*FREESTYLE SWIM TECHNIQUE EXPLANATION 'N VIDEOS
Articles by Tom Anzai

We get asked a lot for advice and figure it's a pay forward opportunity for swim enthusiasts. I'll post over the next few weeks about what I've learned over the past 40 years of swimming and coaching. Keep in mind, I'm always learning but that must mean I'm not dead yet :)

Freestyle Swim Technique #1: “Kick, Rotation, and Breathing ”

"I don't need to kick, I want to save my legs." We hear this all the time with our Triathlete members. If you don't kick continuously you're probably reducing your potential for increased speed. Take a look at the top swimmers and watch their feet. They're always in motion although they could be at different tempos (see 6-beat vs. 2-beat below).

Now, you don't have to be replicating a Mercury outboard motor with lots of white foam (in fact, you want to move water not bubbles), but you do want continuous momentum from your lower torso to help drive the rest of your body forward. Work on a continuous, supple kick. Make sure the fulcrum is your hips and not your knees. Avoid trying to run in the water. Get your heel to break the surface of the water on each kick.

Have someone, preferably a coach, take a look at your kick and see if you widen the distance between your legs at any time during the arm stroke (an indication of cross-over pulling, which creates unwanted lateral balancing). Use swimmer fins to learn how to point your toes and sweep your feet slightly inwards. Work on ankle flexibility by flexing your foot towards the floor in a sitting position (with legs straight).

As easy as it may sound, this is a problem area for a lot of triathletes. Many get exhausted doing kick sets in our sessions and some barely make it to the end. Keep in mind that one of the hardest techniques Michael Phelps had to learn was to switch to a 6-beat kick:

By Amy Shipley
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, January 23, 2009; http://groups.google.com/group/rec.sport.swimming/browse_thread/thread/78862df89ab9729c

“Their first player-coach test came late in 1997, when Bowman (Phelps' coach) showed Phelps how to use a six-beat kick, a technique popularized by young Australian star Ian Thorpe. Phelps, then 12, had a difficult time mastering it, and after a few days, Bowman lost patience. He told Phelps the trial period was over. From then on, Phelps must execute the maneuver or not swim.”

“Bowman kicked Phelps out of practice every day for a week.”

“Each time, Phelps would trudge tearfully to the showers, then sit glumly in the lobby that is separated from the pool by glass windows, trying to elicit sympathy from his peers while waiting for his mother to arrive from work.”

“Debbie Phelps, who raised Phelps and his two sisters largely as a single mother after her divorce two years earlier, did not at first appreciate Bowman's approach.”

“I was like, 'What are you doing, Bowman?' she said. 'I'm paying you to coach my kid and you're kicking him out of practice?'”

“When Phelps mastered the kick, his times improved dramatically. That gave Bowman a pedestal of power to stand on, but it did not end what Bowman described as often mutual tantrums.”

Work on your kick and don't take it for granted. By increasing your kick tempo, chances are your arms will follow. This is why the top swimming nations are now incorporating kick sets of up to 25%(!) of their overall swim practices. However, don't get caught up with 6-beat as many long distance swimmers use a 2-beat kick as they find it more relaxing. See the description and video below.

Freestyle kick explained via video
Yours truly explains flutter kick technique, samples, and dry land exercises you can do:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_OqFTHq1G8

6-beat vs 2-beat explained via video
Beat kick is the number of leg kicks per complete stroke cycle while you're swimming. With a two beat kick, you do one kick with the left leg at the same time as the left arm is pulling, which should also be around the time the right hand is entering the water. You do another kick, with the right leg, at the same time as the right arm is pulling and the left hand is entering the water. A six beat kick inserts an extra kick with each leg between each of these two kicks. Often used by sprinters. You can see the two styles in this YouTube clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&hl=en-GB&v=oac5nUDns94

Unusual 8-beat kick shown by Natalie Coughlan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYlZiOsFGgs.

The swimmer nearest the camera is using a six beat kick, the next one away is using a two beat kick.

Rotation and Breathing Recap Video:

Rotation and Breathing. See endless pool video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4APU3XMip8&feature=related

Try in practice this week: extend your arm and continue to REACH, even when you rotate to breathe. Make sure you lock your elbow and drive your hand forward (between your head and shoulder width) before you initiate your underwater catch.