THE KICK

The leg action that accompanies the crawl stroke is called the flutter kick. The kick contributes only about 20 percent of the total propulsion in the freestyle—less than in any other stroke. But it is essential in maintaining body position and preventing excess wiggling of the hips.

To do the flutter kick, move your legs up and down alternately in a steady, strong, consistent rhythm. The power for the kick comes from your hips, not your lower legs. As you kick downward, bend your knee slightly and keep your ankle loose. On the upbeat, hold your knee relatively straight and raise your foot until your heel breaks the water surface.

Do not bring your feet far out of the water: doing so may make a big splash, but it contributes nothing to your propulsion. And don’t kick too deep: your feet should go only about twelve to sixteen inches below the surface. Try to make the water “boil” around your feet.

Practice your flutter kick by using a kick board. Hold the board in front of you, hands about two thirds of the way to the front, and simply kick. Although you may find it tiring at first, you will progress quickly if you keep at it. Kicking is an excellent exercise for firming the thighs and hips, and it will also increase your ankle flexibility.

There are several kicking patterns you can use. The most popular are the six-beat kick and the two-beat kick. In the six-beat kick, you kick six times for each complete arm cycle (that is, three beats for each arm stroke). The two-beat kick consists of two beats per arm cycle.

Generally speaking, sprinters use the six-beat kick, which has the advantage of generating more power but the disadvantage of using more energy. Distance swimmers tend to use some variation of the two-beat kick. It really doesn’t matter very much which kick you use. Simply choose the pattern that feels most comfortable and natural to you.