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

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

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