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Backstroke kick

Swimming / Popular

Kick from the hip with a steady, compact backstroke kick.

What coaches agree on

  • The upkick, when your leg moves up toward the surface, creates most of your propulsion; the down kick mainly resets your leg for the next upkick.
  • Most swimmers settle into a natural six-beat rhythm: six kicks for every two arm strokes.
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  • Keep your ankles and feet loose and relaxed with toes pointed, so your foot can flick against the water.

Common mistakes

  • The single most common error is bending the knee too much and kicking from the knee instead of the hip, which kills propulsion and adds drag.
  • Letting the hips and legs sink below the surface makes the kick run too deep and throws off the whole stroke's rhythm.
  • Making the kick too big, whether too wide or too large a range of motion, creates drag and slows the arm-stroke rate; too small a kick fails to propel you either.
Backstroke Kick (Basics)
Beginner

Backstroke Kick (Basics)

Coach's take: Names the faults like a coach would and gives a fix for each - genuinely useful.

3.8
Backstroke - Streamline Kick
Intermediate

Backstroke - Streamline Kick

Coach's take: A few genuinely useful subtle cues (hands and legs staying submerged) but very short.

2.7