Artistic swimming, water polo, and lifesaving sports use the eggbeater kick. It’s also a kick that is commonly used for self-rescue and to support another person.
This kick can be used to stay stationary in one spot or by shifting the body at a certain angle. The kick can also provide some movement in the water. With the legs wide apart, the legs are making a motion similar to how you would with a whip kick. Rather than doing a whip kick simultaneously, each leg does the movement one after the other.
A great way to learn or perfect the eggbeater kick is to start in the deeper part of the pool, training the legs individually. While being supported by a flotation device of one’s choice in a vertical position, keep one leg completely straight, and have the other leg at a 90-degree angle from the knee making the egg beater motion. For example, if the left leg is straight and the right leg is bent from the knee when making the egg beater motion, the leg should be turning in an internal rotation from the top view. Make sure to also keep in mind a critical point in eggbeater, the flexing of the feet. Repeat for the other leg as well.
Next, try doing both legs one after the other while still being supported. Try keeping the motion going with little to no pause between each leg as you continue. While doing so, try to minimize the amount of floatation used to train the legs to be the primary need for support.
Another way to help with strengthening the legs to generate more power is to have the back against the wall while kicking. This way, you can get a feel of what direction the power is going. Once you feel that the legs are constantly kicking in the same direction, lower the legs to have them support you up rather than push you back.
Check out Elementary Backstroke Kick another lifesaving kick
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By Colyn Ma
Colyn is a casual Lifeguard/Swim Instructor here at MacEwan University Sport and Wellness. He is one of the coaches for JLC, and has over 11 years of experience in competitive swimming and coaching.
