O'Neills in Tuam are stocking wetsuits too.

interested

littlebug wrote: »

Kinda gone off the topic of kick

"Work on Kick" v "Buy a more buoyant wetsuit"
I reckon its probably still on topic