Vertical kicking

If you have a deep end in your pool, a great way to work on your kick is to do some vertical kicking. Keep your body nice and straight and move your feet as your would normally – there is a tendency to increase knee bend too much while vertical kicking. A good set is to do 10 x 1 min vertical kicking, with 20 sec rest  – e.x. treading water (eggbeater) in between each. Then do 100m regular board kick, and end with 10×10 sec as many kicks as you can manage in that time (try for at least 20), with 10 sec easy between each. As you get better you can try moving your hands from your sides, to having your wrists at the surface of the water, to having your arms above your head – try it!! The great thing about this drill, is that if your kick is weak you sink! It is a great way to play around with kick efficiency, mix things up a little and give those hip flexors a great workout.