When swim instructors receive their training, they are introduced to the stroke pyramid. The stroke pyramid outlines the order in which stroke progressions should be implemented when both learning and correcting problems with a swimmer’s stroke. Each step should be mastered before moving on to the next progression. Moving on to the next progression too quickly can result in frustrating errors that will have to later be corrected to achieve an efficient stroke.
In last month’s Swimming Tips article, we explored the first progression for freestyle, or front crawl: body positioning. In that article we discussed how having a good floating position is the starting point for all strokes. Once you have mastered that relaxed floating body position, the next progression is kicking.
Check out Body Position Swim Tip
The most common mistake with flutter kick is to generate your kick from your knees. Your flutter kick should be generated from your hip, with a straight but loose knee and a plantar flexed foot. Toes should pass each other very closely on each kick with frequency and force.
If you are hearing a lot of thumping when you kick, your feet are coming too far out of the water. Ideally your foot should be just coming to the surface, and you may hear a “foosh” sound.
If you find that your feet or calves cramp frequently when you swim, you may be pointing your toes too hard. Try relaxing your ankle and allow your foot to flop.
When working on mastering an efficient kick it can be useful to use a flutter board or pool noodle to help support your torso. It can also be effective to practice kicking in a seated position while wearing a life jacket so that you can look for those relaxed toes and straight, loose knees.
Next month we will be exploring the next progression for an efficient freestyle stroke: breathing.
By Jason Britton and Victoria Mitchell
Jason is a full-time Lifeguard/Instructor here at MacEwan University Sport and Wellness. He is a lead coach for both the MacEwan Masters Swim and the Youth Triathlon programs as well as one of the main organizers of SwimRun Edmonton.
Victoria is a Lifesaving Society Swim Trainer and Red Cross Water Safety Instructor Trainer. She is also MacEwan University’s newest Aquatic Programmer.
