Is it really easier to kick less? - Skills N' Talents
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Date: 2022-07-18
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Comments and reviews: 15
Jean
Very insightful. I discovered most of these techniques by copying movements from olympic swimmers and by understanding dynamic apnea breathing and posture principles, along with adding simple physics such as 'drag'. When I started swimming again in 2006 after a yearlong break, I did all the wrongs: low angle hips, heavy kicking and head out of the water. Nowadays I hardly use my legs at all while sprinting in front crawl. The pull buoy really helped me out. To stay frosty, I always include a few 'slow' lanes in what I call the lazy crawl: a front crawl where I let myself glide out for as long as possible in between each stroke. This idea came from dynamic apnea and applying it in my front crawl magnifies the small mistakes that you make. As my aikido sensei once said: many can do it fast, but can you do it slow? That's where you give your imperfections enough time to show themselves. Besides that, it is also very relaxing to do a 'lazy crawl'. I heard of a guy in my province who swims around a small island regularly, and often almost falls asleep while doing his 'lazy crawl'.
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Very insightful. I discovered most of these techniques by copying movements from olympic swimmers and by understanding dynamic apnea breathing and posture principles, along with adding simple physics such as 'drag'. When I started swimming again in 2006 after a yearlong break, I did all the wrongs: low angle hips, heavy kicking and head out of the water. Nowadays I hardly use my legs at all while sprinting in front crawl. The pull buoy really helped me out. To stay frosty, I always include a few 'slow' lanes in what I call the lazy crawl: a front crawl where I let myself glide out for as long as possible in between each stroke. This idea came from dynamic apnea and applying it in my front crawl magnifies the small mistakes that you make. As my aikido sensei once said: many can do it fast, but can you do it slow? That's where you give your imperfections enough time to show themselves. Besides that, it is also very relaxing to do a 'lazy crawl'. I heard of a guy in my province who swims around a small island regularly, and often almost falls asleep while doing his 'lazy crawl'.
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Chris
This is a great video and I like it a lot. I also like the one stroke kick, but I have two versions of that kick: the sharp kick that turns the body and propels (which you demonstrate beautifully) and the softer kick that just turns the body, but provides no propulsion.
If I want to swim with _minimum_ energy, perhaps for swimming a very long time, no racing, then I find myself using that softer kick or no kick at all. The title of your video is Is it really easier to kick less? and the answer to that is a resounding yes. When using a no-kick stroke, I don't use speed to drag the legs back up, like you suggest in the video, but instead I change my balance - by keeping my arms forward and down. With this balance and the most minimal speed it's entirely possible to swim without kicking and to be efficient. Though, despite this, I might still use the single soft kick, because the rotation of the body really helps drive the arms and reduce their energy outlay.
Great video - one of the best on this topic.
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This is a great video and I like it a lot. I also like the one stroke kick, but I have two versions of that kick: the sharp kick that turns the body and propels (which you demonstrate beautifully) and the softer kick that just turns the body, but provides no propulsion.
If I want to swim with _minimum_ energy, perhaps for swimming a very long time, no racing, then I find myself using that softer kick or no kick at all. The title of your video is Is it really easier to kick less? and the answer to that is a resounding yes. When using a no-kick stroke, I don't use speed to drag the legs back up, like you suggest in the video, but instead I change my balance - by keeping my arms forward and down. With this balance and the most minimal speed it's entirely possible to swim without kicking and to be efficient. Though, despite this, I might still use the single soft kick, because the rotation of the body really helps drive the arms and reduce their energy outlay.
Great video - one of the best on this topic.
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lobo_tommy
Great video as always. I was inspired also by the arrow video, and improved my technique. I don't lose breath anymore and swim relaxed, which helped me to reduce heartrate. I can comfortably swim freestyle for nearly an hour with just above 2mins/100m (getting better every week. I tend to use 3 small kicks per stroke to maintain legs in horizontal position, however I have an issue with cramping. After a full swim thighs tent to cramp both in front and the back (after this video I know that this is due to keeping the legs tight). This really affected my triathlon run this year, I lost 30mins as I had to stop to stretch couple times (which was difficult when you have cramps at both sides, you stretch quads and get crampy hamstring, then the opposite. Is there any solution to prevent cramping? Any workout routine?
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Great video as always. I was inspired also by the arrow video, and improved my technique. I don't lose breath anymore and swim relaxed, which helped me to reduce heartrate. I can comfortably swim freestyle for nearly an hour with just above 2mins/100m (getting better every week. I tend to use 3 small kicks per stroke to maintain legs in horizontal position, however I have an issue with cramping. After a full swim thighs tent to cramp both in front and the back (after this video I know that this is due to keeping the legs tight). This really affected my triathlon run this year, I lost 30mins as I had to stop to stretch couple times (which was difficult when you have cramps at both sides, you stretch quads and get crampy hamstring, then the opposite. Is there any solution to prevent cramping? Any workout routine?
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robohippy
Best advice I ever heard for keeping feet elevated was from a coach from Speedo, I think, Suck in your gut like you are trying to put your belly button on your spine. Your swimming model here has an arch in his back, small, but still an arch. Getting rid of that arch, by tightening the abs is huge, at least for me. I have that old guy 'dunlaps', like the tire, or spare tire, disease, your belly done laps over your belt. Never have been able to feel tightening of the glutes and back while swimming. Tightening up the back muscles can add to this arch in the lower back. 3 mile swim coming up today! Side stroke rules, breast stroke drools!
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Best advice I ever heard for keeping feet elevated was from a coach from Speedo, I think, Suck in your gut like you are trying to put your belly button on your spine. Your swimming model here has an arch in his back, small, but still an arch. Getting rid of that arch, by tightening the abs is huge, at least for me. I have that old guy 'dunlaps', like the tire, or spare tire, disease, your belly done laps over your belt. Never have been able to feel tightening of the glutes and back while swimming. Tightening up the back muscles can add to this arch in the lower back. 3 mile swim coming up today! Side stroke rules, breast stroke drools!
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APOLLO52
You say the knee bend doesn't matter and what matters is the hip being straight. That's not really true. When teaching kids, and even some adults how to swim, you'll see a whole lot of them literally just doing all the movement with their knees while the hips remain static. And even when that's not the case, it is way easier to make people swim properly by telling them to not bend their knees (they of course won't be able to keep them completely straight anyway) rather than not flexing their hips.
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You say the knee bend doesn't matter and what matters is the hip being straight. That's not really true. When teaching kids, and even some adults how to swim, you'll see a whole lot of them literally just doing all the movement with their knees while the hips remain static. And even when that's not the case, it is way easier to make people swim properly by telling them to not bend their knees (they of course won't be able to keep them completely straight anyway) rather than not flexing their hips.
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zazugee
about scissor kicks, yeah, few or professional swimmers can really use them for propulsion, but they are really not that efficient compared to frog kick for example, or arm strokes
bc our legs are small, so most of that water pressure used to produce lift is wasted, it's like comparing an eargle to hummingbirds
bc our legs are small compared to dolphin, to produce really good lift power, we need to kick very fast
that's why for example freediving fins are very long
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about scissor kicks, yeah, few or professional swimmers can really use them for propulsion, but they are really not that efficient compared to frog kick for example, or arm strokes
bc our legs are small, so most of that water pressure used to produce lift is wasted, it's like comparing an eargle to hummingbirds
bc our legs are small compared to dolphin, to produce really good lift power, we need to kick very fast
that's why for example freediving fins are very long
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Aosta
Your 'arrow freestyle' video helped me with freestyle technique after not swimming at all since I was a teen. After 9 months of 3-5 times a week swimming I can go a full hour at 35s/25m with maybe a 5 minute break halfway through. The technique feels so smooth and looks cool as hell: D
(also while i'm here thanks for breaststroke pull, kick, glide video)
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Your 'arrow freestyle' video helped me with freestyle technique after not swimming at all since I was a teen. After 9 months of 3-5 times a week swimming I can go a full hour at 35s/25m with maybe a 5 minute break halfway through. The technique feels so smooth and looks cool as hell: D
(also while i'm here thanks for breaststroke pull, kick, glide video)
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ana1234
I am 32 and can swim but never learned how to swim the right way. I have just started to taught my self the right way by watching your videos.
Very helpful and very informative video content. It's almost been two weeks now and I can say that I am improving and noticing the difference. Thank you so much.
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I am 32 and can swim but never learned how to swim the right way. I have just started to taught my self the right way by watching your videos.
Very helpful and very informative video content. It's almost been two weeks now and I can say that I am improving and noticing the difference. Thank you so much.
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Solo
I remember in one of your previous video, you suggest to hold the breath under water (as opposed to the more popular way, exhaling under water)
I personally found its easier to hold breath under water but I'm not sure if it is correct
Can you make a video on how ( and when ) to exhale?
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I remember in one of your previous video, you suggest to hold the breath under water (as opposed to the more popular way, exhaling under water)
I personally found its easier to hold breath under water but I'm not sure if it is correct
Can you make a video on how ( and when ) to exhale?
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Paula
I watched your video a week ago and started practicing your method. Today I shaved an average of 10 seconds off each 100 yards and was less tired than I typically am. This method feels intuitive. Thank you for breaking into down into understandable pieces.
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I watched your video a week ago and started practicing your method. Today I shaved an average of 10 seconds off each 100 yards and was less tired than I typically am. This method feels intuitive. Thank you for breaking into down into understandable pieces.
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Edward
If I swim without a pull buoy and trying not to kick. I have this instinct to initiate a two beat kick at the right time at the right point of the hip rotation as demonstrates. I guess I should let the kick go and I am probably going to get it wight
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If I swim without a pull buoy and trying not to kick. I have this instinct to initiate a two beat kick at the right time at the right point of the hip rotation as demonstrates. I guess I should let the kick go and I am probably going to get it wight
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Natasha
I love your videos. animation and contribution to the swimming community. But please take names that you are familiar with as the pronunciations are very wrong and it can get a little annoying at times. All the best. Im looking forward to the app
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I love your videos. animation and contribution to the swimming community. But please take names that you are familiar with as the pronunciations are very wrong and it can get a little annoying at times. All the best. Im looking forward to the app
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Shuhaimi
im improving my swimming techniques through this series. im able to swim freestyle better than before. thank you for this insightful videos. It is also not complex and easily understandable from a beginner point of view. keep it up!
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im improving my swimming techniques through this series. im able to swim freestyle better than before. thank you for this insightful videos. It is also not complex and easily understandable from a beginner point of view. keep it up!
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Ferdinand
One benefit of kicking that you didn't mention is that it helps stabilize your body when rotating. Which means less effort for the core and glutes and better endurance. That's why I always kick at the very moment I'm rotating.
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One benefit of kicking that you didn't mention is that it helps stabilize your body when rotating. Which means less effort for the core and glutes and better endurance. That's why I always kick at the very moment I'm rotating.
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Natalie
Your videos are so helpful! Just started swimming recently and want to become a more confident & efficient swimmer. I love the trial and error examples - it usually takes a few tries to get the hang of these techniques.
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Your videos are so helpful! Just started swimming recently and want to become a more confident & efficient swimmer. I love the trial and error examples - it usually takes a few tries to get the hang of these techniques.
reply
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