Breaststroke Kick
At least 15 meters of breaststroke kick. The hands rest at the sides of the upper body. Breathing is done after completing each breaststroke kick, when the legs are in a fully extended position. The feet are rotated outward with bent knees and brought together in a semicircular motion. After each kick, a glide phase follows. This exercise helps to learn the breaststroke kick as preparation for the full breaststroke swimming technique.
Preparation Exercises
Breaststroke kick with both legs
The child pushes off from the pool wall and swims vertically in the water. They then begin performing a breaststroke-like kick with both legs, which resembles a simplified breaststroke kick where the knees are never fully drawn in. This preparatory exercise introduces a familiar element (the breaststroke kick) in a new form (vertical position). Since the breaststroke kick is the closest to treading water among all previously learned kicks, it is particularly effective for quickly introducing the concept of treading water.
Touch hands
In this exercise, the child must bring their feet to their hands, which are lying on their side. This teaches them to move their legs correctly. Some children do not do the leg kick correctly and only move in the water with their legs half bent. Other children stretch their legs out completely and open and close them like a jumping jack. This is not good. You can avoid these mistakes with this exercise.
On the back
Another exercise for the backstroke leg stroke is for the child to clasp a swimming board and float on their back. They should then stretch their legs slowly and in a controlled manner and pull them back up again without spreading their knees. They should take a short break between each leg stroke. This teaches them to move their legs efficiently and not to tire too quickly. After a few attempts, the child can try to cover a certain distance with as few leg kicks as possible. For example, they should cover ten meters with a maximum of seven leg kicks. With this exercise, the child can improve the backstroke leg stroke and have fun.
Häufige Fehler
Feet not turned outward
As previously mentioned, turning the feet outward is a crucial component of the breaststroke kick. Many children fail to grasp this concept and forget this important detail once they are in the water. For this reason, the "Mountain and Moon" exercise should also be practiced with their feet in the water. This helps them understand the difference in water resistance and its impact on propulsion.
Scissor
In the scissor kick, the hips are tilted to the side, and the kick is not synchronized but instead offset laterally. This error can be corrected through the previously mentioned "Moon and Mountain" exercise and the back-floating drill.
