A lot of swimmers think bigger is better on the kick.  It’s definitely the opposite on breaststroke kick.  You want the kick to be small, narrow, tight, and quick -- more of a whip kick than a frog kick.

For me, breaststroke kick starts with your heels and not with your knees.  I think about bringing my heels up to my butt rather than bending my knees.

Once I bring the heels up to my butt, I think about turning my heels out -- and this is where you’re either a breaststroker or you’re not, depending on how much God-given ankle flexibility you have.  

The heels turn out and you accelerate through the back part of your kick, keeping the legs narrow and slamming your heels together and pointing your toes.

To really finish your kick, you need to think about getting the bottoms of your feet together and not just your heels or your ankles.   

A lot of swimmers stop their kick 4 or 5 inches too short.  You want to go all the way through your toes when you finish the kick.


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Breaststroke - Kick - Eric