Kicking Workout To Help Body Surfing And Finishes
For competitive open water swimmers and triathletes who participate in ocean swims that end in onshore finishes, especially those with a course through surf, there is a need to have strong legs and a good kick, especially for those races that go through the surf.
For those who are a bit worried about the waves and body surfing, they can wait to swim into shore between the crashing surf.
But if the surf is up, competitive swimmers and triathletes can catch the waves and quickly body surf their way to shore. Timing and experience are key. Slowing up or speeding up are the name of the game when the swimmers and triathletes are heading into shore. If you can catch a wave (or two) perfectly, you can zoom right past your competitors as the whitewash carries up forward and buries them in a white cloud of mushy water.
For those times when you can to really kick it in in order to catch a wave as well as hold your position within the wave, strengthening your legs and kicking it in really help.
This morning, the Open Water Swim Club oriented itself to just these finishing goals with the following main kicking set done in a 25-yard pool:
3 x 100 @ 1:30 + 3 x 100 @ 1:20, catch-up freestyle working on a fast kick
2 x 100 @ 1:20 + 2 x 100 @ 1:15, catch-up freestyle working on a fast kick
1 x 100 @ 1:15 + 1 x 100 @ 1:10, catch-up freestyle working on a fast kick
1 x 25 fast + 1 x 25 moderate kick using a kickboard
1 x 25 fast + 2 x 25 moderate kick using a kickboard
1 x 25 fast + 3 x 25 moderate kick using a kickboard
1 x 25 fast + 4 x 25 moderate kick using a kickboard
4 x 25 fast + 1 x 25 moderate kick using a kickboard
3 x 25 fast + 1 x 25 moderate kick using a kickboard
2 x 25 fast + 1 x 25 moderate kick using a kickboard
1 x 25 fast + 1 x 25 moderate kick using a kickboard
Vertical kicking to failure or 2 minutes in deep-end of pool with hands on surface of water,
Vertical kicking to failure or 1.5 minutes with arms sticking straight out of the water,
Vertical kicking to failure or 1 minute with arms sticking straight out of the water holding water bottles,
Vertical kicking to failure or 30 seconds with arms holding up a heavy orange traffic cone
Copyright © 2013 by Open Water Swimming
