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Breaststroke - Underwater Kick

Posted by Barbara Hummel on Jun 09, 2009 09:00AM (29,315 views)
Originally published March 2, 2006
Go get the DVD from which this drill comes!  Go Swim All Strokes with Kaitlin Sandeno and Erik Vendt.

Add to Cart View Cart - Purchase Kaitlin and Erik's DVD here.



Why Do It:
Underwater Breaststroke Kick teaches you to maintain your momentum and speed during the RECOVERY of the kick.

DESCRIBE THE IMAGEHow To Do It:
1. 
Start in streamline, with the eyes looking directly DOWN at the bottom. Maintain streamline as you kick down the pool under water.

2. Use the tiles on the bottom to see how effective your kick is. If the tiles are whizzing by, you're doing a good job. If the tiles become crystal clear, you've come to a stop, which means you've hit a "dead spot" in your kick.

3. To achieve constant forward motion, Erik tries to keep his kick as narrow as possible. He keeps the knees fairly close, and keeps his feet together as he draws them up behind his body. The feet come apart ONLY as he begins the power phase of his kick. In other words, Erik HIDES his feet behind his body, to create as little resistance as possible.

4. When you are first learning this drill, try to take as few kicks as possible to reach the other end. This will give you a better FEEL for when and how your legs are creating resistance. It will also give you time to make adjustments in knee, ankle, and foot position in order to streamline your kick.

How To Do It Really Well (the Fine Points):
1.
 When you can maintain momentum with long, gliding kicks, try taking AS MANY kicks as you can to get to the other end. Use the tiles to see if you can maintain momentum with a much faster kick rate.

2. The goal is to KEEP MOVING AT ALL TIMES. Use the tiles and your shadow - and experiment with the width of your kick -- until you can maintain momentum at all times.

3. Go get the DVD from which this drill comes!  Go Swim All Strokes with Kaitlin Sandeno and Erik Vendt.




Responses

Responded Mar 16, 2006 02:18PM

a little late on the post here, but i tried to incorporate as much of this as possible lately, really focusing on continuous forward movement and "hiding my feet"- breast is my weakest stroke, and this info was so helpful.drills are so important... many thanks!

Responded Mar 16, 2006 03:41PM

As a breaststroker, I won't be happy until BACKSTROKE is your weakest stroke! :) Keep up the good work.

Responded Oct 05, 2006 11:30AM

could you put up some info about learning to do these things and please dont make it to technical

Responded Jun 09, 2009 07:03PM

I'm intrigued as much by the upkick as by the actual breaststroke kick. All you sports scientists out there... how much power and forward thrust do you think the upkick generates for Erik?

Responded Jun 09, 2009 07:23PM

shurelly more then I do......but it looks like very powerfull.....I've just got he trick right about not to come to a stop.....Getting there....!!!

Responded Jun 11, 2009 11:57AM

I think this guy have a very good kick and he's a great swimmer..Or I'm wrong?
Thanks

Responded Jun 11, 2009 12:03PM

The guy in the video is Erik Vendt. 2 Silver Medals in the 400 IM at the Olympics. First American to break 15 minutes in the 1500. He's a great swimmer.

Responded Jun 19, 2009 02:26AM

I like his Kick but I noticed one thing.... Kosuke Kitajima(Jap) and WR holder his knees bearly come forward its almost like his legs stay almost completely straight is it that he has such leg power that he is able to do that or what??

Responded Jul 13, 2009 02:20PM

I tried this drill today and felt a huge difference, suddenly i was swimming much faster and floing through the water much better. Nevertheless, i felt that because i was focused on the legs and because i was trying to kick as hard as i can i was putting a lot of tension on the knees. Every time I finished a kick, straightening the legs as fast as i could, it felt like i am causing a damage to the knee because of the hit. Am i doing something incorrect?

Responded Sep 23, 2009 08:07AM

As referred in point 4, could you give the approximative number of "few kicks as possible to reach the other end" (25y or 25m) maintaining constant forward motion ? I feel like there are pauses when I descend too much my kicking but if I kick one more I feel like I don't use all the momentum and break the gliding.

Responded Sep 23, 2009 03:24PM

Point 4 is a relative point. Few kicks as possible is going to be different for everyone. Depending on what I'm working on, I'll take about 4-7 kicks. You have to find what works for you, and then work from there. If you're breaking the glide, you're probably bringing the legs up too high and trying to get too much push out of each kick.


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