For the sake of conversation (and because I am bored) - when talking about swim technique there seems to be a disconnect between a triathlete’s understanding of power and a swimmers understanding of technique. I have heard a lot of cyclists ask how they can get more power into their kick… The conversation then is framed around force. Is the starting question wrong?
As a decent swimmer I cannot recall ever thinking about my kick in terms of power, unless I was talking about the first 15 meters off of the start and off of each turn of my race, and I only thought about this when I was swimming the 100 and 200 fly. While swimming freestyle I have spent some time training and thinking about ankle flexibility, quick feet, driving with my hips (not my knees), and many others things but I have almost never thought about power. How do I teach non swimmers who want to get into triathlon to focus on things like “feel” and not force?
Is the disconnect between feel and force why it is so hard for athletes new to triathlon and swimming to develop a good swim?
Just thinking,
Mitch
For the sake of conversation (and because I am bored) - when talking about swim technique there seems to be a disconnect between a triathlete’s understanding of power and a swimmers understanding of technique. I have heard a lot of cyclists ask how they can get more power into their kick… The conversation then is framed around force. Is the starting question wrong?
As a decent swimmer I cannot recall ever thinking about my kick in terms of power, unless I was talking about the first 15 meters off of the start and off of each turn of my race, and I only thought about this when I was swimming the 100 and 200 fly. While swimming freestyle I have spent some time training and thinking about ankle flexibility, quick feet, driving with my hips (not my knees), and many others things but I have almost never thought about power. How do I teach non swimmers who want to get into triathlon to focus on things like “feel” and not force?
Is the disconnect between feel and force why it is so hard for athletes new to triathlon and swimming to develop a good swim?
Just thinking,
Mitch
I believe that new swimmers do need to focus on feel more than force because most cannot efficiently apply force due to poor form. As you said, flexibility in the ankles can have a dramatic effect on the efficiency of the kick. Because the propulsion of the kick comes from the top and bottom of the feet pushing against the water in the oposite direction they are swimming, without flexibility in the ankles, you must bend more at the knee and have a much deeper kick to get the top of the foot in position to push rearward. Improving flexibility may not be possible in many and could create injuries if not done correctly. Often just not kicking is their solution.
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New swimmers need to think about when they kick before they think about how they kick. It’s the timing baby!
Agreed. The kick needed by distance swimming and triathlon needs very little power, it is more balance, buoyancy, body position, and little bit of propulsion at certain times.
But that said, nearly every triathlete I’ve tested in the water that couldn’t manage at least a quick 25 kicking with a kickboard also had a bad (or very bad) distance swimmer’s kick. So while power kicking with a board and a distance swimmer’s kick are pretty different, there is still some tenuous connection between the two skills.