Adding the Kick: Tips for Swimming Lesson Success
Our experience and expertise in teaching all ages and abilities to learn how to swim has taught us that small learning blocks lead to huge successes. For that reason, our learn to swim curriculum relies on a standardized approach, a small chunk of knowledge and skills that create a strong foundation for later learning. Let’s dive into how this successful approach is applied to the flutter kick.
At first glance, the flutter kick is a super-easy skill. Many think the flutter kick is not very different from running on your tippy toes! However, a superior flutter kick is deceptively tricky to master.
At Steve Wallen Swim School, we have many tips and tricks up our sleeves that will guide you and your little swimmers toward a top-notch kick. After all, the flutter kick is a powerhouse when it comes to moving a body through the water, whether it’s used alone or in conjunction with an arm movement.
For most swimmers, the front and back glides are first mastered. Once a swimmer can glide effortlessly on the front and back in a streamlined and controlled manner, the flutter kick is introduced. Let’s look at tips and tricks for the kick when on the front and when swimming on the back.
The Basics of the Flutter Kick
An ideal flutter kick should begin at the hip, with a wave-like motion moving down through the entire leg and finishing at the toes. Think of trying to kick your socks off while not bending your knees. An exaggerated knee bend is one of the biggest hurdles to overcome; many swimmers think that propulsion comes from kicking at the knee rather than from the hip. The knees should bend very little!
Do not allow the knees to pop up out of the water when performing a flutter kick on the back. Many beginning swimmers churn the water with their legs in a pedal-like motion. This does not lead to an efficient kick. Instead, keep the legs long, kick from the hip, and continue the kick through the knees down to the toes.
Helpful Drills
Drills, drills, and more drills! Many effective flutter kick drills target and isolate this movement. For example, kicking with a board allows for easy breathing while focusing mentally and physically on the kick. It also allows for clear communication between the swim instructor and the swimmer. However, don’t rely on the kickboard too much, as it takes the body out of the desired swim plane and may cause lower back strain.
Isolating the flutter kick allows all of your attention and energy to go toward improving your technique rather than having to focus on what the arms are doing. The flutter kick should provide fast propulsion, so timing each lap or pool length and reducing that time is an effective strategy. Efficiency in the flutter kick is the ultimate goal.
Efficiency and Leg Position
Another critical point to focus on is how far apart your legs are separating when doing the kick. Ideally, the legs do not separate in an up-and-down fashion. Pulling the leg down too far or lifting it too high slows you down as the water resistance increases. When moving the legs, think of the movement as quick and shallow.
At the feet, the water should appear to be at a rolling boil; if not, the kick is less energetic than we would like. Focus your attention on the entire leg; the kick begins at the hip and moves downward through the leg. Think of the kick as having two distinct phases: the downbeat and the upbeat. When done fluidly and rhythmically, these phases provide the forward propulsion that pushes the body through the water.
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