Breaststroke Kicking Drills

Vertical Kick

Vertical kick is a terrific way to improve your kick because it provides important feedback. Because your goal is to stay afloat, it encourages you to kick straight down, which is the same as kicking straight back when you're horizontal. Vertical kick also encourages you to turn your feet out to support yourself in the water. Finally, you must keep your foot speed up or you'll sink.

Vertical kick is simple to do: Find some deep water, get vertical, and use your breaststroke kick to stay afloat.

Kicking on Your Back

To recover your feet, avoid moving your knees forward. Instead, focus on bringing your heels to your hips. Although your knees will travel forward during your kick, the movement should be controlled. When you're kicking on your back, your knees will come way out of the water if you're only moving through your hips, which encourages you to bring your heels to your hips.

On your back, do breaststroke kick. You can kick with your arms by your side or your arms in streamlined position. Both are effective for helping you improve your kick. Control how much your knees come out of the water.

Kick on Your Back With a Board on Your Knees

Kicking on your back with a board on your knees provides great feedback about your kick recovery. If you mistakenly bring your knees forward, you're going to knee the board. The more you bring your knees forward, the harder you hit the board.

Just as with the previous drill, kick on your back, but this time place a kickboard across your knees. Although it's OK to contact the board, try to avoid kicking the board up and down with your knees.

Kicking With a Board

This is the tried-and-true method for improving your kick. The board provides support so you don't have to worry about floating and stability so that you can practice kicking hard. Because you don't have to worry about timing, focusing on your legs is a lot easier.

Kicking with a board is simple: Grab a kickboard and start kicking. You can keep your head up, put it down and wear a snorkel, or keep it down and breathe when desired. Just kick hard.

Wall Kick

Wall kick is a valuable drill because it helps you feel if you're pushing against the water with your feet. By kicking into the wall, you're trying to move an immovable object. That means you're going to get a lot of pressure on your feet. If you feel like you're slipping through the water, or you're losing pressure at some point in your kick, make adjustments.

To perform wall kick, simply face a wall, hold on, and start kicking. You can keep your arms straight or elbows soft, whichever feels best for you.

Three-Kick, One-Pull

Having a great kick is wonderful, but the goal is to have a great kick while you swim. The position of your kick while you swim is slightly different than when just kicking, and you must also figure out the timing. Three-kick, one-pull emphasizes the kick while beginning to work on integrating your kick into your stroke.

For this drill, swim breaststroke as normal but take two additional kicks while your arms are streamlined in front of you. Aim to transition smoothly into the kicks, as well as back into the single pull after you do all three kicks.

Two-Kick, One-Pull

Two-kick, one-pull helps you learn how to integrate an effective kick into your breaststroke while continuing to improve your kick. Because this drill is more like normal breaststroke than the three-kick, one-pull drill, it's a great transition between that drill and breaststroke.

For this drill, swim breaststroke as you normally would but take one additional kick while your arms are streamlined in front of you. Aim to transition smoothly into the kicks.

Kick With Pull Buoy Between Legs

Kicking with a pull buoy between your legs helps you learn how to effectively turn your feet out to hold water. The buoy prevents you from letting your knees slide out; otherwise, you'll lose the buoy. The only option is to be great with your feet.

Be very careful with this drill and start slowly. It can put more pressure on your knees than other breaststroke kick drills. Use it to develop your skill, not your fitness.

Place a buoy between your knees and continue to kick without letting go of the buoy. Don't worry if you don't generate much propulsion. Just aim for better technique.

Piston Kick

To help you understand how to recover your feet fast in breaststroke, piston kick is a great tool. You don't have to worry about the timing of your stroke or turning your feet out and holding water—just move fast.

On your stomach, using a kickboard or with your arms by your side, punch one knee forward and bring your heel to your hips as fast as possible. Immediately reverse this motion and move your leg back. Alternate between legs. Do not turn your foot out.

Kicking With a Kick Count

Counting your kicks can tell you how efficient your kick is and help you keep track of how well you're kicking. If you notice your numbers are dropping, that's a great sign. If you notice your numbers are climbing, that's a great sign that you need a little more focus on your skills.

Kick counts can be used with any kicking activity. Just count your kicks and aim to improve the number over time.