If you are wondering what the best way is to be faster in the water, the answer is to improve your underwater phase!
The underwater leg kick is considered to be the fifth swim stroke and it is also the fastest. If you watch the world’s best swimmers you will notice that they do not simply swim 15 m underwater after every turn, they also try to be as fast as possible during this phase.
We have already talked about the importance of hypoxic training (Learn how to…hold your breath) which is so vital for training your underwater phase, so in this article we will try and find out why the underwater phase is so crucial and what the best methods are for improving your speed during this phase.
Special training for the underwater phase is important because:
– it means you swim 30% less in short-course races (25 m pool). You can actually swim 30% of the race completely underwater (if you add together all the 15 m phases after pushing off the wall) corresponding to an enormous gain in terms of speed and performance (you only actually need to swim 70% of the race).
– it means you can swim faster. The phases immediately after the dive and turn are the fastest part of the race. A powerful underwater phase allows you to maintain this speed longer, gaining…
