Freestyle swimming: important facts about kicking

When swimming in a triathlon competition, the legs play a minor role. So why train the leg kick? We explain to you why the mostly unloved training content plays a large part in swimming success.

When you talk to triathletes about kick training, you often get phrases like, "I don't do kicks at all. I save my strength for cycling” or “My neo pulls my legs up anyway”. This reasoning seems logical at first and many hobby athletes therefore completely ignore leg kick training. But long-distance pros in particular devote a significant portion of their swim sessions to leg kick training, so there must be benefits to having good footwork.

More stable swimming

Anyone who can swim an even kick is much more stable in the water and can maintain the low-water resistance streamline shape better. The footwork avoids lateral movements of the hips and promotes a straight and stretched posture. In addition, the legs initiate the slight rolling movement of the body around the longitudinal axis of the body. So if you only passively drag your legs behind you, you lose the essential advantages of effective gliding here.

Neoprene ban: what now?

Keyword neoprene ban: if the water temperature is too high, the neoprene suit is banned as a cold protection suit. However, many athletes over-rely on the wetsuit's useful buoyancy properties and then face a far greater challenge in competition - also a mental hurdle.

Since for most long-distance crawlers the leg kick is less about propulsion than about stabilizing the water position, the movements should not be carried out too quickly, but should be carried out more evenly so that we are still fit for the subsequent cycling and running.

If you want to convince yourself how important the leg kick is, just swim 100 meters crawl with crossed legs. So there are plenty of reasons to swim kick kick and train it accordingly. In the next section, we will show you how best to do this.

Turn on the turbo

Everyone knows the classic "leg kick in prone position with or without board". But a little variety can't hurt. A popular alternative is the leg kick in a side position, so the view goes to the edge of the pool or to the neighboring lane. The arms are in the so-called "superman position", which means that the arm on the lower side is stretched forward and lies under the head, the upper hand is on the hip. To breathe, simply turn your head up.

To create a bit of variety, you can also do part of the leg kick training with dolphin or sternum kicks or in a supine position. You train your leg muscles in a more versatile way. In all exercises you can play a little with the amplitude and frequency of the leg kick and the position of the legs in the water. There is an individual optimal position for every athlete.

Looking to the pros can't hurt

Of course you can do the exercise with a crawl leg kick. Slight wiping movements with the hands make the task even easier. Two sets of 3 to 4 times 10 seconds are enough to start with. If you are a bit more advanced, put your arms on your hips or even keep them out of the water.

By the way: Michael Phelps also has a weight belt around his waist!

The question still arises: with or without fins?

Fins lengthen the foot, making the kick more efficient and giving you better propulsion. If you have problems with mobility in your ankle, you can correct this with fins in addition to special stretching exercises. Due to the higher water resistance, your foot is stretched more than with normal swimming. And of course you also train your leg strength with finswimming.

Although it has many advantages, you should not overdo the training with the beloved tool, especially beginners must give their muscles the necessary time to adapt. Signs of overload on tendons and ligaments, especially in the ankle, are the result of too long and intensive fin training. Foot and calf cramps can also occur.

The right fins minimize the risk of injury and prevent you from ruining your technique. We're talking about short fins. Compared to diving fins, they allow a normal kick rate.

Conclusion: leg kick training with fins is essential, but don't overdo it

Anyone who consistently incorporates leg kicks into their training during preparation will glide through the water much calmer and more efficiently in the coming season, even or especially when their beloved wetsuit is banned because the water temperature is too high.