Breaststroke kick & Flippers (Fins) with Special Causion & Fins

Flippers & Fins & Breaststroke Kick

When teaching at a particular swim school one day. I had a customer wanting to know more about how the breaststroke kick or frog kick worked. I was trying to explain at what point the thrust part of the kick starts to have its effect.

Wait... Get Your Lesson Plans Here

I could see that the customer was not understanding what I was talking about so I went over to the edge of the pool and grabbed some flippers (fins). Before I even managed to pick them off the deck, the owner of the pool ran over and said: "I know you know a lot about swimming Richard but I'm here to tell you that you can't use flippers to teach breaststroke kick. It will hurt the knees."

I assured the owner that I was not going to put them on the customer's feet just use them as a demonstration on my hands. Even so, he watched me like a hawk for the whole demonstration.

The Right Fin To Do

I didn't want to have the discussion with the owner as he held some pretty ridged views on some things, so I didn't tell him that I really would use fins to help people to understand the thrust part of the breaststroke kick but they have to be the right ones.


This video talks about a special type of fins but I have never used them and they may be perfect for the job. However, I haven't had any problems using the smalled short type flippers that only extend about a couple of inches (4 cm) from the toe.

Be careful that you are not putting too much pressure on your knees with this drill. Start out very slowly and stop immediately if you feel any strain in your joints. Otherwise, this drill will give a great understanding of how your foot should move efficiently through the water when you are doing breaststroke.

Enjoy
   Richard