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When I first started swimming, I saw my neighbor doing head out of water kicking using kick board. She could do it nonstop. I thought I wanted to do that too. However, it was really hard and I never felt right when doing it so I gave up. Now I kick with fins and snorkel to warm up and get my legs stronger. Streamline kicking feels so much better for my spine and lower back.
Idk about recommending dropping the kickboard but picking up fins (which I don't hate, but a lot of kids have a tough time doing a six beat kick as it is).
Hi Fares, can you talk about backstroke breathing pattern in one of your videos? I never know when to inhale and exhale even though my face is not in the water 😅
i love catch up drill. Another plus of catch up drill is I breath on both sides. This drill taught/trained me to become a bilateral breath swimmer. I breath on one side coming down others side going up.
Been doing all these for a billion years and never had a problem. Every swimmer does those drills, even the elite level ones and now a random guy decided to fool people telling em that they make swimmers slow, just for content.
I gave up kick boards years ago, and switched to a snorkel for dolphin and freestyle flutter kick. Just like training variations, on your kicking laps, vary amplitude and speed, so one length bigger slower kicks, next length short and fast kicks. I believe the Arena fins are off set slightly, I know the Finis positive drive fins are, as in little bit of fin on the big toe side, lots of fin on the little toe side.. Standard 'frog' feet do not work. We don't have flat feet like frogs, our feet are 3D. They fight you if you try to turn your toes in. Proper foot position for flutter and dolphin kicks is toes in 20 to 30 degrees. This gives those of us with stiff ankles another 10 or more degrees of dorsi flexion, and you use the whole side of your foot for propulsion rather than just your toes. Gymnastic type toe point is terrible. Also, when swimming flutter kick laps, I use body rotation. "Practice like you swim!" For both freestyle and back stroke. I love the catch up drill. I know they used to teach it with touching your hands before you start the pull with the other arm. Some used to use a kick board to keep your hands about that far apart. The whole focus on the catch up drill is body rotation and getting that top side shoulder out of the water. Add to that, getting full extension. Maybe add in as you pull, the leg on that side kicks down. A very good way to practice 2 beat kicking.
is there any benefit to load (someone who is learning to swim the first day) with pool bricks and tell to jump in the deepest part of the pool and come up wiht the bricks? Of course the professor also use kick boards
Anyone know where I can get wrist supports that I can use for swimming? I have carpal tunnel and sometimes my wrist are sore so if I can find wrist supports for under water I can go swimming more. Thanks in advance
plastic balls with holes punched in, comes in tons of sizes: pickle ball, practice golf balls, whiffle ball etc. the focus is never punching, but using entire arm to feel and pull the water.
My favorite drill sequence is 1 length fist, 1 normal, 1 length paddles... repeat. That fist length after paddles will really make you get that EVF, or hate your life! I need those strapless Finis paddles!
I can't agree more @1:11 in my life I have never ever had one (kick board). To be honest, because I don't like a big bag everyday; and always enjoy traveling light to the pool. Streamline is my hidden treasure.
Ahhhhh! I love that I found this video. I HATED kicking with a kick-board. I was positive it was useless and that my body position was so shit I was learning nothing 😤😡
A challenge for you Fares. Do the catch up drill. Do it with a 2 beat kick. Please notice that the recover arm plays no part in the body rotation. Pulling arm gets to about 45 degrees, and same side foot/leg goes down. This is one of the reasons I insist that the upper body drives the rotation, and it is impossible for the lower body to drive any rotation at all. Give it a try and let me know. You or anyone on your team.
When training for IM, my coach put drill sessions in my calendar, breaking down each movement of freestyle (about 10 different workouts, drills only). Result: I'm now slower and I'm sure one of those workouts messed a part of my stroke. Side note: I have a background in swimmimg, so I had a decent starting point.
How can I swim in open water straight? I swim to much more km that are in a competition 😢 because I swim like a snake in desert 😅. Can you give me some tips? In the swimming pool I see the line on the bottom. Thank you for your tips
It's a great tool for isolating the legs in fast, short reps! But especially if your kick is weak or your body position is suffering, it's best to ditch the board
Hi Fares, been watching your videos for a while. Some of them are even translated into chinese on bilibili, great to see that. I have one question about daily routine, if i have only say 2-4hrs/day for breaststroke training( trying to get under 30s for 50m), should i go swimming first or dryland first? Thanks,
i love kicking while holding kick-board with crossed arm against my chest. It’s not for any swimming technique, but it stretches out my lower back and I can feel the stomach muscles (core) crunching up. Had a car accident and have gimpy legs. The kick-board helps me with drills that otherwise I can’t do…along with some rotational exercises. I guess my point is that kick-board is not for advancing swimming skills per say, but its use as a tool in aqua-jogging, physical therapy, injury recovery should not be downplayed.
General problem with the catch up drill is that people who do it a lot tend to carry over its timing into the actuall swimming as well, which leads to overgliding.
1-Kick board. Pro swimmers use kick board as we see their vids. I started to used it after 1 year of swimming just to train leg and kick power. As well it helps me to stretch shoulders. 2-Catch up drill. If you see the competitions they do cross the omg line, but slightly, and the arm return during glidin phase in correct position. I use this drill to strech shoulders, and in speed mode I can not cross the mid line anyway due to lack of shoulder mobility. 3-One arm drill. Indeed, beginners, like me, need fins, as you must rotate and have a lot of arm power. Legs getting tired without fins faster. 4-Fist. True that some do not fully understand that they must feel how the whole arm in this drill catching and moving the water. 5-Mindless. In group training the ego sometimes not letting say "I need pause" and they just do something like the task to in time with others. I would better do less but right (coach supports it). 6-paddles. Saw guys and girls use them just to show how fast they are. But paddles are also for better feeling of right palm direction, also for glide right position, it is not just speed booster. Good luck to everybody!
Ok. Off topic but what are your thoughts about the US getting the top team award at the World Champs despite winning 7 golds to Australia’s 13 golds????
Using the board or kicking streamline are two different exercises as the board completely isolates the leg movement and has nothing to do with body position, same for the one arm drill arm stretched out helps with DS, hand entry and body position, by the side is a different drill. This is incorrect advice you are giving for these two drills in particular. Moreover the freestyle shown on the video is highly inefficient as during the catch the elbow drops making the pull extremely inefficient. You should really reconsider this video….
