Breaststroke - Pull Buoy Kick

From developing a narrower kick, to avoiding knee pain, kicking breaststroke with a pull buoy is a very useful drill.

Why Do It:
Eliminating resistance during the recovery of the kick is reason enough but, sometimes, changing the pitch of the kick can also help you avoid overuse injuries that can come with prolonged breaststroke training.

How to Do It:
1.  Put on your pull buoy and start swimming breaststroke.
2.  Make sure the pull buoy stays firmly between the thighs for the entire swim.

That's pretty much it.  If the pull buoy pops out, you're not doing the drill correctly.

How to Do It Really Well (the Fine Points):
While keeping the pull buoy held tightly, you'll really need to focus on pointing the toes out at the top of the kick to grab some water.  The narrower kick reduces resistance, but without good ankle flexibility, it may also reduce propulsion.  Work on better ankle flexibility out of the water, and think about toes out while IN the water.