Have children or people who don’t want to be underwater hold their head above water (or put their arms on top of the wall so their head and arms are dry). As you get more comfortable with this position, practice lowering your face into the water. Your body will float easier and stay aligned when your head is down. Try a snorkeling mask in the beginning so you can keep your head down. Later, ditch the mask and lift your head above water when you need to breathe.
Keep your toes pointed and turned slightly inward. Feel the power of the kick move from your hip, through your knee, and finish in your foot. Your foot moving down through the water creates propulsion.
Keep your kicks fairly small. It’s OK if your heels break the surface of the water, but keep the majority of your kick in line with your body. To develop your upbeat (raising your leg during a kick cycle), position yourself vertically in the water and kick back and forth rather than up and down.
If your legs keep sinking, push your chest slightly further down in the water to balance your body alignment. If your legs are rising too much, keep your chest slightly higher in the water or try kicking with lower speed and power. Hold the wall until you can maintain a balanced, horizontal body position while kicking and barely touching the wall. Then it’s time to get moving!
Try to keep your head down (and come up to breathe) or use a snorkeling mask to keep your full body aligned. Notice how the kick propels you forward and holds your legs up. Avoid using a kickboard for someone younger than 6 years old since it may not teach proper swimming technique. [7] X Expert Source Brad HurvitzCertified Survival Swimming Instructor Expert Interview. 13 February 2020.
Glide through the water and begin flutter kicking as soon as you feel yourself losing momentum. Kick fast enough to keep your body horizontal. Most of your speed will come from adding arms (kicking powers about 15% of your speed). For practice, try gliding a few times without adding the kick to get used to the feeling of your body cutting through the water.
There’s no rule on how many kicks per stroke you need, but the most common ratios are the 2-, 4-, and 6-beat kicks:[10] X Research source 2-beat kick: Kick each leg once per stroke cycle (a cycle means both arms have completed a stroke). 4-beat kick: Kick each leg twice per cycle (in other words, each leg kicks once for each arm stroke). 6-beat kick: Kick each leg 3 times per cycle. Kick right-left-right while your left arm strokes, then left-right-left while your right arm strokes.
Picture your forearm and hand like a giant paddle. This is called an early vertical forearm (EVF). Keep your elbows high as your hand exits the water. As a rule of thumb, keep your elbows higher than your hands both above and below the water. Notice how the flutter kick stabilizes your body position and supports the movement of your arms.
Keep your arm straight and enter the water pinky-first with your palm facing outward. Rotate your palm down and use it to scoop or push the water back. As your arm comes up, rotate your palm inward before it breaks the surface of the water for the next stroke. Keep your form the same as usual—drive the kick from your hips, keep your knees mostly straight, and point your toes behind you.
The dog paddle isn’t an official swim stroke, but is fairly intuitive and easy to accomplish (and it’s named after how your favorite 4-legged companions swim). Move your limbs slowly and let your mouth go under water to save energy. Push and kick faster to raise your head and breathe.
Remember, big kicks don’t equal fast swimming. To increase your speed, keep your kicks fast and small.
Remember to drive your kicks from the hips and to keep your legs fairly straight. This helps with propulsion and counterbalancing your arm strokes. Kicking at the knees will make your legs sink, causing you to slow down and lose your forward-moving momentum.
Keeping your ankles loose and your toes pointed helps balance your upbeat (the lifting of your leg during a kick) with the downbeat (pushing your leg down).
