COVID Kicking

AS OF THIS writing, the nation is still in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and most swimming pools have limited entry – 45-minute sessions a few times a week remains the reality for many athletes.

We’re all getting tired of living in interesting times, but the future looks promising, so let’s continue to prepare for a return to racing. I’m going to include a few more of those 45-minute sessions in this column, but I also want to talk about another favourite topic of mine: kicking. This is a great time to work on your kick and, trust me, you need to work on your kick.

As an athlete I hated kicking, and I don’t use that word lightly. I remember pulling myself along the rope and throwing in a generous amount of arm strokes to catch myself up to the others during kick sets. Kicking, to me, was something to be tolerated at best. I considered it a necessary evil.

But I’m whistling a different tune now, and have been for almost twenty years. I would be doing you a big favour if I can get you whistling along with me.

The good news about improving your kick strength is that, technically, it’s not a big hurdle. You can learn the basics quickly, but it can be a bit of a slog getting to the point where we could say you’re “good” at it.

The reason many guys (let’s face it, it’s dudes who often suck at kicking) often find themselves going backwards when they kick is a combination of body composition and inflexible ankles. While it’s tough to do a whole lot about the body composition, but you can work on your ankle flexibility.

Stiff fins will improve flexibility. There are some good yoga poses you can do, too, but just sitting with your feet beneath your backside, toes extended, works also. Rock back and forth as you get used to it. You can work on that four to five times a week while watching TV.

And, whether you’re good or bad at kicking, you probably should be doing more of it than you are. My first triathlon coach, Pat Kelly, felt 10 per cent of almost every session should be kick. It’s a good number to start with, but getting that number up to 20 per cent fairly often is good as well.

BUT WHY DO IT AND HOW TO DO IT WELL?

In simple terms, if you learn to kick well and you get strong at it, you will swim faster. Your legs will be less fatigued when you get on the bike, and you will reduce the likelihood of hip flexor injuries.

Now, when I say “faster,” I’m not talking about huge amounts of time. Kicking is more about good body position then it is directly related to going faster. Depending on how much you improve your body position will determine how much time you will save.

Essentially you want to be mindful of your body position, keeping your legs long and firm. Image your feet are inside a little bucket – you shouldn’t be kicking the walls of the bucket, but maintaining a small, tight churn as you kick. Thing of keeping your the ankles “dry” – your heel and ankle should be surfacing, you foot should be slightly pigeon toed and you should create a splash as you kick.

Knees should be firm, but not locked. Think of your legs as skis – flexible, but you don’t want the knees bending too much. Your knees will bend slightly on the down stroke, but should be firm on the upstroke.

I like athletes to use small kick boards, especially the ones that also work as a pull buoy. They don’t prop you up as much, making that long, level body position easier to achieve. If you’re using a regular sized board, grab it at the back rather than hugging it like it’s your lost teddy bear.

Using fins to kick isn’t cheating any more than riding in your big gear is. You go faster, but you also tire quicker. Mixing it up doing sets with and without fins is usually best.

These challenging days will pass. Use this time to work on your weak kick – it will serve your triathlon goals all the way to the finish line.