Breaststroke - Underwater Kick

Originally published March 2, 2006

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

 - 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.

How 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.