A Little Kick Goes a Looong Way in Triathlon Swimming
by David Wendkos
Yet again, my topic comes from a conversation with a fellow athlete. Nancy has completed more than one Ironman distance event, as well as a variety of other triathlons. Her swim is clearly her weakest leg, and so she has been trying to focus on improving it. She has spoken with more than a couple people about her swimming, and has gained a lot of good information from those interactions. Here is one problem that has arisen. Different people try to say the same thing in different manners.
As she and I got into a conversation about the differences between swimming as its own sport, and swimming as a part of triathlon, I brought up the difference in kicking. Nancy very quickly replied that another coach she has spoken with had been adamant that the kick was VERY important in all swimming, including triathlon, and so she put a large focus on developing a strong six-beat kick. At first, I believed this was specifically what she had been instructed to do. Sensing a learning opportunity for myself, I continued to ask questions about what he had told her What I ended up finding out was that he and I do not have differing beliefs, but rather,differing ways of verbalizing it.
Nancy took his statement, “Kicking is really important”, as “it is important to have a big, strong kick.” The intent, however, was not to instruct on the nature of the kick, but rather its involvement and impact on the overall stroke. There are two primary purposes for a kick in swimming: propulsion, and balance. In a “normal” swimming race, swimmers will generally try to maximize the kick for both of these purposes. In triathlon swimming, the issue of balance keeps the kick as a critical component of a successful swim technique. The propulsion aspect, however, takes a dramatic downgrade in focus. Remembering that the remainder of a triathlon after the swim is almost wholly lower-body driven, the less you can fatigue those muscles in the swim the better.
The physics of the human body in swimming dictate that if the legs do not contribute at all, they will sink. The center of gravity in a horizontal swimming position falls somewhere near the hips. Most of the floatation in the body will come from the air contained in the lungs. Picture the body as a see-saw, with the center point at the hips. As the chest rises, the legs will descend. It is key to maintain as horizontal a position in the water as possible, as the more vertical the body is, the more resistance you will create for yourself. Your kick, then, becomes critical to keeping your legs elevated and your body horizontal.
So what does all of this mean? The kick in triathlon swimming IS very important. How you kick in triathlon swimming is just as important. A smooth, relaxed, and relatively small kick will help with good balance without using energy inefficiently. And in triathlon swimming, efficiency is king. ‘Cause after the swim, we’ve still got a long way to go.
David Wendkos lives in Annapolis, MD and has over 30 years of competitive swimming, coaching swimmers for the pool, open water, and triathlons. He can be followed on twitter at http://twitter.com/SwimMD
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this article has been very helpful! i did my first sprint triathlon last year and my swim was definately my weakest leg. I am starting to think about my triathlon this summer and what I can do to improve my swim. I have felt like my kick did not provide enough power but after reading this article it sounds more ilke I should be focusing on my kick not so much for power but for coordination. This has put me at ease about that part of my swim and now I can focus more on improving my stroke an just building up endurance and general confidence in the water.
Thanks,
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Ani,
Sorry it took so long for me to see your comment. I am thrilled the article has been a help to you. Please be sure to email me if you ever want any other feedback, or if there are any swim related topics we haven’t covered here that you would like to know more about. Thanks for checking us out, and I hope to hear from you again in the future with tales of success!
David
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First place I have found after more of a month looking explaining the place in a tri of a Kick,
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Lee,
Thank you, and I am so glad I could help you out here! Please let me know if there is any other subjects/topics I can clarify or write about for you. I haven’t been able to focus on writing for a few months now, but plan to get back on top of things after the new year, so I hope you will keep on checking back for more.
David
Email: David@TriSwimCoach.com
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Sorry to keep this thread alive! But, I just found the article now! I have been competing in Xterra triathlons for two full seasons now. I drastically reduce my biking/running in October to February, but focus heavily on my swimming during this time. I noticed that my swimming sky-rockets during this period. And, I believe it is because I am ‘kicking’ more ‘heavily’ (not necessarily, efficiently). However, come February, when I start running/biking again, my swimming speed reduces. I attributed this to two things, one, overall energy being spent elsewhere, and two, I do reduce my kicking effort due to my running and biking!! I typically then swim with a pull-buoy(which is sorta simulating a open-water wetsuit swim), reduce my kick but my speed increases.
So, I was thinking of beginning to focus on my kicking throughout the season more so. Do you have any suggestions of kick drills to build up a kick!?
Thanks for any feedback,
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Matt,
No worries about keeping it alive. I am glad it has had enough value to enough people that it has stuck around.
As for drills to build up your kick, the short answer is yes. The longer answer is a bit more involved. While there are drills and exercises to do, most of my experience has led me to believe the best way to develop your kick is going to involve you getting in the water….. and kicking. A lot. Even though I don’t believe your kick should be a significant use of your energy during a triathlon, I strongly believe that no one becomes a successful swimmer without developing at the least a solid kicking ability. Beyond simply getting in the pool, grabbing a kickboard, and kicking back and forth, lap after lap, here are a few things you can do to “help” the learning process along:
+ Dryland kicking on your back – Lay on your back, place your hands palm down beneath your rear end, and do sets of straight leg kicking. Try starting with 5 sets of 30 seconds, and then build up the duration and quantity from there. Make sure you keep your legs straight, your toes pointed, and quick, small kick, and try to keep your feet as low as possible without touching your heels to the floor.
+ Kick with fins – many triathletes have a poor kick because their running and cycling have caused them to develop tight ankles. A good kick demands a loose ankle. This can be very difficult to simply *decide* to do, but the additional surface area of a fin against the water will usually apply enough pressure to the foot that the ankle will give and begin to learn to be looser. As this process goes on, try to use smaller/shorter fins. Also, do not let your kick become a big slow kick, akin to a scuba diver’s kick. Focus on still keeping the kick small and reasonably quick.
+ Finally, pay close attention to your kick when you are swimming normally. Make sure you are not pausing your kick at common times such as when you are breathing. This will immediately cause your legs to sink, bringing your hips down, adding significant drag resistance in the water, and finally, causing you to lose all momentum. The more consistently horizontal you can stay, the faster you will be with no additional energy expended.
Thanks for commenting, and I hope this helped.
David Wendkos
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David,
So if I’m understanding your comments to Matt above correctly, my kick in the triathlon swim should be a steady kick throughout the whole swim? Right now when I swim any distance greater than 500 m, pool or open-water, I use a lot more upper body to pull me through the water as opposed to using a steady kick. My kick is mainly for balance and used predominately with body rotation, which I notice is more present on one side of the rotation as opposed to both sides. Then again I mainly breathe to one side. If I’m doing sprints in the pool, I notice that my kick comes more into play, but my legs, mainly upper thighs and hip flexors, fatigue pretty quickly. Any suggestions to get my legs more involved is greatly appreciated as I’m going to try and implement some of your above suggestions to Matt.
Also any suggestions for practicing bi-lateral breathing and open-water sighting is also appreciated.
Thanks.
John
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