If You Swim With A 2-Beat Kick (Or Trying To)... Do This

8 Week Faster Freestyle Program:
effortlessswim...

[@jackrayburn3956]

In my mid 70s and added the two beat kick a few years ago. Almost immediately I knew it was what was missing in my swimming. Get the proper rotation and catch, as in this video, and it is a natural.

[@killab817]

learning this technique has made the biggest improvement in my crawl swimming technique.

[@beckyb8929]

I can never ever figure out how many kicks per stroke I’m doing.

[@kevinbishop6582]

Same here. Then I got a GoPro camera and attached it to my ass and It gave me a whole new view of things.

[@isolated.4722]

Lol same

[@isolated.4722]

Like I'm too busy focus on my breath, catch, and body rotation

[@nikitaw1982]

Only count for left arm a couple of laps. Then reverse?

[@ioannisaliazis]

This is super important! I’m doing the 8 week faster freestyle course and have got great tips from Brenton, it’s totally worth it!

[@evanswisconsin]

Thanks! Very helpful. 60 years old, learned swimming 10 years ago. 2 beat kicker. Will focus on this. Had wondered about this long ago and didn’t have a good reference source. You’re awesome!!

[@PeachPhillips]

This is the exact video I was looking for!. When & how to time the kick. I appreciate this straight forward video so much!.

[@erwinsaputra3645]

in my opinion 2 beat kick is the best, it makes me feel like I'm the best swimmer in the world 🤣because I could swim so effortless compared to the others that they tried so hard but swim slower than me

[@saffron19-j5s]

Great explanation, visual, and no annoying music. Thank-you!

[@stephenbetley9596]

Another way to think of it is that you're timing with the push of the glide. Same thing really, just the other arm. The way I learned it with TiSwim. Very efficient for an IM length swim.

[@LarsRyeJeppesen]

I'm really trying to only use 2-beat kick, as I'm not swimming competitively, but want to swim as efficient and relaxed as I can. Breathing is my biggest enemy, as well as frequent shoulder impingements, probably due to horrible catch technique :) cheers

[@rich4738]

Man I honestly just thought you just padlekicked constantly all the way through stroke, this might explain why I've never been able to get good at it

[@StevenPhan2205]

Last month I can't control how many beat kicks I use in freestyle. But when I use the T.I techniques (i watched it on KZbin) in training. IT WORKS !!!! Now my PACE is improve from PACE 3 to PACE 2 😀

[@MM-bg7in]

Great video. Appreciate all of your content as a new swimmer that feels clueless. I have a swimming coach but watch videos like these to help. I thought two beat kick was arm stroke arm stroke pause kick kick arm stroke arm stroke pause kick kick. Ugh,swimming is so unintuitive to me. 😂

[@teresmajor7956]

What I realised after swimming ONLY 2-beat-kick for 3 months is that, if you kick a couple milliseconds after your catch, it propels you and twists you quite nicely, that was the first time I realised the timing was perfect. Now it doesn't happen all the time, but aim is to make that momentum at each stroke.

[@fedegoeswoods3142]

Always use a 2 beat.. never seen myself swimming, so i have no idea is the timing right though! I think a gear video showing how to take a good video of someone swimming would be very useful!

[@LarsRyeJeppesen]

Took me a while to kick and pull on the same side, I did the opposite naturally for quite some time and I have to really focus on it, to get this part right. Did it come naturally to you?

[@fedegoeswoods3142]

@@LarsRyeJeppesen that's interesting! I don't remember actually. When I was a kid my freestyle technique was just very bad, so as an adult i decided i want to learn it properly. I watched some videos of drills to learn the total immersion freestyle technique and that's how I re-learnt how to swim :). It was a natural and easy progression for me.

[@slowwalker1061]

I tried to learn but not succeeded. After regularly swimming I realized I was able to do 2 beat kick swimming. Now I mostly 2 beat kick swimming. Just like handstand, let your body feel it and eventually did it (from my experience)

[@jc10747]

What about the other option: hand entry at same time as opposite foot downbeat. This helps the swimmer rotate solidly, from hips to shoulders, by driving the hip up during the foot downbeat, thereby snapping into an excellent glide position. As well the opposite downbeat with entry are two “touch points”: entry is full extension…a hard end point that the swimmer definitely can feel exactly, and the forceful downbeat has nearly the same type of feel…as opposed to the more dynamic catch position that’s much harder to find for exact coordination. Or maybe the swimmer is doing both: hard opposite foot downbeat with entry + soft same foot downbeat with catch (EVF) position? Or maybe the coordination is determined by body type: long and thin = same side; bigger shoulders or tight scapula or twisting = opposite side. Bottom line: much more is needed on this coordination aspect. Better, slower video, with more swimmers, with multiple lines to show coordination.

[@dg5301]

I use 4 beat most of the time. 6 for sprints. I had just started doing some 2 beat right before covid hit and we had unlimited pool access, but stopped when we had to get our workouts in quick. From what I remember, it felt like I was accelerating & decelerating too much and felt more tiring than an easy 4 beat for me. I like the idea of using it to get the kick timing dialed in, though. With my 4 beat kick, my timing is great on the right side (the 1 kick side), but a bit late on the left (3 kick side). My 6 beat timing seems good at a dead sprint and a bit haphazard at lower speeds.

[@KratosMayhem]

I made my own longer comment about the 4bk before seeing your's. On your one kick side is it on your breathing or non breathing side? And is one way correct or incorrect? I can 2bk and have the rhythm of the 4bk but I havent been using it because I dont want to ingrain bad muscle memory potentially doing it wrong and then relearning it.

[@avocatious6402]

@@KratosMayhem I would still continue to do it. You may be wrong as first, but as you get better you will eventually find out what gives you the most speed (which is almost always the proper technique). If you consciously try to have a better timing in your kick, the good timing will eventually become muscle memory and second nature. Don't let fear of doing it wrong hold you back. As nice as it can be to read about it, you won't learn it until you discover it for yourself in the water. Timing also takes some time, don't be discouraged. A drill you could do is over kicking (like 8 beat kick) and then slowing down into a 4 beat while trying to maintain good timing. Best of luck :)

[@dg5301]

@@KratosMayhem For me, the 1 kick is on the non-breathing side. In this video, Brenton describes it as a pause in the kick right after the head returns to neutral after the breath: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qGSblK2jlJqZnpI

[@KratosMayhem]

@@avocatious6402 there's nothing I fear about drilling kick patterns lol. There is already enough trial and error in swimming so I want to drill things having the most and correct knowledge going into it than potentially go through unnecessary trial and error before figuring out the correct way I should have started with from the jump. I don't have a coach which I'm fine with since my my background is skateboarding, so I have a knack for teaching myself teaching things. I'm always trying new things just with specific intent to reach a desired outcome so my learning process can be as effeceient as possible. So its important to me that I know what I'm going to drill, I'm going to do correctly. I spent more time with the 4bk timing today, tried both and I prefer breathing on the 123 as it seems like most people that I've seen utilize the pattern do.

[@KratosMayhem]

@@dg5301 spent some more time with it in the pool today and I prefer that way as well. Trying to breathe on the 4/glide kick makes me snake. Next pattern I want to learn is one that I've seen no footage of. Its bilaterally breathing with a 4bk. I experimented with it today but I need to get my bilateral and just breathing on my switch side better with my two beat kick. The rhythm is just a bit too much for me at the moment to pull off BB with a 4bk.

[@JamesPlaysWithCars]

4 beat most of the time, but I recently discovered that for 150+ yd, I am just as fast with 2 beat. Time to work on better glide & efficiency with 4 beat!

[@diegoandres1716]

Yes, I would like to be able to change between different kick beats

[@pakngah3715]

I want to share my swimming learning experience. It was mostly learnt through checking out brilliant youtubes videos like this one. Also, advice from swimmer friends helps. Thanks. (1)Learn to time breath. Gain confidence in water. (2) Once mastered first step, focus on learning arm strokes and gliding in water without bothering about the kicks too much. Learn the glide and arm strokes by breathing ( taking in breath) only on one side first. When mastered, learn to breathe on the other side. Then, learn to breathe on both sides during the swim. Most propulsion from arm strokes. If you get the breathing, arm strokes, and glide right, your speed will pull your legs closer to the surface. (3) Once step two is mastered, focus on learning the two beat kicking stroke. First, learn to kick on one side only. Take in breaths only on the same side. When you mastered one side, learn to master the kicking for the other side. Then, learn to kick using both sides. Once the two beat kicking stroke is mastered, learn the four beat and finally the six beat . It works well for me. Maybe it will work for others who want to learn how to swim.

[@katebeedot6964]

Yes I've learnt this, it gives you the right rhythm (rotate + kick) and it's less tiring plus no sloshing of the water, sometimes I do a quick double kick - just like it

[@matthewconner5378]

Great insightful tip. I haven't been able to get any propulsion out of my 2 beat kick.

[@wbek001]

You're not supposed to. 😊

[@hoegge]

I think the most important reason for the correct time is, that the kick provides the propulsion to make it possible for the arm to move down 'passively' instead of having to force it down, which you will have to if there is no forward motion through the water, in which case you would spend energy on moving the arm down, and also create a momentum / torque that will push the legs down and create drag. So the kick just before and when moving the arm down (the catch) it will not only make the catch "free" but also counteract the tendency for a too powerful catch forcing legs down.

[@ReVoltaire]

excellent analysis. What's missing from this video and most YT swim tutorials is that the fact that at the speed that most recreational swimmers or even average age group triathletes swim (1:45-2:00 per 100y short course), there simply isn't enough momentum sustained from any kind of weak kick through the glide phase. It looks effortless on a pro level swimmer because it is for him/her. But for the consumer of these type of tutorial videos, it's highly unlikely to be workable or effective.

[@logandouglas1466]

Extremely helpful breakdown. Thanks

[@JosephVidalRosset]

Many thanks for this very helpful video. That is exactly the 2-Beat Kick that I want to learn to use with freestyle swimming. It seems simple when you only watch the video, but it is not the case in the swimming pool. I am good at freestyle swimming, but not in the water ! 😂

[@edwarding4355]

I suspect there isn't really a 4 beat kick-- not a symmetrical one at least. It is likelya 3-1-3-1 or a 6 beat with slight 2 making it like a 3-1-3-1

[@brianodonnell1384]

Love this clip. Well done, well explained.

[@ranasalih8288]

Thanks for your beautiful explanation

[@lohbut2]

I never think about where my arm is. It just confuses me more. I just kick at the beginning of the rotation and it pretty much syncs.

[@thepatternforms859]

This is exactly how I swim. It’s the Adam Walker “ocean Walker” tech

[@robohippy]

I have been spending more time with the 2 beat kick for my freestyle, but most of the time I use a 4 or 6 beat kick. I do like sprints..... Another coach started calling the kicks front and back side kicks. This way you don't have the up/down confusion when you go from freestyle to back stroke. Very similar kicks. Interesting to me is that in back stroke, the front side kick seems to link to the opposite side in back stroke. With my over arm side stroke, I swim with a 4 beat kick, but it is a steady 1, 2, 3, 4 rather than the freestyle type 1, 2, 3, roll, then the 1 kick again.

[@dean5565]

this is the vid ive been waiting for! cheers

[@dbo4506]

The way he does it looks slow. There’s a pause before each kick and his hips drop quite a lot. Massive dead spot yeh.?

[@simpleffective186]

this channel is great!

[@johancarsouw9309]

I use de two beat kick and made al lot of progress in the swim style overal. in open water. My pace 100 meter is faster and far more relaxed during the swimming.

[@jackrayburn3956]

Adopted the two beat kick and never looked back.

[@ChrisBeardsley]

I like to come back to 2 beat, especially for long slow swims. I think it is a good mechanical/feel tune up.

[@spunkwater]

At the moment my legs just kind of do what they want ;o). I'm still such a beginner that I am sure I am using too much of my large muscle groups which really fatigue me. As a triathlete, I am worried how this will impact the bike and run on race day. Most days in the pool I get cramps. A weird thing is that I am a musician and have played the drum set for most of my life which led me to think it'd be easy to coordinate my hands and feet in the water, but that hasn't proven to be true! I seem to have the opposite in my mind and need to unlearn it.

[@chopshopmotorsport8143]

Haha same story here. New to swimming to do triathlon. Musician and drummer for 20 years and legs do their own thing in the pool 🤷‍♂️

[@rolf_Landeck]

I kick when it comes to the turning peak to initilize the changing of the side and kick a swift second kick with a pressing against the hip. Also a double kick in a time. I feel comfortable with this. While the arm end its stroke a do not kick at all. Tacktack aaaarm ..Tacktack... armmm

[@07Corcaigh]

My timing would be great if it applied to the opposite leg!

[@barefootbeachrunner9498]

Ive always struggled with a good kick for freestyle as I was a competitive breastroker in my younger years I'm in my late 50's now 59 next birthday Due to years of breastroke,running and also breaking an ankle I don't have a good ROM onmy left foot I can kick 2 beat and 4 beat however I kick and catch on opposite side It feels uncoordinated I can still go 30. On the 50m on a good day but I would like to be able to do better

[@gdellaporta]

How can I learn two beat kick. I’m from Rome, I’m almost 70. In a month I will swim the Sicily Channel, 3,5 km. So far I didn’t find any exercise to start to learn two beat kick. Thank you for your soft, calm and lovely voice. Giorgio Della Porta

[@haidernaqvi87]

I tried this today swam 1km and for the first time in my life my lower back hurting .. perhaps i was arching my back

[@billstella7940]

I find this to be interesting and will try it. Right now I have the ‘Titanic hitting the iceberg’ kick that attempts to keep my feet from sinking. I am sure over time, I’ll get better.

[@gianpaolonoschese7727]

left hand produce resistence to movement because it goes to high, while the movement of right hand is perfect: point of fingers a little bit toward down.

[@hels2608]

Tried this morning and got it wrong. I was kicking the same side as my entry arm, instead of the opposite side. No wonder it felt so unstable and tiring trying to balance myself 😂. Breathing was harder and my neck hurt. No wonder. Will try again tomorrow 🙃

[@wolfman6252]

My kick is so bad. I focus on the kick that keeps me from sinking usually.

[@romvn.9807]

Yeah let me learn to float first, ill be bustin this move out like crazy🤣

[@4K68]

2 beat - pretty exclusively. I think I could work on my timing... thanks

[@Gnarcap]

I’ve always been trained to not bend your knee since it usually results in hip drag and compromising your form but in the video each kick is with a bent knee and hips do appear low.. is this really the best way to save energy when comprising form so much?

[@MrsyidiAdzmi]

I'm still fairly new to learning freestyle but one view which normally people do not highlight is that we kick with the right leg to glide with our left hand. I have been struggling with the rhythm and this helps me a lot, it's pretty much similar with how we move our arm and leg when walking.

[@paulcope5370]

I converted to a two beat kick without meaning to (perhaps subconsciously?). Is there a particular benefit to 2 beat for speed vs distance? It feels natural to me, but I really struggle to get back into a 4 or 6 beat kick. I see very few other people in my local pool doing 2 beat kick. I'm in the middle of the pack for speed, though I swim for longer and further much more comfortably than others in my local pool. P.S. your video suggests I need to adjust my timing with the kick, thanks!

[@duncanstroud2291]

I always swim with a two beat kick. I went swimming immediately after watching this video and noticed I kick at the same time as I start my catch - when my hand enters the water. Not sure this matters? I find I still get good rotation on the pull stage which engages the lays. Any thoughts?

[@naqibullah4830]

My question is... Is it kick and pull on the same side? Like right kick right hand pull and vice versa.

[@yanlizkurt2741]

Two beat kick is the king

[@bikeon143]

I feel that I am kicking harder with this technique and concerned it will haunt me when I climb out and jump on the bike.

[@mathw2703]

I catch left and kick right...having a hard time to turn it around....

[@gengar678]

I use 2 when wearing a suit. I wonder whether this (superstrong) swimmer could benefit from extending his left hand slightly lower, like he is doing with the right?

[@inz_uzi]

He uses it to support himself when taking a breath.

[@gengar678]

@@inz_uzi exactly my point. The supportvector has a backward portion in it, braking as it is.

[@KratosMayhem]

Started swimming six weeks ago and I tried doing drills to learn the 2bk and just couldnt get the rhythm. I just randomly picked it up about two weeks ago when I was doing my first continuous mile in the pool. The rhythm and synchronization just clicked during that swim and I've been using it ever since. I've had the life guard at my pool tell me to kick more last week, so I learned the 4bk earlier this week. Having the 2bk rhythm down made it ez for myself personally to learn. My question is on the 4th kick that has a bit of a snap and initiates that glide should it be on your breathing or non breathing side? With any kick pattern its incorrect to kick on the same side of your hand entry, so I was wondering if there's an incorrect side to initiate your glide/dominant kick in a 4bk or if its just prefrenece?. Ive seen it done both ways. If theres a correct way I want to practice that as to not ingrain bad habits.

[@aleks-lj9yq]

4 bk is too fast for 1 mile.

[@fatue5]

Why do some people teach unilateral vs diagonal kicking? Solomon’s on the same side, but tons of google searches and redit board preach opposite hand/leg

[@boozero4267]

how about the kick with opposite foot?

[@sxsridhar]

Can you show a 2bk drill using a snorkel?

[@joequillun7790]

In distance swimming, is the 2 beat used for propulsion, or just balancing the body through it's stroke?

[@mariathanou6489]

Can I ask… same hand same foot kicking or left hand and right leg kick? I am confused… thank you

[@babaclay]

Two beat for me. I have COPD and have to conserve breath.

[@christoph_wattever]

But his hips are really starting to drop before rotating right? So it's borderline where it gets inefficient?

[@carloskonyay4493]

Yo utilizo el sistema de 2 patadas. Pero tengo el problema de la sincronización de la patada con el agarre. ¿Cómo se puede remediar/ajustar este problema de sincronización/coordinación de la patada con el agarre. Gracias n

[@autokar123]

I do 2-beat kick, because my focus, as a amateur triathlete, is to swim as easy as possible, rather that being very fast. I do 4-beat only when training speed. Is it a good approach?

[@ktech4246]

is it ok to bend the knee with the 2 beat kick?

[@damiansiwek2630]

Hello mate, i have 2 case to you. If i train kicks without board i can elevate a little hips ( i feel that) but i wonder if its correct , is that good way. Dressel said once on vlog " my swim is all about keeps as high as possible hips". And second one : would be awesome to see what power you use to exhale noise before last strong exhale on the paper close noise :p i know seems weird but i have no idea until now.how exhale (after 3 years of swim

[@greenapple1069]

It looks like the swimmer in the video kick from knees

[@Bartosz94]

Is it important to always kick and pull the hand on one side or can I also cross the sides (left leg with right hand and right leg with left hand)?

[@Hillzy96]

I'm no expert but that wouldn't make sense, because the point he's making is that the kick helps you rotate in the correct direction. If you kicked on the other side you might be fighting against your arm and the rotation (hopefully makes sense)

[@workhard534]

It also appears that his left hand does not reach too far below the water surface as he breathes to the right, in comparison to right hand reach…is that done purposefully?

[@raincoastraven]

Pretty sure that's just a difference in technique and the right hand position is better

[@sarahqamar6377]

Wow. Thanks for describing so fine.

[@koi-pond]

I am a two beat kicker but the swimmer in the video has some serious knee bend to his kick. More ankle less knee!!

[@OGDraiiNz]

Is it doing this technique but with the opposite foot kicking? so right kick with right pull? I've gotten used to it and can't change xD

[@rustyheyman214]

2 and 4 beat kick

[@mybabloo]

Your hips are not rotating properly. They are moving like a pendulum so adding drag and imbalance. Compare with the master Mr. Shinji from Total Immersion.

[@nadzrulsalim3062]

For 2 beat kick could we actually do the opposite? Means, kick right and catch left and then kick left and catch right...i felt its a more natural movement just like how we walk and run daily. Please correct me..thanks

[@kelyip4163]

If you did it that way you would be swimming flat with no rotation. Your only way to breathe would be to crane and rotate your neck. The rotation is necessary for gliding and breathing.

[@Rodrigos.godoy86]

I don't count my kicks, is it okay?

[@superdinkydoo]

Surely the swimmer is putting his hand too high in the glide?

[@nishantlanjewar2472]

Are we not going to talk about his head position

[@bonphone4222]

I think he says that 45 degrees or under is okay, it doesn't have to point straight down.

[@Andrei-ld3gw]

Wtf is wrong with the camera man, this is a tutorial for 2 beat kick but it doesn't shoe the legs compeltely

[@lelouchlamperouge3077]

I have hard time doing this. My legs just moving the way we usually walk on a dry land. Right hand, left leg, left hand, ringt leg. It's hard to do the same like in the video. And, the legs keep sinking too, I mean, not streamline.

[@videoxplorer]

I had the same issue. The drill I did was to kicking with the same leg now matter which arm was pulling. On the next lap, switch legs and kick with the other leg only. After a while I felt the difference when pulling with the rotation vs. opposite rotation. From there, it was relatively easy to adjust the pattern, and if I noticed myself as off rhythm, I did the drill for 3-5 pulls until I was back in the groove. After 2-3 swim sessions, I learned to kick the same side leg as the arm that catches. Good luck!!

[@jackrayburn3956]

Keep your head down watching the bottom of the pool and your legs will stay up. Work on coordinating the rotation and the kick. In my case, the two beat kick is a flick of the leg from the hip down with little or no knee bend, mostly just a flick of the lower leg. It will come and will be well worth the effort if your goal is to swim efficiently for distance.

[@inz_uzi]

Actually it is supposed to be like walking. When you walk your right leg moves forwards and your right arm moves backwards at the same time. In swimming direction of the arm movement is the same (from the front of the body to the back) but the movement starts from over head position.

[@thomaslianee7494]

6 beat. Never ever 4 beat as this means you dont have a continuously kick in order to time it correctly with your pull. I see way to often that those with 4 beat misstime kick and stroke and therefore is out of balance.

[@EXPLORADVEN]

🏊🏊🏊❤️❤️❤️🏊🏊🏊

[@brianmcnally9819]

Hi Simon, Thanks for sharing another good video. I swim with a two beat kick. My issue is that as I tire, I glide less and start the catch too soon. Then my timing is off. Brian

[@brianmcnally9819]

Apologies Brenton!

[@inz_uzi]

@@brianmcnally9819 Simon says? 😀

[@spencerreynolds7674]

It was at this moment that I realized I kick with the wrong foot - opposite the hand I am pulling with. Welp.

[@Ibroketherubber]

I thought the kick has to be with the same arm you’re about to do a stroke, or catch with

[@dianaraloporeva1345]

Apreciando a una mujer tan hermosa. 2:1 sentadillas son unos HOTBABY.Uno muchas y un buen ejercicio. 5:25 Se deja ver que hay muy buenos resultados 😍👍 Saludos desde la Cd.. de world losq mortales abian apreciado tan hermosa mujer