Vertical Kicking

Vertical kicking drills train you to kick compactly, in the shadow of your body; initiate your body rotation with a rotational kick, and train 6-beat-kick timing for both freestyle and backstroke.

To practice vertical kicking, cross your arms placing your hands on your shoulders. Go vertical in the water with your core engaged. Do not bend at the waist. Keep your head erect and entirely out of the water – tilting your head back into the water is cheating! Kick from your hips and glutes, with toes pointing down, but with ankles relaxed. Keep the kick compact, ankles close together. Kick quickly, about three kicks per second. Count your kicks in threes – because when swimming freestyle or backstroke, you will be taking three kicks per arm stroke.

There are two types of kick:

  1. The propulsive kick is the kick you would use to kick a ball. It begins at the hip, and energy travels from the top of the leg to the tips of the toes.
  2. The rotational kick initiates body rotation and helps you to rotate from one side to the other. The foot basically anchors, as if pushing off something solid in the water, and energy travels up the leg to the hip, which releases and rotates (along with the rest of your core) away from the direction of the kick. Note that the rotational kick begins and helps with body rotation, but most of the rotational force comes from the core. In other words, do not attempt to perform your body rotation entirely with the rotational kick – that’s asking too much of that kick!

There are several stages in the learning progression:

  1. Propulsive vertical kicking – Remain stationary.
  2. Rotational vertical kicking – Practice planting the foot and releasing the hip, rotating away from the kicking foot, about every sixth kick.
  3. Freestyle vertical kicking – Practice the 6-beat kicking pattern that you will use for freestyle or backstroke kicking. Every third kick is a rotational kick, rotating your body from one side to the other. Rotate your shoulders and hips together as a unit, while staring directly ahead.