When I use a pull buoy and a band (buoy at my crotch, band around my ankles) my legs sink. It’s like having a keel underneath me. I have a feeling there can be many many causes for this. Any advice about folks, videos, or approaches would be welcome for this as a general problem.
I am not a bad swimmer for a triathlete (I don’t think) – my 500 yard time is 7:0x; I can bang out a set of 20 50’s on :45 without too much trouble; I can kick a :20 25yd freestyle. But good grief this seems like a problem. Help?
This is not me, but this is about where my legs are when I use a buoy and a band:
Possibly you have the band too tight??? I’ve always felt that the band should be loose enough such that your ankles are about 4-5 inches (10-12.5 cm) apart. This allows your feet to float behind you at about the same level in the water as with a decent kick.
This doesn’t add up. 20 x 50’s on :45 means you are doing a 500 in a little less than 7:30 “without too much trouble.” Im thinking you can go under 6:20 easily.
“This doesn’t add up. 20 x 50’s on :45 means you are doing a 500 in a little less than 7:30 “without too much trouble. Im thinking you can go under 6:20 easily.”
So did my HS coach. He just assumed I threw up after 100yds. I don’t want to get into the weeds too much, although my ridiculous drop-off in pace over time may be related to my sinking feet, but I have a feeling my form after 100 breaks down a LOT, and perhaps my form is very very bad even over 100yds. My HS times, when I was at my fastest for 50/100/200/500 were: 23.00/51.9/2:02.??/6:30.
Go to swim smooth website. Sinking legs with a pull buoy I would think are because chest and head too high. Make sure you are breathing out when head in water. Breath holding makes front end too buoyant. Lifting head just enough to breath on the side again to stay flat in water. Think about swimming “downhill”. Also don’t be pressing down in your catch. You want to get into pressing back early. If you press down front end goes up back end goes down
I come back to this thread when I come on here and am staggered you can kick a 20 25yd but sink with a PB and band. Its so wild! Lucky you dont need to race with one of them I guess.
The legs kicking isn’t a problem, it’s the legs not kicking that just trail behind there like dead weight. There’s no accounting for it – hence my requests for advice. Even in HS where we had many pull sets (I obviously just haven’t done them much as an adult since they’re a kind of affront to physics) I would cheat by fluttering my feet a quite a bit. As an (let’s say) older man with no pride at stake, I’ve started to try pull sets again with bands to really take my kick out of it, and it’s just a disaster. As the incredulity rolls in I will hold out hope that I am a unicorn of physiology and not a swimmer with incredibly bad form and balance.
He just assumed I threw up after 100yds. I don’t want to get into the weeds too much, although my ridiculous drop-off in pace over time may be related to my sinking feet, but I have a feeling my form after 100 breaks down a LOT, and perhaps my form is very very bad even over 100yds. My HS times, when I was at my fastest for 50/100/200/500 were: 23.00/51.9/2:02.??/6:30.