Freestyle kick technique. Swimming front crawl. Improve your position - Skills N' Talents
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Date: 2022-07-18
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Comments and reviews: 7
robohippy
Hmm. I use the kick board and a snorkel. That keeps body position correct. When people use the kick board under their chest, this does elevate the shoulders, and drops the lower body. What this does to the kick is you bring the heels up way higher than you do if your body is planed out. This could be useful for training above and beyond the the normal range of the height of the kick, so you have full strength through the whole standard amplitude of the kick, kind of like training for sprints, you train distance swimming too. I make a point to do one length of the pool with a slower beat and bigger amplitude, and the next with a quicker beat and smaller more normal amplitude. The difference with the back stroke flutter kick, is that your heel goes through a range similar to having the kick board under your chest, so the heel goes higher where if you were planed out the heel would be out of the water. Funny how most swimmers almost always have some hook in their foot on the down stroke on freestyle flutter kick, but that same angle (same as the hand catch) is almost never there on back stroke. I do focus on the up kick sole side of the foot coming up, as much as the down kick/top side of the foot. This reciprocating action adds to both sides of that kick, and can only be done if your hips rotate with the kick and the arm stroke. Even when I was young and flexible, I would not be able to do that ankle stretch you show. In my gymnast days, we would use 2 by 4s with a seat belt webbing loop nailed to one end to stretch the ankles. I did hear one swim coach say to not point your toes because it causes cramps. Well, gymnasts and dancers don't get those cramps because it is some thing they practice. If you notice the Olympic caliber swimmers, when they point their toes, the toes flex bay beyond the straight line of your shin bones. If you don't get this flex, then your oar is putting all the energy straight down, and nothing pushing out behind you. Starting the down stroke, heel needs to be low, and toes high with shin at 10 to 15 degrees to the surface of the water. You do not follow through on the down stroke/top of foot stroke. If you watch the bubble plumes underwater, this actually makes the bubbles go backwards. The first bit you show with the ankles at 90 degrees/normal standing posture is almost identical to the 'catch' we do with our arms which is great for pulling, but backwards for the pushing that we do with our kicks. Best observed and filmed with hands on the wall so swimmer is stationary and you can see which direction the bubbles are moving without having to take swimmer moving through the water into account. Just about every dolphin/butter fly kick I have observed gets a backwards moving bubble plume. Main reason is that your first kick has shoulders high, and feet/knees low, so you can lift your heels higher and have your toes higher yet.
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Hmm. I use the kick board and a snorkel. That keeps body position correct. When people use the kick board under their chest, this does elevate the shoulders, and drops the lower body. What this does to the kick is you bring the heels up way higher than you do if your body is planed out. This could be useful for training above and beyond the the normal range of the height of the kick, so you have full strength through the whole standard amplitude of the kick, kind of like training for sprints, you train distance swimming too. I make a point to do one length of the pool with a slower beat and bigger amplitude, and the next with a quicker beat and smaller more normal amplitude. The difference with the back stroke flutter kick, is that your heel goes through a range similar to having the kick board under your chest, so the heel goes higher where if you were planed out the heel would be out of the water. Funny how most swimmers almost always have some hook in their foot on the down stroke on freestyle flutter kick, but that same angle (same as the hand catch) is almost never there on back stroke. I do focus on the up kick sole side of the foot coming up, as much as the down kick/top side of the foot. This reciprocating action adds to both sides of that kick, and can only be done if your hips rotate with the kick and the arm stroke. Even when I was young and flexible, I would not be able to do that ankle stretch you show. In my gymnast days, we would use 2 by 4s with a seat belt webbing loop nailed to one end to stretch the ankles. I did hear one swim coach say to not point your toes because it causes cramps. Well, gymnasts and dancers don't get those cramps because it is some thing they practice. If you notice the Olympic caliber swimmers, when they point their toes, the toes flex bay beyond the straight line of your shin bones. If you don't get this flex, then your oar is putting all the energy straight down, and nothing pushing out behind you. Starting the down stroke, heel needs to be low, and toes high with shin at 10 to 15 degrees to the surface of the water. You do not follow through on the down stroke/top of foot stroke. If you watch the bubble plumes underwater, this actually makes the bubbles go backwards. The first bit you show with the ankles at 90 degrees/normal standing posture is almost identical to the 'catch' we do with our arms which is great for pulling, but backwards for the pushing that we do with our kicks. Best observed and filmed with hands on the wall so swimmer is stationary and you can see which direction the bubbles are moving without having to take swimmer moving through the water into account. Just about every dolphin/butter fly kick I have observed gets a backwards moving bubble plume. Main reason is that your first kick has shoulders high, and feet/knees low, so you can lift your heels higher and have your toes higher yet.
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robohippy
The number one thing I see in the pool that needs correction for maybe 90% of swimmers of freestyle, is the 'runner's foot'. Almost none of them try to kick with the 90 degree flex like you show, but most kick with about a 20 degree angle or so, off of straight line toe point. This generates negative thrust. They still move forward, but all of their thrust comes from the up stroke. Funny thing to me is that this 20 degree flex is almost totally absent in back stroke flutter kick. I notice too that when with the kick boards with or without snorkel, there isn't nearly as much hip rotation as there is when you use the full stroke.
Oh yea, ankle stretch exercises for those of us who don't have over cooked spaghetti noodles for tendons and ligaments?
reply
The number one thing I see in the pool that needs correction for maybe 90% of swimmers of freestyle, is the 'runner's foot'. Almost none of them try to kick with the 90 degree flex like you show, but most kick with about a 20 degree angle or so, off of straight line toe point. This generates negative thrust. They still move forward, but all of their thrust comes from the up stroke. Funny thing to me is that this 20 degree flex is almost totally absent in back stroke flutter kick. I notice too that when with the kick boards with or without snorkel, there isn't nearly as much hip rotation as there is when you use the full stroke.
Oh yea, ankle stretch exercises for those of us who don't have over cooked spaghetti noodles for tendons and ligaments?
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lee
I kick too high above the water, it increases a lot of drag. I am a mid/long distance freestyler, but I always fail to swim faster because of my kick technique, do u guys know how to do small kick while maintaining fast speed? Skills Nt Swimming
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I kick too high above the water, it increases a lot of drag. I am a mid/long distance freestyler, but I always fail to swim faster because of my kick technique, do u guys know how to do small kick while maintaining fast speed? Skills Nt Swimming
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Amanda
Do you think it would be possible to make a tutorial/tips on technique and body potion for head up freestyle swimming? Maybe aimed for waterpolo players that want to improve their speed and endurance?
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Do you think it would be possible to make a tutorial/tips on technique and body potion for head up freestyle swimming? Maybe aimed for waterpolo players that want to improve their speed and endurance?
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LeeSang
IM Turns. would be a good topic.
There are also rules. like the swimmer should be on breast when leaving the wall, or the swimmer should be on back when leaving the wall.
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IM Turns. would be a good topic.
There are also rules. like the swimmer should be on breast when leaving the wall, or the swimmer should be on back when leaving the wall.
reply
LeeSang
I prefer a center-mounted snorkel than a kickboard.
Middle-aged guy like me lacks flexibility in cervical area and shoulders.
Thx for good video. _
reply
I prefer a center-mounted snorkel than a kickboard.
Middle-aged guy like me lacks flexibility in cervical area and shoulders.
Thx for good video. _
reply
Antonio
That's nice! But I would like to know some drills to control 2-4-6 kicks per arm cycle on front crawl!
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That's nice! But I would like to know some drills to control 2-4-6 kicks per arm cycle on front crawl!
reply
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