…2-beat, 4-beat, 6-beat, 2-beat crossover. Since my legs are not coordinated with my upper body and my swim stroke, will someone describe to me the timing for each of these kick patterns in relationship to the swim stroke. How do I tie the kick in with my body position & stroke timing?
“Bottom Up Swimming” By Coach Emmett Hines.
Can be found in the articles section of their website at www.h2oustonswims.org.
crossover means there is something wrong with your rotation. You should never crossover.
I believe I’ve read that for distance swimming in triathlon, a 2 beat is preferred, and the opposite foot should be kicking down as the opposite hand is extending into the catch. But my swim sucks, so don’t listen to me.
Here are my two cents:
A good two beat kick for distance swimming will feel like your stroke is balanced and smooth. Try to let your legs ‘follow’ your body rather than actually trying to kick.
I believe I’ve read that for distance swimming in triathlon, a 2 beat is preferred, and the opposite foot should be kicking down as the opposite hand is extending into the catch. But my swim sucks, so don’t listen to me.
kieran perkins actually used a 2 beat kick exactly opposite to this and he held the 1500m world record for a number of years.
As you kick down with your right leg your right shoulder and arm extend and your left hip opens. Your shoulder and opposite hip are related. If you are using a six beat kick (1,2,3,1,2,3) the one beat is the one which drives the shoulder and hip. The 2 and 3 beats rebound you to the other side. A four beat kick is usually a 3 plus one where the one is actually a slight scissor.
DougStern
Thanks, I’ll work on this. Having no rhythm -I can’t dance - means I can’t swim all that great either.
For a mile and longer, assuming you’re not a seasoned swimmer, definitely use a 2-beat. 6 beats are for sprints. There are a few guys who can swim a 6 or 8 beat for extended distances, but this is the exception to the rule.
For a mile and longer, assuming you’re not a seasoned swimmer, definitely use a 2-beat. 6 beats are for sprints. There are a few guys who can swim a 6 or 8 beat for extended distances, but this is the exception to the rule.
Just reviewed the Eddie Reese swimming faster DVD with my son (bought from SwimmingWorld mag) where he says 6 beat is the best for all distances, even 1,500.
Reese is a two-time United States Men’s Olympic Team head coach and his Texas Men’s Swimming teams have won nine NCAA Championships. Eddie has been awarded NCAA Coach of the Year honors eight times.
How did his distance swimmers end up doing? I saw NCAA’s a couple of years ago at the Eisenhower Pool in Massapequa NY and didn’t see any Texas distance swimmers in the finals. The Michigan swimmer who won, had maybe a 1.5 beat kick. He barely kicked. He was all arms and very good body rotation.
For me…I use a 2 beat kick and sometimes a 4 beat if I need to speed up a bit. 6 beat is way to hard to maintain.
jp
Not a whole lot of great 1500 LCM guys come out of Texas. There are very few distance swimmers who 6 beat kick the whole thing. Vendt does, and so does Larsen Jensen, but there really are not many people who are capable of doing it.
Also, I think JKenny was referring to long distance swimming (open water swims longer than 1500 meters).
Not a whole lot of great 1500 LCM guys come out of Texas. There are very few distance swimmers who 6 beat kick the whole thing. Vendt does, and so does Larsen Jensen, but there really are not many people who are capable of doing it.
Also, I think JKenny was referring to long distance swimming (open water swims longer than 1500 meters).
Well, if you won’t take Eddie’s word for it, then how about Urbancheck? (I just read this on my trainer this morning…this time of year the business mags skip a week and so I am working down the pile 
I hear your comment about only a few can do it (see comment about women below) and open water, but I bet that the open water guys are adopting it now, since they are complete animals and all the sports are using shorter course techniques for long course. My main point is that kicking is really helpful…
from Swimming World Aug 2006:
Urbancheck observes that most of today’s elite male distance swimmers use the six-beat kick.
Grant Hackett, Larsen Jensen, Erik Vendt, Ian Thorpe and Klete Keller all maintain a six-beat kick throughout the duration of the their race. The last swimmer of that caliber who could get away with the two-beat kick was Chris Thomson.
However, the six-beat kick isn’t as popular with women. Virtually all of the female distance swimmers use a two-beat kick or some kind of four beat kick.
“A four beat kick doesn’t really exist,” say Urbancheck. “Its really more of a two beat kick with a cross-over”
Most up and comers don’t have the kick of the world’s elite, so they should save their legs at he beginning of the race.
The kick has litttle to do with propulsion and more to do with body psoition and helping to find a rhythm.
One of the reasons the guys will ride out a six beat kick is because it keeps their boydy higher inthe water and helps creae a more of an ideal body position for them.
I really don’t think about my swim kick either, I don’t think you should kick like a single sport swimmer, your legs will get to tired. I agree with tigerchik just let them follow. IMFL 05 swim 1:01 myself
ok. I will have to get in the pool and try this out.
Michigan is a great school after all ;).
I have a two-beat crossover kick…I know, I know it’s not ideal, but seems to work for me. It’s also a bad habit that started at a young age.
“kieran perkins actually used a 2 beat kick exactly opposite to this”
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- correctamundo. The kick should be an extension of your hip drive so that you kick down just after the catch and right at the beggining of the stroke of your opposite arm. BIG power loss if your foot is going north while your hip is driving south to power your stroke.
As Doug mentions above, a 3 beat kick gets you in sync with your arms so that you are kicking down as you extend the opposite arm. 2 or four beat kicks usually result in a big scissor kick coinciding with your breathing, and that does NOT help you swim faster.
“Grant Hackett, Larsen Jensen, Erik Vendt, Ian Thorpe and Klete Keller all maintain a six-beat kick throughout the duration of the their race”
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- True and not true. Actually, both Thorpe and Hackett (can’t attest to the others because I haven’t analyzed their strokes) will actually stop kicking occasionally during a long swim. I found this comforting, because I do this as well. I think it’s a function of boredom or lack of concentration, but I do it when I get tired. That aside, both men use a six-beat kick.
“The kick has litttle to do with propulsion and more to do with body psoition and helping to find a rhythm.”
- True and not true. Actually, both Thorpe and Hackett (can’t attest to the others because I haven’t analyzed their strokes) will actually stop kicking occasionally during a long swim. I found this comforting, because I do this as well. I think it’s a function of boredom or lack of concentration, but I do it when I get tired. That aside, both men use a six-beat kick.
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- precisely. That and power. By kicking down at the beginning of the stroke (opposite arm) you gain power. Hence the six beat (three on each arm) which allows the kick emphasis to alternate along with the arms.