Re: Going nowhere using kickboard


"roger" <coretech007@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1122473414.724132.219640@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> I never had a good freestyle stroke, mostly since my kicking is way
> off.

Kicking contributes little to almost all front crawl swimmers, so if you
think you do not have a good stroke, it is unlikely to be a kicking issue.

> Wanting to get a better stroke, I tried doing some laps with
> kickboard. TO MY SHOCK, when I grab the board with arms extended and
> kick, I actually stand in place and sometimes even go BACKWARDS. If I
> move the board closer to my chest, I move at incredibly slow speed.
> I'm too embarrased to get coaching at this point in my life (I'm 42).

This is common.

Kicking, to be propulsive, requires that the feet be able to bend so that
the angle of the top surface (not the sole) of the foot is sufficient to
move some water backwards when the foot is driven downwards. Older
swimmers, especially older males swimmers, frequently have foot-and-ankle
flexibility issues. You can improve this with a long period of flexibility
exercises (long = months), but if you did not swim a lot when your feet were
more flexible you may find significant gains difficult.

Find yourself a masters group if you are embarrased. Most have a large
proportion of members who will have similar kicking issues.




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