Freestyle Kick: Best tips for ideal technique

In this video you will learn how to perform the freestyle kick in the best way and you will be able to prevent legs stinking. Your swimming will be fast and easy. Welcome to the channel. Everyone can learn to swim correctly. The most important thing is to do the proper exercises and move forward step by step in your learning process. Freestyle kicking helps you to gain speed while swimming and it helps your body staying on top Every swimmer is able to float. However, some swimmers can easily stay on the surface more than others. In a minute you will learn how to keep your legs on the surface. For Olympians being able to be on the top of the water is important. It helps to decrease water resistance to save speed. However, this is not the most important thing in swimming. What do you think is the most important part in swimming progress? Technique, coaching or suitable training plan? Let me know in the comments. While you are swimming keep your feet in the water at the same level as the body near the water surface. Kicks must be performed while in streamlined position. This will allow you to have the least amount of water resistance. Now I will explain you how to prevent your legs from sinking in the water. Start doing the star swimming drill. Keep your hands on the wall and lay in the water. Remember to keep your legs relaxed. Often legs start sinking as mine do in the video. However, there is nothing wrong with that. When you notice that your legs are sinking perform the kick and relax the leg. By doing the kick your leg will rise up to the surface. When another leg starts sinking perform exactly the same kick and relax the leg. When you're swimming calmly without rushing you don't need to perform kicks in high tempo. In swimming we perform kicks mostly to support high position so that the legs don't sink. Not just to gain additional speed. If your legs start sinking water resistance will be created and therefore your speed will decrease. By performing an arm stroke you gain much more speed than from kicking. For supporting high position in the water it is enough if you perform only two kicks per two arm strokes. This will help you to save your energy and swim efficiently. While swimming perform exactly the same kicks as you were doing in the swimming drills. Here is another drill that I have invented for you. You will lift your legs up from the bottom to the surface by performing kicks. In this drill you will get the important feeling of how to perform kicks to keep them on the surface. Stand near the wall, put your head in the water and relax your legs. Then start slowly performing kicks one by one. Don't hurry and do only small kicks. By performing kicks your legs will lift higher and higher and finally they'll be on the surface. Regularly perform this and the previous drill to improve your swimming technique. Now you will learn how to kick while swimming freestyle. On land you can practice the drill easier. Lay on the floor or in a mat and keep your hands in arrow position. Legs must be straight and feet should be tense pointed backwards. On dry land while doing kicks you should not bend your knees however while swimming legs must be bent a little. On land your main goal is to memorize the feelings of correct movements and repeat them in the water. Also you can kick while sitting on the floor. Keep the hands in arrow position, raise the legs up and start performing kicks. Kicking must be done with small amplitude inside the body streamline. By doing kicks with small amplitude this will prevent additional water resistance. So try to memorize your feelings that you can swim correctly in the water. Every swimmer should learn how to keep their hands in arrow position. This will help you to feel the best possible speed for gliding in the water. In this position you'll be able to get the highest possible speed. This is important for you since you'll feel how fast you can go. While swimming freestyle or any other stroke you'll try to have the least resistance and the highest possible speed. If you really want to improve your swimming you should learn how to keep the hands in arrow position. Arms are straight and directed upwards when head is between the arms. In this position your body looks like an arrow. When kicking off the wall and diving into the water always keep this position. Many swimmers tense their legs too much. This leads to the legs sinking and the swimmer doesn't gain any speed out of it but only wastes the energy. If you have noticed that your legs are getting tired too quickly please check whether you have this mistake. To achieve correct kicking technique you need to perform smooth movements as fishes do in the water. Legs must be on the surface and cannot get lower than your body's level. By performing correct kicking technique you will save a lot of energy and your body position will be high in the water. Another often mistake is when swimmers bend the knees too much. By doing this mistake kicking efficiency is low and the swimmer spends a lot of energy. The thigh doesn't perform equal movements and knees are located too low. In this position swimmers cannot perform powerful kicks even if they try to do this. Moreover, when legs are at such depth water resistance gets larger and your speed slows down a lot. Check out my video about freestyle kicking to bring your kicking technique to a new level. Correct kicks are performed with a straight leg. First leg lifts up to the water surface. There thigh starts performing movements downwards and the leg is bent at the knees. The thigh continues doing the kick when shin is a little behind. In the end of the kick the shin performs powerful movements to straighten the leg. When the kick is done you need to lift your leg to the surface. After doing land exercises you need to start practicing the kicking technique while being in the water next to the wall. Put your hands on the wall and perform the kicks. Please remember correct kicking technique is not only the movement downwards but also upwards. Your legs must do equal movements up and down. Kicks should be done in body streamline. In the next drill you will practice correct body position in the water. You will kick off the wall and glide forwards. Keep your hands in arrow position, take a deep breath, put your shoulder in the water and kick off the wall. Try to glide as long as possible and don't perform any movements. While gliding legs can start sinking. To prevent this keep them straight on the surface. When speed dramatically slows down you can stop gliding, take a break and repeat the drill. Practice this drill until you can easily glide forwards. The next step in your learning process is to kick off the wall as we were doing in the previous drill. However, while gliding start performing kicks. Stay in straight position and do smooth and relaxed kicks. When air is finished take a break and return to the starting position. While practicing this drill you'll be able to swim correctly for some meters. I will teach you to take a breath while kicking in the next lesson. In the beginning it can be hard to do these drills but don't give up. Continue training and your swimming technique will improve. Next, you'll kick off the wall and glide on the back. Being able to swim on your back is important for all of us. It can help you in many situations. For example, when you're in the sea your goggles leak water or you're just tired. By turning on your back you can get your goggles fixed or have a break to recover. However, if you cannot swim on your back it will be uncomfortable and not safe. To practice this take an arrow position, lay in the water and kick off the wall. Try to keep a straight and high position that your legs don't sink. While gliding don't perform any movements and just glide forwards. In this drill you will learn to swim comfortably while on the back. You need to kick off the wall on the back, put your hands near the legs and start performing kicks. Each of you will be able to swim this drill easily. Perform the swimming drills that I have shown you in this video. This will help you in building a foundation for your swimming technique. After these lessons you'll be able to learn any swimming stroke from freestyle to butterfly. The last swimming drill is kicking off the wall as you are a competitive swimmer. Kick off the wall with 45 degrees in depth and glide forwards. Don't perform any movements underwater and try to glide as long as possible. When you realize you are deep enough and you are running out of air lift your hands a little up and your body will go upwards. After these drills you'll make a large step in swimming. Now your main goal is to practice the drills from this video. In the next lesson you will learn to perform more advanced kicks with breathing and you will practice swimming stroke technique. Let me know in the comments what do you think, what is the most important in swimming technique, coaching or suitable training plan.