Do triathletes kick in the swim?
Should you kick while swimming or save your legs for the ride and run?
Having an efficient kick will propel you in the water and also help efficiency in your overall stroke - the key areas are the ankles and hips.
Your hips are the driving force behind the stroke with your glutes doing lots of the work alongside your quads and hip flexors. At the other end of your leg, the ankle needs to be as relaxed and floppy as possible. The knee needs to have minimal movement as it responds to the drive coming from your hip, your ankle will naturally flex with the pressure of the water.
Let's think of the kick in 2 movements: the downwards phase and the upwards phase. The downward phase begins with hip flexion, as you push your leg downwards, you decrease the angle at the front of the hip. Your leg will naturally flex at the knee but try to limit too much flexion here. When your thigh finishes this initial movement, your lower leg needs to catch up, so you need to extend your knee. At the end of the downward phase, your leg should be straight and at its lowest point in the water. From here you need to return your leg to just below the surface ready for the next propulsive phase. Transitioning between the two phases should be seamless.
Try these drills to improve your kick and become more efficient:
Kicking on your front - Kicking with a board allows you to focus purely on your legs. Having your head out of the water will sink your hips so best to put your face in the water. Wearing fins slows down the kick, so you have time to think about what you are doing, it also helps with ankle flexibility.
Kicking on the side - this helps us feel comfortable in this position when we need to rotate to breathe. For sidekick, it's a good idea to keep your fins on. Push off the wall and rotate 90 degrees, so you are facing the side of the pool or the lane rope. Keep your lower arm extended in front of you whilst your upper arm rests on top of that leg. Your legs and hips should be fully submerged and try to keep a straight line using that leading hand.
Kicking on your back - this helps you become aware of what your knees are doing, are they actively breaking the surface? This one allows you to keep that range of the knee under control whilst emphasizing a straighter leg kick.
Vertical kicking - it is as it sounds it is kicking vertically in the water, it is challenging as you will need to have enough propulsion to keep your head out of the water to breathe, this one you definitely want to start with fins. Find the deep end of the pool, start by crossing your arms over your chest and looking forwards. You will know if you have the correct body position as you will find yourself getting off balance if you are bent at the torso or leaning one way. Concentrate on keeping your hips slightly forward a nice straight line whilst driving from your legs. And keeping those floppy ankles. The more propulsion and good form you have, the more you will pop out the top of the water.
By kicking in the swim, you are sending blood and oxygen to the legs and preparing them for T1 run to your bike. Having less of a blood shunting shock helps you to stay on top of your breathing and be fresher for that long ride ahead of you!
Author – Head Coach Amanda Moore