Here’s a great way to discover new opportunities to work on your push-offs.

Why do it:
Walls.  Walls.  Walls.  Great push offs set you on each length with more velocity, get you further down the pool, and are a necessity in competitive swimming.  Think of all the kick sets you do that include poor push-offs.  Here’s an opportunity to practice push-offs with overload.

How to do it:
1 - Kick with your board like you normally do, but if you’re a “social kicker”, you’re going to have to leave your goggles on.
2 - When you approach the wall, you can initiate a freestyle stroke with one arm, then push the board into the water with the other arm.
3 - Follow the board down into the flip and push off the wall.
4 - Get both hands back on the board for a strong pushoff.  

How to do it really well (the fine points):
You’re going to have to push off deeper than you typically do.  The board will want to pop you up right away, so angling down a bit more will allow you to incorporate a couple more dolphin kicks.  This will also require a stronger push than normal on kick sets, which is a positive.

Set the spot or target for your breakout.  Our swimmer is trying to get passed the flags on each turn with the board.  Done with repetition, this overloaded pushoff during kick sets is a great way to continue working on an important skill when most of the time it’s a missed opportunity.

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Kick Set Flip Turns