Wherever you fall on the scale of kicking awesomeness there is a starting point for you when doing vertical kick. Vertical kicking helps to develop an even kick after all, if you pause or stutter at the bottom or top of your kick you sink. And so you kick your little heart out for a few lengths until you tire out and then let your arms do the heavy lifting.Ī powerful, six-beat kick takes dedication and commitment to developing, and the first step is building the endurance to do it consistently. For the amount of propulsion gained the effort might not seem like it is worth it. Vertical kicking forces you to maintain an even kicking motion. Too often you see swimmers slacken completely on the upkick in a moment of recovery instead of using it as a moment to gain propulsion. We lack the musculature to make a completely even-powered kick a reality, but that doesn’t mean that the “weak” side of the kicking motion should be neglected. Our upkick (or downkick for you backstrokers) will never be as strong as our downkick. Vertical kicking forces you to hammer down on the upkick. When we are on our front we tend to relax our belly going vertical gives you the opportunity to really feel the kicking motion as it should–originating from your core. Vertical kicking puts you in a position where it is easier to focus on initiating the kick from your mid-section. This goes especially for swimmers who struggle to kick from their core and hips or you knee and straight-leg scissor kickers. Going vertical allows you to really focus on kicking from the core. Some of the benefits of incorporating vertical kicking into your swim training include: 1. It can be used across all four strokes, with varying intensity and resistance from beginner to Olympic level, and requires only a corner of the deep end of the pool. Michael Phelps swore by it in developing the deadliest underwater dolphin kick the sport has ever seen.
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Granted, vertical kicking might not look outwardly pleasant-you are in a battle to keep your face and mouth above the water-line after all-but adding it to your repertoire can help you improve your kick in ways that using a traditional kickboard cannot. You, my chlorinated homeslice, should line up for the most versatile of freestyle kick drills, vertical kicking. Want to add a shocking amount of propulsion and power to your freestyle kick? Learn to fully use your core when kicking? How about improve your upkick so that your kick is more even, balanced, and ultimately, faster? Here is everything you need to know about vertical kicking. Among kicking drills there are fewer that are more effective, accessible and versatile as getting vertical with your kick work.