Common Mistakes #3: Inflexible Ankles

Learning Objectives: Kicking incorrectly can really slow you down. Your feet are acting like anchors, when your toes are pointed towards the bottom of the pool.

 

Day 3 Practice

  • Pre-Warm Up: Sit on your heels for 5 minutes
  • WARM UP:
  • 6 rounds of vertical kicking, 20-30 seconds at a time if you can.
  • 200 Easy swim
  • DRILL:
  • 5x200s done as- (with fins if you have them)
  • 100 kick on your side
  • 1 round of vertical kicking
  • 100 swim, 6 kicks for each stroke
  • WARM DOWN:
  • 6 rounds of vertical kicking
  • TOTAL:
  • 1200 Yards or Meters
  • Post-Cool Down: Sit on your heels for 5 minutes

Do this for all sets:

  • Make sure you are in deep enough water. Kick in place in a vertical position with your hands above the surface of the water. Keep yourself straight (no leaning or bending), and do 15-20 seconds at a time, keeping your head above water.
  • You should notice the fatigue in your upper thighs.
  • Your toes should be pointed and your knees should not be bending a lot. Work your way up to 30 seconds, then 45 seconds, then 1 minute. You may use fins at first but take them off after a few practices of this drill.
  • You may use fins at first but take them off after a few practices of this drill.
  • *Feel free to add or subtract distance as needed.

Common Mistakes:

  • Excessive knee bend - This is the most common kicking mistake. You will use more energy than is necessary. To cut down on bending your knees, practice kicking in a vertical position, arms crossed. You will start to become aware of how much you actually need to bend your knees, and the exact muscles you need to use to keep your head above the water.
  • Inflexible ankles - This is often due to running a lot. Your feet can actually act as anchors! To correct this, stretch your ankles daily and use the short fins, or Zoomers when kicking or doing drills.

DO's

  • 2-6 kicks per stroke
  • Limited knee bend
  • Loose ankles
  • Consistent on both sides

DON'Ts

  • Lifting the feet
  • Bending the knees
  • Kicking hard

Are You Ready to Blow Away Your Swim Struggles, Improve Your Swim Technique, And Get Faster & More Efficient In The Water?

Thanks for sticking with these last 3 days, I’m sure you will benefit from at least one of them, if you practice!

And, before we move on: If you want to take things to the next level, and get a step-by-step program to help you get faster in the water, overcome open water swim anxieties, gain confidence, and have more energy left over for the bike and run, we have a program to help!

Tap into our years of personal and professional experience. Get instant access to our extensive expertise of the performance-enhancing tips, tactics, and techniques!

coach-kevin-and-chris

Blow Away Your Swim Struggles!

Simply curl up in your favorite comfortable chair, watch the video and start using these techniques in your next training session.

Includes customizable Swim Drills and Workouts to build your technique, speed, and endurance.

You will gain the confidence and ability you need to take minutes off your swim times.

Tri Swim Essentials Only $19

tsp-add-to-cart-only-button

The Essentials

as-seen-2019-new