Freestyle - Flutter Kick Fix

Posted by Glenn Mills on Feb 28, 2012 08:04AM (16,676 views)

Determining what path a swimmer will take to fix a problem with their stroke, is sometimes a trial-and-error process.

Why Do It:
In this particular case, our swimmer has a very common problem of trying to use a semi-breaststroke kick during his freestyle. Through a few different trials, we feel we've come to the path that will get him to where he wants to go.

How to Do It:
1. Typically, we start with filming, talking, and then seeing if the swimmer can fix an issue just by thought. We started with the Finis Freestyler snorkel so we could see if he could just stabilize the body. Sometimes, instinct is just too ingrained.
2. Another idea was to strap the ankels together to keep the kick much tighter. Unfortunately, that still allowed the feet to move a bit too much, and he was connecting with the water in the same way.
3. The next step was to put on an old pair of Zoomers. Zoomers require that you kick. Plus... the extra surface area makes it much tougher to draw the feet up into that breaststroke position. We were on our way.

How to Do It Really Well (the Fine Points):
Sometimes you just have to reteach someone how to kick. Toss them a board and have them kick. Next, have them kick without the board. Then, have them start each length kicking without the board, and then slowly add the stroke to the kick. We started with a constant kick, then slowly added strokes until a rhythm was built. The final fix may take 4-6 weeks to really set in... but if the athlete is committed to the change, you'll never have to worry about it again.

flutter kick, fins, freestyle

Responses

dsswim	Responded Feb 28, 2012 04:10PM Great ideas for a very common issue ! Thanks - Can't wait to start trying this one swimmer in particular.
Roy Chaney	Responded Feb 29, 2012 12:15AM Nice! I also found that using those black kick bands at the ankles will remind the swimmer to flutter kick and not throw in a little whip kick.
joy shah	Responded Feb 29, 2012 12:59AM Great
brahmin	Responded Feb 29, 2012 05:08AM Can you use a xoomer or zoomer to strengthen the kick with just one leg? For e.g I am trying to strengthen the kick with my left leg and my left leg in general.
Glenn Mills	Responded Feb 29, 2012 11:17PM Give it a try and let us know. Haven't tried that, but don't know why it wouldn't work. Just make sure you swim straight! ;)
RomainR	Responded Mar 06, 2012 04:00PM Actually, if I kick with one leg, I go faster than with both........ I'm REALLY bad at kicking! ;) But it helps you to feel which side of your body is the weakest and will also disturb your balance. Don't do it to much...like Glenn said, you might not swim straight anymore!!
GW	Responded Mar 06, 2012 05:04PM Brahmin, I like the kick drill on this sight called 'Egyptian Kick' where you only kick one legged (not tried it with fins on but might do so now) but the other leg is bent at the knee with the toes poiting to the ceiling. It's a fun thing to do and encourages a continuous kick because, without it, you tend to sink. www.goswim.tv/entries/5560/freestyle---egy...
Diogo	Responded May 22, 2012 02:33PM Glen, this drill is great for correcting your kick, however, I have a different issue. Both me and a couple of my team mates at the masters team have small feet, so whenever our coach pulls out the kick boards and sets out a task of a couple of 100's for us to train our kick, it is generally a major let down. Any ideas on possible drills or ideas to improve the motivation on kick drills?
Barbara Hummel	Responded May 22, 2012 02:47PM If your coach is OK with it (this is Masters, after all :), try some fins. Small ones like the PDFs would be good because they encourage a quick kick, and aren't so big that they give you a lot of extra speed. The fins would strengthen your kicking muscles, would let you keep up with your teammates, and over time they would encourage better ankle flexibility. If you have some really fast kickers on your team, you could challenge them to keep up with you on kick sets (beneficial for everybody). http://www.finisinc.com/equipment/technica... Edited May 22, 2012 02:47PM
Davide	Responded May 22, 2012 02:53PM Barbara, are the PDFs really suited for all the strokes. I'm particulary interested in some pair that works for breaststroke and butterfly. Do they work great for dolphin kick as well or are them a bit too small?
Barbara Hummel	Responded May 22, 2012 03:00PM The PDFs get a big "thumbs up" from me. It took a few days to get used to them (not as much umph as the Alpha Fins), but now I use them as my main fin. They make me kick smaller and quicker on flutter kick. They give just enough boost for fly. And you can definitely use them for breaststroke kick. Make sure you warm up your breaststroke kick muscles at each practice before you start doing breast kick with the PDFs. Overall...definitely recommend.
Diogo	Responded May 23, 2012 09:27AM Thanks for the up Barbara. Funny thing is, when we are all with fins, I, one of the slowest on the team, can keep up with our teams' "sharks" (well, most of the time, at least for a couple of 25s :) ). Actually he had talked to me about some fins that were fit for all strokes, but was unable to tell me the name or where to get them. Hopefully this will break the dullness effect of the kick drills.
Davide	Responded May 23, 2012 04:01PM Barbara, thank you so much for the hint! I will probably purchase them. What I find interesting in these fins is the asymmetrical shape of the blades, which are narrower on the inside. I currently use a pair of Aquarapid fins but I recently noticed that the conventional more wider blade has contributed in developing a bad habit while swimming freestyle. That is, kicking allowing too much space between my feet.
Swimpa31	Responded Oct 04, 2012 04:23PM Hey all, Looks like a great fix. Do you guys think this would work for a college age swimmer who needs a lot of prodding in order to incorporate a kick into his freestyle? Come racetime, kick usually goes out of the window. he kind of just drags the feet like dead weight. Any suggestion to get him to develop a strong, healthy kick?

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Freestyle - Flutter Kick Fix

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