Correct Kicking in freestyle – How to improve your freestyle kicking in swim WEST technique

Correct kicking in swim WEST technique

A quick test and a kicking improving strategy.

Let’s start with the quick test.

Try to kick 25m with no breathing (place your arms upfront in a stream line). Count how many breathes you take, and at the end of 25m take your heart rate for 10 seconds (the goal is 22 heart rate in 10 seconds swimming pace, which equals 132 beats per minute). Then you can estimate your kicking ability, as well as how much improvement is needed.

We have 5 different levels of kicking abilities:
1. If you get tired after kicking 5-10m, or feel like you don’t move forward, then your muscle is probably short. It is typical of weight lifters, soccer players, or anyone with non- elastic muscle.
2. If you are able to kick 25 m but it takes you longer than 1 min, or your heart rate is higher than 22, you might be a marathon runner, and fall in this category. It’s a better category than the first one, but there is still a lot of work ahead of you.
3. If you kick for 50 meters and feel like you have been swimming for an hour- intermediate shape.
4. If you are able to kick 200 meters (in a stream line or with a kick board) under 5.30 min- good shape.
5. If you are able to kick 200 meters (with or without a kick board) under 4.30 min- great shape.

In order to improve you swimming technique an swim faster with you legs without any effort, stat to learn freestyle according to your flexibility & abilities

Every week or so we have a cross country runner comes in, with a great aerobic shape and leg muscles strength. Then when he tries swimming he doesn’t understand why he feels like he is sinking. On the other side of the spectrum there is the swimmer, who kicks continuously, and extends his muscle range of motion (it is called “the swimmer muscle”). It will be easier for the swimmer to run than it would be for the runner to swim. The reason is muscle structure, toes pointing, joint flexibility and mainly muscle length.

Actually, you don’t have to kick. A good example is WEST hydrotherapeutic swimming technique, which was developed in order to loosen up the legs and lower back. The biggest advantage of kicking is preventing lactating out while swimming. The chances of lactating out increase as effort increases.
You’re probably asking yourself, how come kicking prevents lactating out if it makes me so tired so quick?? Well the answer is composed of 2 parts. The first one is that kicking allows your body proper floating and maintaining streamline. Your legs are the biggest muscles in your body (much larger and stronger than your arms)!. Therefore yo could only go so far with your arms. The second part to your question lies in the fact that the legs are in indeed the larger muscle in your body- they can get tired easily if undertrained, or being non-swimmer leg muscle.
It is clear that swimmers who don’t kick hit plateau when swimming long distances. Kicking is not as important in triathlon as it is in swimming. It is more important in triathlon to not lactate out your legs because you will need them fresh later on in the running and biking parts.

No matter how you look at it, improving kicking is important for everybody, especially long distance swimmers, triathlon and people who have lower back pain, or any other back injury, but!!

When we swim in the WEST swimming technique we will try to drag our legs while swimming and if your muscle legs are long and strong your dragging legs will help you swim faster without moving them at all. sounds impossible? learn more about how to swim WEST and you will understand why.

So how do you improve your kicking? 3 swimming tips for improving your swimming technique and your legs.
1. Kick powerfully- add kicking to each workout till you hit 400meters- have your arms upfront in a stream line, or hold a kick board(if you have lower back problems join the swim WEST course and swim legs with a snorkel). After a month of 400 meters kicking you can try a set of 4*100 kicking descending 1-4.
2. Kick smartly- adjust your head and arm depth in the water, as well as maintain your arm loosen as it crosses above water, and your heels at water surface. This way allows you to adjust body position in order to create a good stream line and a forward movement.
3. If you suffer neck pain, try kicking with a snorkel and try to keep your neck neutral position wise.

We in swim WEST recommend combining 2 factors- kicking hard according to your body type and specific gravity. It will strengthen your core muscles, help you move forward more easily, and most importantly- enjoy it!

4 swimming workouts to improve your  freestyle kicking

Improve your freestyle kicking swim WEST workout 1- Test , stretching and opening your lungs.

Before you start it is important to know that if you don’t know how to swim 1K start first with improving you technique in this link and get a 50% off in this course>>

You have 5 different workouts, every week you do one of them as an extra training (2 times each workout, even 3 times)not instead but extra….(If you swim 2 times a week add 1 improve your legs program)

Watch the 10 swim WEST stretching before you start>>

Improve your kicking swim WEST week 1

No.	Exercise Instructions	Video Clips	Exercise objective & Highlights
1	400 freestyle with fins +100 freestyle slow		Try to swim between 10-12 strokes (25m pool)
2	4X50m freestyle breathing every 5 strokes. 15"		Your goal is to swim as long as you can in order for you to open your lungs.
3	200 kick TEST with a snorkel hands to the side of the body.		You count your time in 200m kicking, if you don't have a snorkel swim with hands in an arrow position or with kicking board. **If you need to rest it is O.K your time is including the rest.
4	200 freestyle slow	Stretch 2 - Hands behind your back holding the wall
5	8X25 m with fins 25m freestyle kicking with an arrow, 25m dolphin kick shoulder shaking hands to the side.	Stretch 4+Stretch 10	Between each 25 m stretch you fin and stretch the arrow strech
6	16X25 one lap freestyle without breathing one lap diving and kicking under water.		Our goal is to open our lungs and elongate the legs muscles.
7	4X100 freestyle slow, stretch your legs for 1 min after each 100m	Stretch 5+6+7	Stretch you legs after each 100m and swim in 65% which is slow.

Improve your freestyle kicking swim WEST workout 2- kicking without breathing , stretching and opening your lungs.

Improve your kicking swim WEST week 2

No.	Exercise Instructions	Video Clips	Exercise objective & Highlights
1	400 freestyle with fins +100 freestyle slow		Try to swim between 10-12 strokes (25m pool)
2	4X50m freestyle breathing every 7 strokes. 15"		Your goal is to swim as long as you can in order for you to open your lungs.
3	10X25 m kicking hands in arrow try not to breathe		Between each 25 m stretch the arrow stretch(stretch 10) and stretch 7 ** One stretch for the hands and one for the legs.
4	200 freestyle slow	Stretch 2 - Hands behind your back holding the wall
5	8X25 m with fins 25m freestyle kicking with an arrow, 25m dolphin kick shoulder shaking hands to the side.	Stretch 4+Stretch 10	Between each 25 m stretch you fin and stretch the arrow strech
6	10X50m one lap freestyle without breathing one lap diving and kicking under water in a dolphin kick.		Our goal is to open our lungs and elongate the legs muscles.
7	4X100 freestyle slow, stretch your legs for 1 min after each 100m	Stretch 5+6+7	Stretch you legs after each 100m and swim in 65% which is slow.

Improve your freestyle kicking swim WEST workout 3- combined kicking drills with & without fins

Improve your freestyle kicking swim WEST week 3

No.	Exercise Instructions	Video Clips	Exercise objective & Highlights
1	400 freestyle with fins		Try to swim between exactly 10 (25m pool)
2	4X50m freestyle breathing every 7 strokes. 15"		Your goal is to swim as long as you can in order for you to open your lungs.
3	200 kicking with a snorkel +200 kicking with a kicking board and fins		At the end of each 200, 1min of stretching (after the fins - 1 min of fin stretch)
4	200 freestyle slow	Stretch 2 - Hands behind your back holding the wall
5	8X25 m with fins 25m freestyle kicking with an arrow, 25m dolphin kick shoulder shaking hands to the side.	Stretch 4+Stretch 10	Between each 25 m stretch you fin and stretch the arrow strech
6	6X50 with fins- first lap loosening shoulders, second lap long 10 strokes freestyle		Our goal is to open our lungs and elongate the legs muscles.
7	4X100 freestyle slow, stretch your legs for 1 min after each 100m	Stretch 5+6+7	Stretch you legs after each 100m and swim in 65% which is slow.

Improve your freestyle kicking swim WEST workout 4- Combined kicking and swimming without legs in WEST swimming technique

Improve your freestyle kicking swim WEST week 4

No.	Exercise Instructions	Video Clips	Exercise objective & Highlights
1	400 freestyle with fins		Try to swim between exactly 10 (25m pool)
2	5X50m 25m kicking hands in arrow, second lap long freestyle WEST without legs		Between each 50m arrow stretch (stretch 10)
3	4X100 with fins 50 kicking with a kicking board +50 freestyle 12 strokes		Between each 100m stretch your fin
4	10X50 50m kicking with a snorkel +50m long freestyle with a snorkel		After first 50 stretch your hands after second 50 stretch legs
5	8X25 diving with fins 25 m freestyle kicking, 25 m dolphin kick hands in arrow.		between each 25 m stretch you fin
6	400 slow freestyle with fins		10-12 strokes each lap
7	4X100 freestyle slow, stretch your legs for 1 min after each 100m	Stretch 5+6+7	Stretch you legs after each 100m and swim in 65% which is slow.

Improve your freestyle kicking swim WEST workout 5- Did it work- New test of 200m kick

Improve your freestyle kicking swim WEST week 5

No.	Exercise Instructions	Video Clips	Exercise objective & Highlights
1	400 slow freestyle min number of strokes
2	10X50 50m kicking with a snorkel hands arrow+50m long freestyle with a snorkel		After first 50 stretch your hands after second 50 stretch legs
3	200 freestyle slow breathing every 5 strokes
4	2X25 kicking fast with hands arrow+ 100 freestyle slow dragging legs		between each 25 m stretch your hands for 1 min
5	200 kicking Test as fast as you can or with a snorkel or a kicking board
6	400 slow freestyle with fins		10-12 strokes each lap
7	4X100 freestyle slow, stretch your legs for 1 min after each 100m	Stretch 5+6+7	Stretch you legs after each 100m and swim in 65% which is slow.

Don’t forget if you really want to improve your swimming technique it is always recommended to start the WEST swimming technique program and you will swim easier, faster and protect your lower back