What it is
Kick used in freestyle and backstroke; often the first kick a swimmer learns. It stabilizes the body, counters the rolling motion of the arm stroke, and contributes about 10% of total propulsion — but that 10% is critical.
Essentials
- "First focus on using the top and bottom of the foot."
- "Begin kick from hips and roll through ankles; knee snaps."
- "Start with splashes, progress to fluid movement."
- "Let them splash wildly at first."
- When using a float or board for support, the kick must be the primary method of propulsion moving the swimmer forward.
- An excellent flutter kick starts at the hips and rolls down the knees, ankles, and toes like each leg is doing the "wave."
Progression
- Sit on the pool edge. Large splashes; focus on the feeling of the top and bottom of the foot pushing on the water.
- Face in, hands on the wall. Same foot-push feeling, now in the water.
- Kick with support (kickboard, barbell, float, life jacket). The kick is what moves them forward; the tool only keeps them afloat.
- Mix head-in and head-above-water over short and long distances.
- Kick to move: remove the kickboard. Glides and streamlines with kicks, starting with short, super-achievable distances.
- Add arm strokes alongside a strong kick. Over time, arm strokes take priority as mastery grows.
- Refine: narrow the kick width to shoulders/body, reduce knee bend, progress from splashing to a fluid, constant boil.
What goes wrong
- Excessive knee bending ("bicycle kicking"): refine over time, not immediately. Teach the kick from the hips with floppy ankles in short bursts.
- Kick too wide: allow a wider diameter initially, then narrow it to the width of the shoulders and body (the size of the leg/knee/foot moving).
- Hips sink, body drags, breathing becomes harder: without a steady kick the body position collapses; the kick is what keeps the legs up.
- Splashing above the surface instead of underwater power: the goal is a constant boil behind them, not visible spray. Tighten technique as skill improves.
- Trying to make it fluid too early: start big, let beginners make big splashes; splashing builds confidence first, then narrow and refine.
How you know it worked
The swimmer produces a steady, constant boil of water behind them with no splashing above the surface — long legs, floppy ankles, steady rhythm. They can glide on streamline with kick over increasing distances without support, and the kick is clearly what is propelling them forward.
How you teach it
Flutter kick is the engine of freestyle and backstroke. Without it the hips sink, the body drags, and breathing gets harder, so it is the right first-day skill: swimmers can practice sitting on the pool edge before they ever put their face in the water. Start every lesson with a few minutes of edge kicking or supported kicking and make it a habit, like brushing teeth.
The cue "top and bottom of the foot" is a feel-cue, not a mechanics-cue. Beginners do not need to understand hip-rotation or ankle-flexion terminology; they need to sense the water being pushed. Let them splash wildly at first. The wider, messier kick is correct at the start — it builds the proprioceptive link between foot and water. Only after that feel is established do you narrow the diameter and refine the knee angle. Correcting excessive knee bend immediately shuts down the splashing that is doing the teaching.
When a float or board is in the swimmer's hands, the kick must be the thing moving them forward. The tool is a buoyancy aid, not a propulsion aid. If the swimmer is dragging the board along, the kick is not doing its job.
Games keep engagement high while reinforcing the skill: Splash the Lifeguard (make a splash that hits the instructor at the edge), Fill the Bucket (splash water into a small bucket at the edge using only the kick), Send the Toy to Sea (kick to create waves that push a floating toy away). These all reward the same top-and-bottom foot push without requiring the swimmer to be fully independent in the water.
The end-state is a kick that looks effortless: long legs, floppy ankles, steady rhythm, no visible splash — just a constant boil. Build toward that standard one step at a time. A weak kicker fights the water; a strong kicker glides through it.