When Kristian uses a kickboard, he kicks with great focus and attention. As he progresses from easy kicking to sprint kicking, he makes changes to the depth and cadence of his kick, but he tries to keep many things the same. At easy speed, Kristian’s feet stay mostly below the surface. The cadence is fairly slow, the amplitude is fairly large, and Kristian bends the knees a bit more to move more water at this slow speed. But…he keeps his hips near the surface, he maintains stability through his core and shoulders, and he points his toes on the downkick AND upkick. As he picks up the intensity and cadence, Kristian’s heels come a little higher, the amplitude becomes smaller, and there’s a bit less bend in the knee. But…his hips are still near the surface, his core and shoulders are stable, and his toes are always pointed. At the highest intensity, Kristian’s heels come well above the water, where the lack of resistance allows the feet to move faster. The amplitude of the kick becomes smaller, and there is less bend in the knee. The kick is powered largely by the thigh muscles and hip flexors. But note that even at super-high intensity, Kristian maintains a stable core and the toes are still pointed on the upkick and downkick.
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