Unfortunately,the above is true.

1. My legs drag
2. I have runner's ankles so my toes are pointed to the bottom instead of the backwall. My kick propels me backwards.
3. I scissor so any thought of streamline is gone.

The pull buoy corrects every one of these swimming deficiencies.

I am faster without a buoy in a 25-yard sprint by 2-3 seconds. I suppose my sprint stroke rate and pull overcomes these other problems but I can't maintain that for distance.

FWIW, I've had my stroke evaluated by knowledgeable people and they say it's good. I don't swim like that person in the latest instructional video. I also befriended the coach at the Y since I swim a lot when the team is there and he's given me some pointers. Again, he said the core of my stroke is very good.

The real story is 2000-2500 yards twice a week as an AOS isn't going to get me there. My solution is to pick races with shorter swims so I'm only giving away 60-90 seconds to the competition and then I take my chances on the bike and run.

Immediately sold. I've long felt the kickboard to be a water of time. While I might need to work on integrating my kick timing better, better utilizing it to support my body position, and very likely streamline my legs to be more hydrodynamic; I think all of that can be better achieved without a kickboard.

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-Bryan Journey
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Nah, more like 1-2 sec per 100 yd for your good swimmers who just can't kick.

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

Before considering the contribution kicking adds to swimming go to D1’s and watch the 50 free. Then decide.

Completely disagree. Go to D1’s and watch the 1650. Then decide. It will blow your mind how much those guys kick.

Agreed. Kicking not much used in the mile race. However the article the OP attached states that kicking does not provide any propulsion in swimming. I am saying that is false and all you have to do is watch good swimmers sprint to understand that. If you put one of those 1650 guys in the 4 x 200 relay you would see some propulsive kicking.

To a certain extent, it’s a red herring anyway. Whether the kick helps propulsion, or drag reductions, or provides synergies with the arms making the pull more effective, it doesn’t really matter except for the eggheads trying to figure out the physics of it all. The key is that having an effective kick helps you go faster, so work the kick up until the point that the cost of kicking exceeds the benefit (whatever that might be)

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2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

it's a stupid op-ed. this shouldn't even be a thread

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36 kona qualifiers 2006-'23 - 3 Kona Podiums - 4 OA IM AG wins - 5 IM AG wins - 18 70.3 AG wins
I ka nana no a 'ike -- by observing, one learns | Kulia i ka nu'u -- strive for excellence
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Yeah, using the 1650/1500 as an example isn't remotely relevant. It is still done at an intensity that no triathlon ever remotely comes close to (okay, F1 perhaps). Just like your cadence on the bike slows as you ride at easier intensities so will your stroke tempo, and one element of stroke tempo is how much one kicks.

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36 kona qualifiers 2006-'23 - 3 Kona Podiums - 4 OA IM AG wins - 5 IM AG wins - 18 70.3 AG wins
I ka nana no a 'ike -- by observing, one learns | Kulia i ka nu'u -- strive for excellence
Garmin Glycogen Use App | Garmin Fat Use App

I'm guessing ole Mel did not actually read this op-ed before it was posted. If you read the comments, he himself comes into the comments and says in essence that, while opinions can vary, he is totally sold on kicking as he feels improving his kick helped greatly in going from "nowhere to 3rd in the 200 free" in the '92 Trials, not to mention making him a WR holder in the 200 fly. I used to swim with a guy who was a volunteer assistant coach for the U of TN and he said Mel would kick an extra 2000 yds every night, after already having gone roughly 14-16,000 yds in the team's a.m. and p.m. workouts. He said Stewart could kick 100s lvg on 1:10 and hold 58-59 for all 20. I've heard that many elite swimmers can kick this fast but it is still seems very impressive to me, mostly b/c I am much more of a "puller" than a "kicker". :)

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

Next you're going to tell me that flip turns matter...…………...

and i would agree with mel

however, for triathletes this is entirely different discussion, one that needs to be completely isolated from that op-ed. conflating pool racing with open water triathlon is apples and oranges.

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36 kona qualifiers 2006-'23 - 3 Kona Podiums - 4 OA IM AG wins - 5 IM AG wins - 18 70.3 AG wins
I ka nana no a 'ike -- by observing, one learns | Kulia i ka nu'u -- strive for excellence
Garmin Glycogen Use App | Garmin Fat Use App

but, this from the article is obvious nonsense,

"Significant vertical forces occur during each butterfly stroke; if I haven’t cemented the point enough, there is no way human legs could overcome these forces to contribute to propulsion."

someone should tell Caleb Dressel that all his underwater fly kicking in this 17 sec 50yd free, could not have contributed to propulsion..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GJxhYwBwpo

Once the article has made such an egregiously fallacious assertion, entirely unsupported by either evidence or theory, the rest of it becomes negligible..

Ya, most triathletes w/o a swimming background seem to have a hard time getting balanced in the water. And, even for a relatively slow kicker like me, I still kick some to help with that balance. Further, I continue to work on my kick during most workouts as it does seem to coming along, though I doubt I'll ever kick 100s on the 1:10. :)

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."