Kicker Ford

Kicker Ford

2 12 inch comp kickers

The 3 Simple Steps To Powerful Swimming Kick

I've been a coach of both elite and amateur swimmers, and there is one challenge which faces both elite and amatuer swimmers. How do I generate maximum speed and power from my kick? There is a big difference between swimmers who were taught the correct way as a kid or teenager, and those which were not. Sometimes swimmers are dragged backwards because of their kick (true story!). The good news is even if you weren't taught correctly as a kid, you can easily implement a few simple tips which will help you in your kick. There is a simple way to dramatically improve your kicking power even if you have bad ankle flexibility, and you can implement it starting today.

There are three keys to correct kicking technique in swimming. Swimmers must turn their feet (in particular their big toes) inwards and they must point their feet in the opposite direction to where they are swimming. Additionally, swimmers feet should always remain under the water with the back of the feet breaking the water by les than an inch on the upkick. Most swimmers will get the first point correct without being shown because it happens naturally during the kick, however the second point is something which needs to be learned.

To increase the propulsion generated fromt he kick a swimmer must increase the area of the feet which is applying pressure to the water. This is done by turning the feet inwards and in the direction of the centre line of the body. It also increases the ability for the ankles to flex during the motion of the kick (without acutally needing to increase the flexibilty of your ankles)!). The feet and legs should remain 'relaxed' throughout the kick as this helps with leg flexibility.

A common mistake swimmers make is kicking with their feet too high in the water. Ideally the heel should be slighlty breaking the surface of the water, but too often swimmers will kick with their feet out of the water on the upkick. Swimmers can lose most of their kicking power as feet which are out of the water cannot apply pressure tot he water to generate speed. For a powerful kick, the legs and feet must remain in the water with the heels just breaking the surface.

If you are able to implement and apply the principle of turning your feet inwards and kicking with the feet submerged in the water, you should be able to feel an increase in power in your kick in freestyle, butterfly and backstroke. For swimmers which have struggled with kick for many years, this solution may seam too simple, but if you can apply these techniques and stick with them it is the first step to becoming a better kicker.

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