🏊‍♂️ 🚴‍♀️ 🏃‍♀️To Kick, or Not to Kick? That is the Question!

How to Improve Your Swimming Kick Technique to Minimize Drag & Maximize Efficiency

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To Kick, or Not to Kick? That is the Question!

Many swimmers have heard the advice that kicking is less important in open water swimming or triathlons. This idea stems from a misconception that kicking wastes energy, as it contributes only around 11% to propulsion in elite swimmers¹. Triathletes, in particular, often avoid kicking, thinking they need to conserve energy for the cycling and running portions of the race. In fact, way back in the 90s, I vividly recall an article in a triathlon magazine in the UK titled,

”You’re a triathlete - forget about kicking and save your energy for the bike and run!”

While conserving energy is crucial, especially for long-distance swimmers and triathletes, neglecting your kick entirely is a mistake. A well-executed kick plays an essential role in reducing drag and improving body position in the water, even though it provides relatively little propulsion. Poor kicking technique can introduce significant drag, hindering your overall efficiency and performance in the water. Addressing common kicking flaws can make a big difference, not just for open water swimmers but for anyone looking to improve their swim.

Common Kicking Issues

There are three primary kicking problems that create unnecessary drag: the lateral scissor kick, stiff ankles, and excessive knee bend.

Here’s how each one affects your swim and how to fix it:

1. Lateral Scissor Kick: One of the most common faults is a lateral scissor kick, where the legs splay apart wider than the body width. This is often a result of an imbalance during the breathing phase of front crawl, usually caused by a lead-arm cross-over. This unbalanced stroke forces the legs to splay apart to maintain balance, much like opening a parachute behind you, which slows you down.

   Fix: Focus on removing the cross-over by keeping the middle finger pointed forward, directly in line with the shoulder. Additionally, turning the big toes slightly inward, so they gently brush past each other, helps maintain a streamlined leg position.
   Session: follow our Fault Fixer guide and session within the GURU for a thorough explanation and session to print out and follow.
   

2. Stiff Ankles: Runners and cyclists often lack the flexible ankles that many long-term swimmers develop, and as we age, our ankle flexibility diminishes. If your toes are pointing toward the pool floor, it’s a sign of dorsiflexion, which significantly increases drag. Even though the top of the foot doesn’t create much surface area, a flexed ankle (more than 30 degrees) adds considerable resistance.

   Fix: To test this, swim a length with a pull buoy between your legs, focusing on pointing your toes, then swim the same length with your ankles flexed to 90 degrees. You’ll likely notice a significant difference in drag. Ankle flexibility can be improved with stretching exercises and training with fins during drill work.
   Session: follow our 7-minute lower-body stretching and flexibility routine within the GURU to really get you on track!
   

   

3. Excessive Knee Bend: Often, swimmers bend their knees too much, either to compensate for poor body position or in an attempt to gain more propulsion. This knee flexion creates drag, particularly noticeable during underwater video analysis. Elite sprinters may slightly bend their knees during 50m and 100m sprints for maximum propulsion, but this comes with an aerobic cost, making it unsustainable over longer distances.

   Fix: The solution involves two key elements. First, correct the cause of the poor body position by adjusting head position, exhalation, core stabilization, or stroke mechanics. Secondly, improve the kick itself by focusing on keeping your legs long and straight, using a subtle squeeze of the glutes to initiate the kick from the hips rather than the knees.
   Session: follow our Fault Fixer guide and session within the GURU for a thorough explanation and session to print out and follow.

Case Study: Chelsea Sodaro’s Hawaii Ironman Victory

A great example of how important kick technique can be is my work with Chelsea Sodaro ahead of her Hawaii Ironman World Championship win in 2022. We discovered that Chelsea had been over-kicking due to focusing too much on lengthening her stroke and slowing down her stroke rate. This caused her to kick harder than necessary, leaving her exhausted in the first 5 km of the bike discipline. Her overemphasis on lengthening her stroke led to poor efficiency in the water, and by the time she hit the bike, she was already feeling the effects of her wasted energy.

After addressing these issues and refining her stroke and kick balance, Chelsea experienced a significant improvement. Fast forward to the 2024 Nice World Championships, where Chelsea finished third. In that race, she had an exceptional swim, managing to stay with the lead pack and exiting the water in under 50 minutes for the 3.8 km swim, a pace of 1:18 per 100m. This marked a remarkable transformation in her swim performance, highlighting the value of optimizing the kick to reduce drag and maintain energy efficiency.

Two-Beat vs. Six-Beat Kick

This 25 minute video has transformed the kick of many a swimmer - including Mega Megan - access it here on the Swim Smooth GURU

A common question among distance swimmers is whether to use a two-beat or six-beat kick. In short, it depends on the swimmer and the event.

Most swimmers default to a six-beat kick, where each stroke cycle (one from each arm) includes six down-kicks (three from each leg). This kick style provides more propulsion but requires more energy.

A two-beat kick, in contrast, involves one major down-kick per arm stroke, resembling a "criss-cross" motion. This style is often preferred by marathon swimmers, including seven-time world champion Shelley Taylor-Smith, who used it with a high stroke rate for its energy efficiency. However, the two-beat kick requires excellent coordination and rhythm, which many swimmers find challenging at first.

My Experience:
Inspired by Shelley, I transitioned from a six-beat kick to a two-beat kick when I moved from triathlon to marathon swimming. The change wasn’t easy; it took about 40 sessions before I saw significant improvements. I had to ensure my catch mechanics were optimized and adopt a higher stroke rate to maintain momentum. While it was a tough adjustment, I wouldn’t return to my old six-beat style now.

Finding Your Rhythm

When it comes to kicking technique, the focus for long-distance swimmers should be on reducing drag, not increasing propulsion. Whether you choose a two-beat or six-beat kick depends on your natural rhythm and what feels best for you. Whatever style you adopt, remember that kicking isn’t about generating speed—it’s about maintaining a streamlined position in the water. Through practice and fine-tuning, your kick can become an asset rather than a drag on your performance.

Until next week, Swim Smooth!

Paul

1. Toussaint, H. M,. Hollander, A. P,. de Groot, G., Kahman, R., and van Ingen Schenau, G. J. 1990. Power of leg kicking in front crawl swimming. In N. Berme & A. Capozzo (Eds.), Biomechanics of Human Movement (pp. 456-459). Worthington, Ohio: Bertec Corporation.