Use Your Powers For Good, KICKING 03/23/20
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The Lezak Anchor, Greatest Relay of All Time
What does watching this relay make you think about?  Lots of interesting comments in this video.
Here's 4 years later...
These are athletes at the US Military Academy at West Point answering the question, "What would your superpower be?"  Send me a video and say your name, your district and then tell me what your super power would be.
Athletes using their power for good
What is swimming doing for you in your life and how might you help others through what you are learning?
The better you are at swimming, the more power and influence you have, both on your team and in the swimming community.  The faster you are, the more people are watching you to see what you do.  What will you do with your power and influence as you become faster and faster?
What kind of doors open for your through your involvement in swimming?  What are you learning through swimming that you will be able to apply to your success in other areas in life?
Dash from "The Incredibles" shows us how to use our kicking superpower.  At about the 2:20 mark he starts running on the water, and THAT is what I want to see when you kick.
When I say I want a "Dash Kick," in practice, what are you going to try to do?
A throw back to a really great example of someone stepping out to use his LEGS in a 200 (if you can believe it, the legs, at this time in history (2006), weren't seen as a powerful tool yet in the 200 distance).  They are all kicking, but Simon is KICKING.
Besides his kick, what else do you notice about his stroke that we work on in practice? (There's no one right answer here, just tell me what you personally notice)
In the Swimming Equation, is he more focused on his cycle rate or his distance per stroke?
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What part of the Swimming Equation could he do better?
Fast forward to 2019 and watch Dean Farris set a new American Record  in the 200 Free going a 1:29.15 leading off his team's 800 Free Relay  
What does Dean do just a little better than Simon?
What school does Dean go to?  (I'm setting up the question you'll see later about whether you can do well in school AND sport...)
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The kick in freestyle needs a place in your stroke and this space opens up when you are both reaching out front WHILE pushing the back of your stroke, here:
This example shows the forearm being vertical on that push as he reaches out front.  Kick THROUGH this position and all the way through to the top of the recovery.
This example shows the very first push as he's doing his breakout (powerful first stroke to get above the water) off the dive:
This is an example during a race showing both the power at the front as he surges forward with his entry arm and while he is pushing at the back with his stroking arm AND kicking. This is the space where a powerful kick can open up.
From above the water, this is now the place where it's time to PUSH FORWARD and switch sides, the window for the "flat" kicking is now closed and it's time to do the 2 kicks that are led by your hip switch.
The kicks that allow for a full and powerful freestyle happen right before you are in this position, where both armpits are open out front.  One you are here, though, it's time to PUSH FORWARD and switch sides.
This is the same position shown underwater, with two open armpits at the same time.  There is A LOT of power here (and don't forget the high elbow EVF and how much power you see from her lats and pecs from this set up stance)
Where is the "space for your kick" and what helps your create it?
This is a video that shows a 4-beat kick, a 6-beat kick, and a 2-beat kick.  You can see how his kick affects his power in his upper body and how the pause slows him down on every stroke.  In a 6-beat kick there is power from the kick transferred up to the catch and this closes the system of energy so you don't have to start and stop and start all over again on every stroke.  The kick creates an energy bridge bet wen strokes so you can keep sliding down the pool.
Here is a noisy underwater video of a 2-beat kick.  I would not define this as a kick at all, I'd say this person isn't kicking.  Your legs moving as you switch sides is NOT KICKING.  Just as a runner wouldn't run without their arms, you wouldn't swim without your legs, you have to engage with your WHOLE SYSTEM, don't just drag your back half out there.
What kind of kick do you generally do in practice and what kind of kick will you do now?
Finally, here is an awesome kicking drill you can do in your dryland.  You don't really need the physio ball, you could do it on the bed or couch for instance, but it's probably better with a ball.  Bottom line, this is what you should feel like when you are kicking in freestyle.  Clearly you will need to be strong in your plank to be able to do this exercise, but also to be able to kick like this in the water during your freestyle.  Add this to your workout routine.
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