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Lazy Swimmer #6 - Keep Your Head Down While Kicking

Posted by Glenn Mills on Jan 06, 2006 04:50AM (4,598 views)

KIDS LOVE KICKING. It's sometimes the BEST time in practice. You get to look around, talk to your friends, whistle... it's just FUN. That's what it's supposed to be... right? WRONG.

DESCRIBE THE IMAGE See, when you pop your head up like that, you're creating strain in your neck, back, and shoulders. And you're causing your hips to sink, which creates a lot of drag. This body-position thing becomes REALLY important to the lazy swimmer, and putting all this unnecessary stress on your body is just silly.

So, to be really lazy and avoid all that drag, keep your head IN the water, even if you use a board. At the VERY least, keep your head really really close to the water. This will help your body get into a better position, and you'll slip through the water a bit better.

As a coach, it's very easy to see the swimmers who REALLY want more work, cause they're the ones who aren't wearing goggles. It's a sure sign they're NOT going to put their head down, and they're just TRYING to make it tougher on themselves. I try to oblige them by making the intervals faster, and the sets longer. Just trying to make everyone happy. Enjoy.

DESCRIBE THE IMAGE




Responses

Responded Jan 06, 2006 12:32PM

Isn't it amazing that when the swimmers put their heads down or you have them kick on their back streamline the kick sets seem to be a little more productive??
We have incorporated social kick into our practices occasionally. That is where the swimmers are aloud to talk to each other and kick side by side. Sometimes the social kick becomes more competitive especially with the very competitive kids. "Trash Talk" amoung them seems to be a big motivator!!
Responded Jan 06, 2006 12:44PM

That is GREAT! Social kick as a reward... and then they RACE. Very nice!
Responded Jan 11, 2006 05:26PM

We've been using the snorkles lately during kick sets as well, just to stress this point and keep the body position correct, and there have been positive results. The head down kicking really makes a world of difference.
Responded Mar 29, 2006 10:50PM

can u tell me how to hold the kick board exactly

Responded Mar 31, 2006 10:37AM

In holding the board, there are only a couple things to remember. Don't climb on top of it, don't allow it to sit under your arm pits. Stretch your arms out in front, fully extended. You also want to hold a normal board a bit on the sides... about where the curve meets the straight part. We try to ONLY use either the Zura Sidekick, or Speedray boards. They keep the hands in a much better position, and aren't as buoyant as the thick styrofoam boards. It's easier to maintain better balance this way.
Responded Apr 02, 2006 12:43AM

thank u a lot.........
i have been using a kick board for about a week. it makes me tired and motion less after a few laps. is it because of improper technique of holding the board.and i have seen my freinds racing me away easily.can u please suggest me how to kick my legs efficiently please.

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