f speed and balance. Use them until the issue is corrected and then stop.Hand Paddles: These are meant to create resistance during the pull to improve lat strength. I say, forget them and concentrate on form and balance. Spend some non-swimming-day time in the weight room on the lat bench to work on building strength. We're all about balance and form here.Kick board: While a kickboard is a good tool for getting the feel of forward kicking power, I prefer to do “vertical kicking.” Go into the deep end of the pool, keep your arms around your chest and using only your legs, and try to maintain a vertical position by kicking alone. This will quickly let you feel what is the optimum way to kick.Speaking of kicking. While sprinters may use a strong kick, we are triathletes. Our goal is to get through the water as quickly as possible, while saving enough energy (especially in our legs) for the upcoming bike and run. I believe in a small kick which keeps the legs within that two-foot-tube that I wrote about earlier. Once your legs go outside that tube, they increase drag and slow you down. So your kick comes from your butt, not your knees. Try to keep your knees relatively straight and use your glutes, quads and hamstrings to do the kick. Don’t worry so much about a strong kick or the rhythm; it will naturally fall into place. Just concentrate on not bending your knees too much and keeping your ankles within 18 inches of each other.BONUS Extra on Endurance:
"Why do I get so tired and can only do 2-4 lengths before stopping from exhaustion?"Everyone has an initial plateau from a mind-body connection when it comes to beginning exercise. Let me explain. When you begin running or biking, your muscles send a signal to your brain saying, "we need more oxygen and glucose fuel!” Your brain's first and foremost reaction is to want to conserve as much energy as possible and not burn it, so it says in your subconscious, "then we should stop.” But since most people have biked and run much more than they have swam, they can push that initial subconscious thought to the side and keep going. Also, while biking and running, we have a constant and endless supply of air to always breathe. After a few minutes the body establishes a working exercise rhythm, the brain and the subconscious accept it and you establish your "pace". I can bike at an average 21mph for six straight hours. I can run a 9-min/mile pace for three hours. The point is that I have trained my body and mind to break through that initial plateau and establish an efficient and do-able exercise pace.
The same thing happens when you swim. Except for two differences; you haven't been swimming as much and as regularly as you have biking and running. And you don't have that constant and endless supply of air. You need to pace your breathing and roll up to the air to get it. But that's just a function of form. You still have the same subconscious plateau to get over. And there's no other way to do it, other than to just do it.Go to the lifeguard and tell him/her that you're going to do an endurance set of 15 laps (endurance for you that is) and to please keep a close eye on the lane you are in. Then SWIM 15 LAPS NON-STOP! Keep your pace slow and steady and remain as relaxed as possible. At some point in the first three laps, you will feel tired and begin to get nervous. That nervousness may even become anxiety or fear. Stay slow and steady and KEEP GOING! DON'T PANIC - YOU HAVE NO CHOICE! You have to keep going! You cannot stop! It is not an option! The lifeguard is watching you and they won't let you drown. Just keep swimming. You're forcing your body to establish a swimming pace and teaching your subconscious to release the anxiety and fear.You'll begin to notice something around the 6th to 10th lap. IT STARTS TO GET EASIER! Your heart rate will lower, you'll smooth out and the swimming will even begin to get boring. That's the goal! You may want to instead of counting laps, just keep mindlessly swimming for 15 minutes and glance at the clock every once in a while. Sing a song in your h