Two-Beat Kick

[manilenio]

I like using fins to practice the 2-beat kick. It also helps stretch the ankles a bit.
One thing that helped me learn the 2 beat kick is coming from a 'no kick' place, rather than from a flutter, etc. Next time you swim, do a few laps with ZERO kick. Then, slowly integrate a very small pulse on each side with each stroke. If you go from a six beat or bigger, its hard to slow it down. My body goes into a strange place of involuntary kicking. Good luck.

I did this today. I was very surprised to find out that I just had to concentrate on my core rotation and balance so my feet wouldn't sink. When I incorporated a small pulse after finding my balance, it wasn't so hard anymore! Thank you for the great advice, it's a gem!

[manilenio]

I spoke too soon... I can't sustain the 2-beat kick, my legs start to sink for some reason. It's strange because if I don't kick, I do just fine. When should I kick exactly, during extension, or midway through the catch? Should the timing change when I breathe? I'm struggling...

[HalfLordofthefishes]

Hey don't be so hard on yourself. It's definitely not easy, and once you get it, you might just forget it again (that happened to me). For me its all about timing. I like to kick on the same side as the pull, and I trigger the kick right when my pull starts back. In other words, right after the catch, i pull and kick at the same time. The two movements together have the effect of rolling your whole body over to prepare for the finish and recovery.
If you follow the thread above, there is a link to a youtube video that shows the timing really well, albeit a professional that is super talented.
Good luck

[Paul Newsome]

Hi everyone, if you haven't seen it already, check out the underwater side shot of famed swimmer Shelley Taylor-Smith at http://www.swimtypes.com/swinger.html for an excellent example of a well executed 2-beat kick.

If its any consolation I made this change to my own stroke for open water marathon swimming last year and I reckon it took some 6 weeks of 6 to 8 sessions per week (each of 5 to 14km as well) before I really had it honed in. It's not for everyone and arguably it's one of the hardest skills to master. Getting a good catch and feeling comfortable at higher stroke rates are essential. We actually feature it at the top of our stroke hierarchy:

http://www.swimsmooth.com/hierarchy.html

Don't panic if it takes a while to click. When I first tried I was in ~1.12 per 100m pace for a set of 20 x 100s on 1.30 doing my normal six beat kick action. I tried 2-beat and the absolute fastest I could go for a one off 100m sprint was 1.30! A full 18s per 100m slower! By the time the race came around I was holding the 20 x 100s on 1.30 in 1.08 using 2-beat kick. Not earth shatteringly quick but much, much better.

Take your time and make sure you have those other things dialled in first before you put too much time and energy into this.

Hope this helps.

Cheers

Paul

[manilenio]

thanks for the words of encouragement halflord and paul, much appreciated. i noticed that since i started trying to learn the 2-beat, my left shoulder has started to get sore when i swim. since my catch and pull as well as recovery are identical for both arms, i'm wondering where the pain is coming from (i'm a bilateral breather). anyhoo, i'll keep at it until i get it, or i'll drown trying