swimming
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ChunkyB posted 45 weeks ago.
I usually kick pretty slow, sometimes one kick with every stroke.
You have to keep in mind that swimming in a triathlon is different than competitive swimming because you have to save your legs for the bike and run. I would err on the side of using them less, and use your arms as the main propulsion. Also, kicking is much less efficient at moving you in the water (unless you have fins) than stroking with your arms, so you'll waste a lot of energy with little return.
"The melting point of wax means nothing to me": Thrice
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psychosyd posted 45 weeks ago.
I kick very lightly mostly when I breathe. I find that kicking is of little benefit during long distance swimming. Once you have a balanced stroke (legs not sinking) you should definitely limit the kicking. IN a race the only time I kick hard is in the last 200m to get the blood flowing back in the legs.
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UFTriGator posted 45 weeks ago.
I have kind of a cross-over kick when I'm swimming distance. It ends up being about 3 kicks per stroke (as opposed to 6 kicks when I'm swimming harder). That last few meters are different (like psychosyd said), though.
I don't think you need to "save your legs" as much as some people say. It doesn't take too much energy to kick moderately. As long as you're below your lactic threshold it shouldn't make a huge difference on the bike and run. Obviously, wasting your legs on the swim is a bad idea, but I like to take advantage of my kicking. I have a pretty weak kick, but I can easily make up several seconds per 100m by kicking moderately instead of kicking just enough to keep my legs from sinking and I won't feel any different on the bike and run.
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ktuominen posted 45 weeks ago.
As long as you're not a person who has a kick that slows you down, than do it. Normally, if you're asking, you probably don't have a very efficient kick and less is better. Once you have a nice, hydrodynamic body position an extra flutter or two will move you up a spot or two on the swim split times.
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WarMachine posted 45 weeks ago.
I tend to think of kicking as used more for balance than propulsion, in other words, kick just enough so your lower body isn't dragging in the water. It should be coordinated with your stroke so you maximize distance per stroke. I kick 3 times per stroke...concentrate on gliding.
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olivestri posted 45 weeks ago.
Rather than kicking, you might think of it as fluttering your feet.
when your swimming are you constantly kicking or do you do one kick with every stroke or not kick it all?