ITT Swim Drill: Torpedo
Torpedo Kick
Aim: To develop an effective kicking technique and integrate it into your full stroke
Why: Control of your legs is really important for more than propulsion. Many triathletes will claim to not kick (saving their legs for the bike/run). However, if you cannot engage your core and keep your legs high in the water, you will increase drag and create a lot of hard work for yourself.
Even if you only flutter or drag your legs behind you, a good kick technique will enable you to hold a better position in the water. A part of this is the downward pressure created by a taught and connected form.
Kicking from the knees or with the toes dorsiflexed creates a hole in the water and lets you sink into it, creating more drag.
Equipment: Can be performed with and without fins
Key Points:
• Take a deep breath
• Push off the wall on the surface of the water
• In a streamlined position
• Hand above your head, hands together, and stretched forward
• Head in a neutral position, looking ~ 45degrees forward
• Engage your core by pulling your belly button to your spine, squeezing your glutes
• Lift through your ribs
• Start your kick and slowly exhale
• Keep kicking with a small fast kick
• As your breath begins to run out, use your arms and take two strokes before putting your breath in
• As you transition from torpedo to full stroke, keep your core activated and just reduce the amount of kicking you do.
You can build the intensity of your kick across reps, and take that momentum into your full stroke.
As you are learning to kick to put it back into your full stroke you do not want to be making large kicks, instead, keep the kick fairly small (~50cm at the widest) and increase the frequency or speed of movement to work harder.
Remember:
• Slowly exhale during the torpedo phase
• Try to perform at least 10m of torpedo before full stroke
• Keep your head in a neutral position.
When to use: This is a great warm-up exercise if you are aiming to improve your body position and improve the effectiveness of your kick.
By learning to kick effectively and hold that position, you can dramatically reduce your kicking in your full stroke, so learning to kick can help you do the opposite!
Aim: To develop an effective kicking technique and integrate it into your full stroke
Why: Control of your legs is really important for more than propulsion. Many triathletes will claim to not kick (saving their legs for the bike/run). However, if you cannot engage your core and keep your legs high in the water, you will increase drag and create a lot of hard work for yourself.
Even if you only flutter or drag your legs behind you, a good kick technique will enable you to hold a better position in the water. A part of this is the downward pressure created by a taught and connected form.
Kicking from the knees or with the toes dorsiflexed creates a hole in the water and lets you sink into it, creating more drag.
Equipment: Can be performed with and without fins
Key Points:
• Take a deep breath
• Push off the wall on the surface of the water
• In a streamlined position
• Hand above your head, hands together, and stretched forward
• Head in a neutral position, looking ~ 45degrees forward
• Engage your core by pulling your belly button to your spine, squeezing your glutes
• Lift through your ribs
• Start your kick and slowly exhale
• Keep kicking with a small fast kick
• As your breath begins to run out, use your arms and take two strokes before putting your breath in
• As you transition from torpedo to full stroke, keep your core activated and just reduce the amount of kicking you do.
You can build the intensity of your kick across reps, and take that momentum into your full stroke.
As you are learning to kick to put it back into your full stroke you do not want to be making large kicks, instead, keep the kick fairly small (~50cm at the widest) and increase the frequency or speed of movement to work harder.
Remember:
• Slowly exhale during the torpedo phase
• Try to perform at least 10m of torpedo before full stroke
• Keep your head in a neutral position.
When to use: This is a great warm-up exercise if you are aiming to improve your body position and improve the effectiveness of your kick.
By learning to kick effectively and hold that position, you can dramatically reduce your kicking in your full stroke, so learning to kick can help you do the opposite!
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