While a strong freestyle kick can help when sprinting in water, it will only serve to slow you down later during a triathlon. Since you have to be on your feet and use your legs after you get out of the water, you'll want to preserve your legs as much as possible while in the water. Kicking too much or too powerfully in the water will only drain your legs later on.
That's not to say your kick isn't important. Without a kick, your freestyle will fall apart. Kicking is crucial for balance and hip rotation in the water. The trick is to make your freestyle kick work for you, not against you.
Many swimmers have a kick that actually slows them down rather than speeds them up. If your legs do any of the following, you're probably slowing yourself down, too.
- Swerve back and forth, creating a tremendous amount of drag and resistance
- Sink in the water, forcing you to use more energy to move forward
- Scissor kick, throwing you upper body out of alignment
Also, if your ankles are inflexible, they could be acting as anchors in the water.
More: 5 Kicking Drills for Better Body Position
If you tend to do any of the above, it's time to work on the basics of your kick. Here are five things you must practice to improve your kick and make your triathlon swim that much easier.
1. Focus on the opposite end. One way to fix some of these problems, particularly sinking legs, is to ignore your kick and focus on the front end of your stroke. Keep your head down, look at the bottom of the pool, and your hips magically will be at or closer to the surface oft the water. Fix the front end and your legs will literally straighten out as well.
2. Widen your stroke. If your legs swerve back and forth, you are most likely crossing over or coming too close to your center axis with your hand. When you do this, you throw your body off balance so that your legs slide to the side to help balance you out. To fix this, focus on having a wide stroke. Imagine that your hand is entering at the 2 and 10 position, not at the 12 o'clock position. Then stretch your hand out toward the corner of the lane. Do not stretch is out directly in front of you.
Widening your stroke might feel like you're pulling the water around a barrel. Although you may feel awkward at first, chances are your hand position is better aligned and able to keep you and your legs moving in more of a straight line.
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