Balance and Leg Kick....?

[rwilkes]

Just a quick question for you guys to ponder...

Over the last couple of sessions in the pool, i have felt more balanced when i do not do any kicking. Although my breathing is not right (ordered o2 in h20 !!!), i do not feel as tired after a couple of lengths of freestyle, and i put this down to not kicking.

I have been trying to practice the 2bt kick while skating, but can not get the timing correct with the hip drive.

Therefore i feel more streamlined when i do not kick..., surely this can not be good in the long term ?????

also, i have been practicing spear swtich now for a couple of months, onto 2 switches..., is it time to move on ?????

Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Russ

[dwdvagamundo]

Then don't kick. Kick adds little propulsion and if you are more comfortable and balanced not kicking, then don't.

BTW--I'd bet that if we saw you swim, we'd see that you are "kicking" to some extent. That is, that your legs are moving in coordination with your body. In butterfly, Terry preaches that we should not kick at all, which means not think about or try to kick--that the motion of the torso will result in the proper kick. I think same thing here: you may have hit upon something by accident that requires lots of us years of work to get.

[dwdvagamundo]

Russ--

Just saw second part of your post. When you move on depends on whether you feel you are not making any further progress--not that you have mastered it, necessarily, but that you just not getting anywhere new with it.

So I'd go to a three-switch. I feel that doing an odd number of switches makes a better drill because it's bilateral and you can feel the differences on each side during one length of the pool.

[terry]

Russ
Allowing your legs to be more passive is nearly always good for your stroke. If you felt better after doing so, it means you were probably overkicking before, which is pretty common. A less "overt" leg movement is usually more streamlined. The first focus of anyone seeking to improve their kicking should always be to avoid creating drag and turbulence.
Did you read my post of Chapter 6, How to Kick in Open Water, on the Outside the Box conference?