Swim: Side Kick Drill

Maintain a Strong Body Position

Starting in a torpedo position, you’ll transition into kicking on your side. One arm remains extended in front while the other stays by your side, as if resting in a front pocket. The goal is to maintain a streamlined position and stay balanced as you alternate between kicking on the left and right sides.

The key to this drill is pressing your chest down to keep your hips high, preventing drag and maintaining a smooth, efficient stroke.

Key Points:

Streamline: Focus on keeping a nice streamline by engaging your core and pulling your shoulder blades together. This will help keep your body aligned and avoid crossing the lead hand in front of your head.
Posture: Keep the palm of your extended hand flat, facing the pool bottom. Ensure your fingertips are slightly deeper than your wrist, and your wrist deeper than your elbow. This helps prevent the lead arm from collapsing when you rotate to breathe.
Breathing: Practice breathing to the side while maintaining balance. This drill helps you feel more comfortable breathing without losing posture or control.

Drill Focus:

Alternate kicking on your left and right sides, paying attention to differences in your body alignment. This drill is especially helpful for developing comfort breathing to both sides and improving overall body balance in freestyle.

Drill Progressions:

1. Side Kick with Rotation:
  After kicking on one side for 6-8 kicks, rotate onto your stomach into a torpedo position, then rotate to the other side for another 6-8 kicks. Focus on smooth, controlled rotations while maintaining posture and alignment.
2. Side Kick with Stroke:
  After 6-8 kicks on one side, take one full stroke of freestyle and rotate to the other side for another set of 6-8 kicks. This helps integrate the side-kicking position into your freestyle stroke.
3. Side Kick with Arm Recovery:
  While maintaining the side kick position, practice recovering your top arm (the arm that’s by your side) over the water and placing it in front, as if you were starting a freestyle stroke. This focuses on maintaining balance while simulating the arm recovery phase.
4. Side Kick with Breathing:
  Focus on incorporating breathing into the drill. Start by kicking on your side and practice rotating your head to breathe while keeping your body balanced and maintaining the correct hand and arm position.
5. Side Kick with Fins:
  Use fins to add propulsion and make it easier to focus on technique and balance without worrying about kick strength. This allows you to refine your body alignment and breathing technique with less effort.

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