Freestyle Kick Technique

Mastering the Freestyle Kick

The kick during freestyle should be something natural that you do without thinking about it.

To improve your freestyle kick to the point where you no longer have to think about it, you need to perfect it by doing drills every day. The best way is to separate the kick and the stroke.

For the next exercises, you will need a kickboard. If you don’t have a kickboard, you can do a flutter kick on your back.

The Importance of Ankle Flexibility

The first thing you need to focus on is ankle flexibility.

I’ll show you the difference between kicking on dorsiflexion and plantar flexion.

As you can see here, notice that I don’t move forward at all, and I’m sinking when my ankles are flexed this way.

As soon as I change them to plantar flexion, I start moving forward and closer to the surface. This means that the ankles can act as a parachute or as fins, depending on your flexibility.

Something Good for Your Ankle Flexibility

Here is a good ankle stretch to prepare your ankles for a better kick.

Kickboard Challenges

One problem with the kickboard is that it puts your head out of line, and therefore the legs can sink a little.

This is not a natural position of your head when you swim. So try kicking with the kickboard and your head down.

You can put up your head to breathe like in breaststroke or butterfly. You will be doing your neck and your freestyle position a favor.

You can also simply kick on your back with a streamline. This is how I usually kick because I don’t like the kickboard that much.

Keeping Your Kick Efficient

Finally, you will notice that the kick is not wide. The wider the kick, the more effort you will need to move forward.

So focus on doing small kicks, trying to bend your knees very little. The hips will move a little because this is where the legs will initiate the movement.

By Raul & Mauricio Uranga Last updated Jan. 13, 2025

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