Here's the Kicker

As a triathlete, in the past I haven't seen much use for kicking drills in the water. The masters team I swam with for a few years in Wisconsin would incorporate kicking into practices, but I'd put on my flippers and just kind of coast. For me it was more a time to rest and recover than to push myself. After all, my legs were already tired from biking and running, so why tire them out further?? My mentality was to give the dogs a rest in the pool, making my upper body do the lion's share of the work. For similar reasons I adopted a "2-beat" kick several years ago, in which I only kick once for each stroke (in contrast to the more common "6-beat" kick). As a result, I'm sure I give up a little time on my swim splits, but I'm convinced having fresher legs ultimately benefits me on the bike and run. Hard to quantify, but that's always been my mindset.

Recently, however, I've come around to the idea that I can probably improve my kick while still "saving my legs" for the heavy stuff. In other words, it may just be possible to have one's cake and eat it too. I've started mixing in a little kicking to try to get more bang for my 2-beat buck.

I really like the videos from the Race Club, led by Gary Hall, Sr. I posted a couple of these in the past and they've been quite popular. This one talks about propulsion from kicking, something I am sorely lacking. Lots of great tips in here, although "thanks, but no thanks" at 2:43!