How to Kick From Inside the Pool

Add speed and stability to your freestyle swimming stroke by perfecting your flutter kick. Kick from your hips with your knees slightly bent and your toes pointed. Keep your legs aligned with your shoulders and try to keep your kick below the surface of the water. Splashing may look powerful but adds little forward thrust to your body. Practice your flutter kick with the following poolside exercise.

Instructions

    • 1

      Grab the side of the pool. Allow your legs to float to the surface behind you. Keep your head out of the water for easy breathing while practicing your freestyle swimming kick.

    • 2

      Kick your legs up and down. Keep your knees slightly bent and toes pointed. Use your hip muscles not your knees to power the flutter kick. Add breathing techniques to your drill. Breathe while your head is out of the water and then put your face in the water and blow the bubbles out.

    • 3

      Keep your legs and feet under the water while practicing the freestyle kick. Move your legs in an up-and-down motion near the surface of the water. Kick within the framework of your body, not to the side or toward the bottom of the pool. Keep legs parallel to each other while kicking.

    • 4

      Elongate your arms while holding on to the side of the pool. Place your face in the water. Continue practicing your freestyle flutter kick. Raise your head or turn it to the side when you need to breathe.

    • 5

      Add swimming fins to your freestyle flutter-kick drill to keep your toes in proper position. Try a kick board to practice your flutter-kick swimming across the pool. Keep your face in the water and breathe to the side as you would when swimming freestyle.