Efficient Swimming Fundamentals Course #11 6 beat kick

11.1 Six beat kick. Theory.

Once we have seen the 2-beat kick, used mainly in endurance races, we are going to introduce the 6-beat kick, which is for speed. Any swimming race, no matter how long, will have a few final meters, and there you can gain a few seconds, or it can even make the difference between climbing the podium or not. In any case, mastering the 6-beat kick will always help us improve our physical and technical capacity, whether in the sea or in the pool.

Let’s see how Phelps, in his 6-beat kick technique, always maintains the crossed pattern, just as we did in the 2-beat kick. But it also includes 2 more kicks for each stroke. 

The hip is also perfectly coordinated with the movement of the arms. 

To achieve this mastery, you will have to start coordinating your feet and arms, at a very slow pace and progressively accelerate it without losing the crossed pattern.

11.2 Six beat kick. Practical part

This 6-beat kick is used for sprinting, but if we want to do it with maximum speed, we must maintain the crossed pattern and be able to add two kicks, without losing the crossed pattern. Those extra kicks will also give you extra speed, but you will consume a large amount of oxygen. This coordination is within the reach of any swimmer who has patience and persistence. In this video, you will see the sequence of exercises that will allow you to master this 6-beat kick so that when you sprint you achieve your maximum speed.

11.3 Six beat kick: Training routine

3 kicks connect with one arm. If we think about the arm that advances, with the first kick, which is the cross one, we connect it with the entry, with the second kick, we connect with the advancement of the arm and with the third kick we advance the shoulder and scapula, thus opening the armpit. If we think about the arm that propels, the first kick, which is from the same side, generates the grip, with the second kick we help the propulsion, and with the third kick we finish the propulsion.

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