What it is
Demonstrate fly kick to the participant and give them a chance to do it for a short distance. The swimmer does not need to do it well — they will often be immediately able to do it once they see how it's done.
Essentials
- Undulation: roll from the chest down through the toes. Keep the head still.
- Hips drive the motion. Press with the chest, roll with the hips, snap the feet.
- Feet stay close together, moving up and down in parallel at the same time.
- Whole-body motion: chest, belly, pelvis, thighs, knees, feet — a continuous flowing wave like a dolphin.
- Hands at sides (soldier position) for the introductory version.
- Demonstrate it — swimmers learn best by seeing the motion in action.
Progression
- Demonstrate fly kick with hands at sides. Have swimmers watch from out of the water next to you, or watch underwater.
- 3× Streamline with Fly Kick: lock thumb, squeeze ears, move hips and legs. Drive motion from the chest, rolling down through belly, hip, and thighs, snapping the knees.
- Sprinkle fly kick with face in the water between benches throughout lessons as a breath mint.
- Challenge: No Push-Off Fly Kick — in position 11, move the body like fly kick to the flags using the whole body like an inchworm.
- Three fly kick drills (first three as shown, last one done correctly).
- Once fly kick with arms in position 11 is mastered, introduce fly kick in streamline position.
What goes wrong
- Legs fall apart, not moving at the same time, independent splashing → talk about moving legs together, in parallel, close together.
- Swimmer uses the head to drive the kick instead of the chest → stabilise the head; initiate from the chest.
- Head and arms wave up and down in streamline → challenge them to keep head and arms still while hips and legs move.
- Feet spread wider than shoulders → keep feet close together.
- Swimmer reaches for the arms (doggy paddle) for forward motion → challenge them to avoid using arms; use the whole body to wiggle forward.
How you know it worked
The swimmer watches a demonstration and then does fly kick for a short distance. They do not need to do it well — immediate ability after seeing it is the expected outcome.
How you teach it
The single most important teaching move is to demonstrate. Most swimmers, young and old, learn the fly kick best by watching someone do it and then attempting it on their own. Instructors should be underwater to the shoulders throughout the lesson; their hair should get wet because they have demonstrated. Have swimmers stand out of the water next to you or watch underwater so the wave is visible.
Focus your cues on wiggling the hips and driving the motion. Most beginners pick up the hip motion right away; the two persistent difficulties are pressing the chest down and retracting it up, and keeping the feet together. Talk often about stabilising the head and moving the legs together in parallel.
Use fins for a quick exaggeration of the fly kick movement. Adding free arms to fly kick makes an interesting drill. The fly kick is powerful — encourage the swimmer to use whole-body strength with core, legs, and back muscles all activating. Hips can crest the surface, but feet should not create too much splashing.
Integrate fly kick into the lesson as a palate cleanser: sprinkle it with face in the water between benches throughout the session. The 3× SL + [skill chunk] framework applies here as 3× SL + FLY Kick to the flags (surface hands in soldier, undulate with hips and chest to the flags).
Do not rush to streamline. Fly kick in streamline is difficult and requires significant back flexibility that many swimmers do not yet have. Master the position-11 version first, then add streamline with careful observation, allowing mistakes in head position and arm tightness while keeping feedback focused on the hip motion and feet moving in parallel.