Swimisodes - Breaststroke Kick with Rebecca Soni

Breaststroke kick is one of the most challenging techniques of swimming. A powerful breaststroke kick relies on having great flexibility in the hips and dorsiflexion of the ankles. To kick with power in breaststroke, a swimmer must be able to push backward with the instep of the foot with great force and quickness. The hip flexibility may enable that to happen, but a swimmer must also develop strength in the hamstrings to draw the legs up quickly and in the quadriceps to push the feet backward with force in breaststroke kick.

Many swimmers that do not have enough flexibility in the hip attempt to increase the power of the kick by widening the distance between the knees. Yet this technique creates a problem. With widened knees, a swimmer cannot get through the kicking cycle fast enough to take advantage of the tremendous coupling energy from the upper body pressing forward and the head snapping down. By the time they start pushing the feet backward, the body’s motion downward has already stopped, lessening the propulsive force of the breaststroke kick. Olympic Champion Rebecca Soni has extraordinary hip flexibility and leg quickness. She draws her legs up quickly, once her pull force is completed, and begins to push backward quickly just as her upper body strikes the water. It is the exquisite timing of these motions that makes her so powerful in breaststroke.

At The Race Club, we have found the Finis yellow elastic band , placed above the swimmer’s knees, is an extraordinary tool to help swimmers keep their knees closer together during the breaststroke kick and develop a more effective and faster breaststroke.

Purchase the Yellow elastic band from Finis here:

http://shop.theraceclub.com/store/pulling-ankle-strap.html

Thanks for watching!

http://theraceclub.com/swim-camps/

Director/Editor: Richard Hall
Producer: The Race Club
Writer/Narrator: Gary Hall Sr
Cinematographer: Frazier Nivens
Music: Kyle Pittman
Live Sound: Gustavo Moller
Jib Operator: Mikey Montoya (Jib and Co)
Underwater Housing: AquaVideo
Filmed at our training facility Founders Park Islamorada, FL MM87