I'll bet a good swimmer can do that without sinking, and then they would tell you they were "pressing the T", or "swimming downhill", or "arching their back and making sure that they turned their head to breath instead of lifting it out of the water"...but they would come up with arcane BS, when all the time they are actually keeping the secrets of swimming to themselves, the bastards. There are some among us right now!

actually lifting yr head is prob one of the reasons many people do have bad body position.

my dad is just getting into tris and this is what i told him re: his swimming.



it is pretty hard to keep yr legs at the top when wearing band only.

Nonsense--just crawl over the barrel, paddle over the reef. Get with it man!

Or lastly, quicker shoulder rotation--if you are pulling hard enough and fast enough you will plane your legs to the surface.

I hope you don't actually have a sister. Or if you do, she's posted in the Russian Brides thread.

Well, you're on me...I imitate a bad swimmer almost every time I swim laps.

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Live long and surf!

The whole situation is quite simple. Your legs do not float. Even the feeblest kick will create some lift. The band drill shows you how important a kick is to your balance and speed. If you are an accomplished swimmer you will be able to generate enough speed to keep your legs on the surface with the band but you must point your toes while doing it.

Kick a length of the pool with a kickboard as you normally do. Now kick another length. At the halfway mark instead of pointing your toes like a ballet dancer (plantar flexion) point them the other way (dorsi flexion) notice what happens instantly.

Your kick is very important in maintaining balance and speed. A poor kick can kill you in the water and it is a matter of ankle flexibility. If you spend as much time kicking as you do complaining about kicking you will develop strong legs for swimming.

Hard work will get you to the finish line. Smart work will get you there first. Choose your parents well.

doug Stern

My masters coach says it's my kick that is killing me -- exactly as you suggest. Not because of failing to point my toes, but rather because I bicycle kick at times, especially when I breathe and get tired. Nothing good can come from that! So far, I haven't been able to fix the kick problem.

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Too f@ckin depressed from various injuries to care about having a signature line.

Sponsored by Blue Shield PPO.

kick from yr hips. maybe do yr kick sets with fins.

Aztec - Your problem is not your kick. Your legs react to problems with your arms and when you are breathing. If your hand crosses the midline of your body your legs will come apart and your will scissor. If you look back to breathe at the end of the stroke your hips will go lateral and cause your legs to come apart and often you knee comes up like a bicycle kick.

If you are kicking from your lower leg only and not using your upper thighs, practice kicking on your back. Hold a kickboard by your knees and make sure your knees do not touch the board. Initiate the kick by pressing downward with the bottom of your foot. Allow your knee to bend on the way up but not on the way downward.

Let me know how it works for you. If you are interested I can e-mail you an article on how to kick.

Legs are necessary for fast swimming learn how to kick and practice, practice, practice.

Doug Stern