Question:
My wife, an experienced swimmer, is trying to teach me how to swim. She had me holding on to a board with my arms stretched out and kicking my legs, but for some reason my leg kicks were not propelling me forward. She said that my legs were straight and everything about my kicks looked fine, but she can't figure out why the kicks don't propel me. At times, I was actually moving backwards. There was a young swim instructor at the pool who we asked and she couldn't figure it out either. Any suggestions as to what I am doing wrong? Any other advice for an adult learning to swim?
Answer:
1) Point your toes. Over time, you'll want to develop true ankle flexibility so that your feet act like little flippers at the end of each kick, but for now, start by pointing your toes. Most adult beginners I teach who go "nowhere" are doing so because their ankles are locked in the standing position.
2) Learn how to start your kick from the top of your leg, with your hips and outer quads. Keep your knees loose so that they bend a bit on their own, but *do not* consciously bend them. Most adult beginners perform a "running" motion with the knees (bringing their knees forward and toward closer to their chests), you need to learn to do a cross country skiing motion (tilted 90 degrees, of course) with your legs instead. The flutter kick starts at the hip, moves through the knees, and snaps out the toes. Practice by standing in water on one leg and pretend you're kicking a football/soccer ball in front of you: swing the leg back and bring it far forward.
3) Lose the board as soon as you're comfortable getting your face in the water and exhaling. Kickboards raise your head and arms and torso, which can lower your legs. Don't get overly dependant on a kickboard-- most of my students are far better off practicing their flutter kicks by just doing repeated "torpedo" drills: push off from the wall, head under water (eyes down at bottom of pool), arms streamlined in front (one hand in the other), strong, steady kick, nice easy exhale. Stop when you're out of breath, repeat.
