How to Kick in Swimming: 10 Steps for Beginners
A good kick keeps your legs up, balances your stroke and adds speed. These ten steps take you from holding the wall to kicking well in all the main strokes.
The three main kicks
- Flutter kick: legs move alternately up and down. Used in front crawl and backstroke.
- Breaststroke kick: both legs together; heels draw up, feet turn out and push back in a whip.
- Dolphin kick: legs together, moving in a wave from the hips. Used in butterfly and underwater after turns.
Most beginners learn the flutter kick first. The steps below start there.
10 steps to a better kick
- Kick holding the wall. Hold the edge with both hands, face down, body flat. Kick gently and feel the water move behind you.
- Move from the hips. The kick should start at the hips, with the whole leg moving. The knee bends only slightly, like a soft whip.
- Relax your ankles. Let your feet flop and point naturally. Stiff, flexed feet push water forwards and can even send you backwards.
- Keep it small. Your feet should just break the surface, and your legs should stay within the width of your body. Big kicks create drag.
- Add a kickboard. Hold the board at arm's length, face down, breathing out underwater and lifting your chin to breathe. Kick across the pool.
- Kick on your back. Lie on your back with your arms by your sides and ears in the water. Keep your knees under the surface, as if kicking a ball just above the water with your toes.
- Kick in streamline. Push off in a streamline position and kick without a board for a few metres. This shows how well your kick keeps you up.
- Kick on your side. One arm forward, one by your side. This builds the rotation and balance used in front crawl.
- Learn the breaststroke kick. On your back or with a board, draw your heels towards your bottom, turn your feet out, and push back and round until your legs are together. Read what is breaststroke.
- Try the dolphin kick. With legs together, start a gentle wave from your chest and hips that flows down to your feet. Practise underwater after a push-off for a few metres.
Common kicking mistakes
- Bicycle kick: bending the knees too much, as if pedalling. Straighten the legs and kick from the hips.
- Stiff, flexed feet: relax the ankles and point the toes.
- Kicking too hard: a huge kick tires you quickly. A steady, relaxed kick is enough to balance most swimmers.
- Legs too deep: often caused by lifting the head. Look down.
- Uneven breaststroke kick: one leg doing something different from the other. Slow down and practise on your back.
Why do my legs sink?
Sinking legs are rarely a kicking problem alone. Lifting your head, holding your breath or arching your back all drop the hips. Fix head position and breathing first, then use a small, steady kick to keep the legs up. See our swimming tips for beginners.
Kick practice ideas
Add a short kick set to each swim: 4 x 25 m with a board and 4 x 25 m on your back, resting 30 seconds after each. Our swim workouts for beginners include several kick sessions. If you get foot or calf cramps while kicking, read how to prevent cramps while swimming.
Learn with a coach
A coach can quickly spot a bicycle kick or stiff ankles and give you the right drill. See our beginner swimming course, kids swimming course and adult swimming course.
More in swimming technique
- How to dive safely10 stages from sitting dive to standing dive
- Breaststroke benefits for body and mindWhy breaststroke stays popular
- How to breathe while swimming9 tips for every stroke
- How to swim freestyle and backstroke fasterReduce drag, improve your catch and train smart
Further reading
- World Aquatics, Swimming reference card. The official stroke, start and turn rules used in competition.
- ActiveSG Circle (Sport Singapore), SwimSafer. Singapore's National Water Safety Programme, combining swimming skills and water survival.
Want help with your kick?
Tell us the swimmer's age, how they swim now and what they want to improve. We will suggest a suitable course, format and pool. Lessons run at public swimming complexes, private venues and condominium pools across Singapore.