Have you ever heard any of your club members ever say, ‘I don’t really kick much during the swim leg of a triathlon, I like to save my legs for the bike and run’?

Very few people actually understand the importance of the kick in freestyle swimming, which is why so many swimmers are such poor kickers. Their kick probably creates more drag than propulsion, or they may not even kick at all.

What many triathletes (and swimmers) incorrectly assume is that kicking is a waste of energy. The fact is that an efficient, easy kick, is the foundation of a good body position. If the kick is used properly, it helps get the body in an optimum streamlined position to take full advantage of every pull. We’re not talking here of a powerful kick, but an efficient kick that helps keep the legs up (reducing drag) and helps rotate the body in alignment.

When a swimmer drags the lower body from side to side (fishtailing), it is creating unnecessary drag. Driving the rotation from the kick and core helps keep the body aligned and long. Therefore, the key is in a small kick that stays in the slipstream and is co-ordinated with the pull and rotation.

The kick in freestyle is called a flutter kick because the legs alternate in position ‘fluttering’ whilst keeping the ‘legs long’, meaning that the feet are pointed and the knees bend only slightly at the end of each movement. The most common mistake with this kick is bending the knees too much. This creates too much drag since it comes out of your slipstream. Think of your slipstream as a hole in the water that your body has to pass through, or a narrow band of area that your whole body has to move through with minimal exposure.

Another important factor in the efficiency of the kick is the ankle range of motion. The better a swimmer can point the toes, the more potential there is due to less drag. Flexibility in the ankle joint (for pointing the toes)can be enhanced by stretching the muscles in front of the shinbone(anterior tibialis).

Practice: Kicking Drill

The purpose of this drill is to make the kick efficient. From a vertical position with your arms at your sides, use a flutter kick to keep your head above the water (provided your pool is deep enough of course). Look down at your legs and make sure that you are not bending the knees too much or bending forward at the waist. Utilise the upper muscles of the leg and make small, fast movements. At first this may be too hard to maintain for even 30 seconds, persist and work your way up to one minute.

If your pool is not deep enough to perform the vertical kicking drill you can always revert to the more traditional drill with a paddle out in front of you with extended arms either on your front or back. Remember to keep the flutter kick between the imaginary band of area, i.e. in your slipstream. Try to complete 2 x 50m as part of you drill set.

A set of (zoomer) fins may also be advantageous when executing (most) drills as they help make you more aware of your feet and legs, which helps keep them in the slipstream of your body. The fins should have a short blade so to offer a little propulsion but not too much to push you way out of your slipstream.

Happy training !!

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