How important is the leg kick in freestyle swimming? Professor Gatta analyses it scientifically and explains which aspects of the leg kick need to be focused on in training.
According to various anthropologists as man emerged from the water onto dry land, he was forced to change the way in which he moved and – despite being born immersed in his mother’s womb – his return to the water as a swimmer seems to be much trickier than you might think.
There are various rival theories about the events leading us to believe that man is an aquatic creature who moved to dry land and, in contrast, other theories claiming he is completely unsuitable to being in the water. Supporters of the first theory focus on a number of significant events occurring when a person enters the water, for example, when the rise in pressure due to immersion tends to squash us, blood flows to our most internal organs to prevent this from happening (the blood-shift effect). Then there is the slowing down of our heartbeat and selective distribution of oxygen to those parts of the brain where it is most needed when we simply place our face in a bowl of water (the diving-reflex), and how can we fail to be amazed at the way new-born babies spontaneously hold their breath when immersed…
