Many of our swimmers – from beginners to our squad swimmers – struggle with their kicking, by either kicking way too much and wasting energy; not timing the kick with the stroke or not kicking at all.
It is often thought that you need to kick faster and harder in order to swim faster. This however is not true, in fact kicking faster more often disrupts the stroke rhythm and your body position in the water. The harder you kick the more fatigued you will get as your leg muscles are the biggest and strongest in your body and therefore use the most oxygen and energy when you are swimming.
One solution to this problem is to swim with a two beat kick. There is three main approaches to kicking when swimming freestyle – six beat kick, four beat kick and two beat kick. This means 2, 4 or 6 kicks per arm cycle (2 strokes). The six beat kick is best used to maximise speed when you are swimming, especially if sprinting 100m or less. This will propel you through the water very well but is really hard to sustain over a longer period. The four beat kick is best used over middle distances or when swimming a moderate pace. The two beat kick is most effective in terms of conserving energy so is therefore the best option for swimmers of all abilities and fitness levels. It is also good for helping you to find a rhythm in your freestyle and hold that over a long distance.
🏊 Salty Fit’s Guide to Kicking:
- Improve your body position! To use your kick to propel you forward you will need to stop using your legs as a means of keeping you afloat. The more you can engage your body to balance effectively in the water the more you will be able to relax your legs and resist the urge to bend or splay your legs or panic kick when sinking.
- Straighten your legs and point your toes! In order to kick most effectively, your legs should not bend and your kicks should be small. Imagine you are doing a gentle flick with your feet instead of a full leg movement up and down.
- Timing! Once you have relaxed your legs you can introduce the two beat kick. When your right arm enters the water (your left arm will be pulling back) kick your left foot down and vice versa when the left hand enters. This will ensure everytime you pull there is also a kick to propel you forward = extra momentum with each stroke!
Kicking can be hard to master if it doesn’t come naturally to you. Ask your coach at your next session and they will give you the helping hand you need to get your legs moving in the right way! 😃
