Katie Ledecky 1500m Kicking Technique

This clip is taken from Tokyo Olympics 2020. Ledecky only used 1-beat, 2-beat & 4-beat hybrid kicks throughout the race.
#tokyo2020
#katieledecky
#freestyleswimming

[@musaadfelton3909]

I adopted this same technique with the kick in the feet. That 2 beat kick is just to lift the feet to keep the feet close to the surface. It keeps a person more streamline. Keeps your legs from sinking and prevents drag. I swim waaaaay longer and with less effort now

[@henrikmadsen6446]

I got to question how much lift her suit gives her, and how much less uplift from kicks are needed because of the suit. Would it be possible in speedos or naked?

[@musaadfelton3909]

@@henrikmadsen6446 Yes definitely. I just wear a normal shorts. Yesterday I swam 3 kilometers in a pool. About a year ago I couldn't even swim 2 laps in a 25m pool. After 2 laps I would be tired. I have been teaching myself by analyzing the 2 beat kick from youtube videos. Now people ask me if I'm training for an event. People think I'm a swimming athlete. Everywhere I go people ask me what event I'm practicing for. I've never swam any event before. I never ever called myself a swimmer. Now after 1 year..I can swim 30 to 40 laps non stop. That's like 1 kilometer. I now feel like I'm just floating in the water. I don't swim very fast but it's not a slow speed. I swim faster than all the lifeguards at the pool. So I guess my technique has improved if I can outswim the lifeguards. I'm now training to try and take part in a triathlon. So yep this swimming technique works without any suit that gives buoyancy. Obviously a wetsuit or suit like the one in the video helps with buoyancy but the swim technique keeps you balanced so you don't sink.

[@ilarionispas5104]

@@henrikmadsen6446 do you think it will not be possible just because of the suit? Is that how much of a difference can the suit do?

[@purpleblueunicorn]

​@@henrikmadsen6446At the speed she is going, she will be floating for sure.

[@lgdneuro9586]

@@henrikmadsen6446 I am retty sure it doesnt matter. THey dont train with fast skin suits......

[@ytnatsnokka5853]

omg!! the whole life i was angry on myself that I swim in 2-beat kick, i didn't know it is style, i just thougt it is just lack of my coordination (i simply can't kick 4-beat); now i know that this is just a style that does not make me worst, thank you a lot, that's life changer!!! ❤

[@theunknownleaf409]

Different kicking styles favor different types of swimming! 1-2 beats favors distance, using minimal effort to mostly stabilize your core. 4 beats are generally used in mid-distance, and 6+ is almost unsustainable in anything other than a sprint. This is just the rambling of a middling HS swimmer, so take it with a grain of salt. 😅 Don't beat yourself up about it!

[@DavidJohnColemanII]

It’s not just style it has function and purpose. It fits Katie’s technique and strengths

[@johanahda4233]

I am a 2 beat kick free only 😌

[@purpleblueunicorn]

I also 2-beat kick, but understand that if you can't 6-beat kick properly, you're probably not doing 2-beat kick efficiently either. So now I sometimes do 6-beat to work the feel of it. I also always breath on the same side, not great.

[@swimwithbehnan]

@@theunknownleaf409 popovici produce 8 beat in 100 nad 200m free

[@joequillun7790]

An outstanding swimmer, and good video. Hope to see Katie swim soon. Thanks for posting.

[@LubricatedHeelys]

So you’re telling me when my coach was mad at me for my lack of kicking I could’ve just said I was trying to swim like Katie Ledecky?

[@Hs-id2ov]

Exactly

[@harris4874]

I sort of agree with your coach because we are not Katie Ledecky😅😅😅

[@aylawestfall703]

Im so glad this technique has an official name! I've been watching her style closely and am amazed at how well it works for her. Wondering if this will be the next generations Fosbury Flop

[@tmsztrsz]

Her timing and power are incredible

[@cont3ssa]

It's an asymmetrical swimming style but it looks extremely smooth and obviously performes perfectly 💪😎

[@이니S]

​분홍색 비키니 수영복 @GeorgeGeorge-by2lf

[@ilarionispas5104]

Why you call it asymmetrical, can you please elaborate? Is it because she kicks the opposite leg to the stroking hand

[@cont3ssa]

@ilarionispas5104 I called it so because I thought she is only breathing to the right side. The feet are sometimes kicking in a different manner.

[@Utgmjh_474]

​@@ilarionispas5104Strength,rotation in left and right kick is quite different

[@file4318]

Couldn't have picked a better song, it just fits the swim so well

[@marcozocker1963]

Fire Breathers - Heat; the good part starts at 0:30

[@theunknownleaf409]

Yeah, I noticed that the strokes were on beat like halfway through. Good editing!

[@himanshusparikh]

Very smooth and very effective kicks

[@writethisthat3613]

3:10 left lower leg and left forearm are essentially parallel during the kick/pull phase

[@stevehilts4159]

Changed my 6 beat kick to a 2 beat and was able to finish an 8 mile ocean water swim. Swim For Alligator Lighthouse.

[@libdmayw-z6s]

What a beautiful form !

[@tonyshihoutang6576]

I joined club & learning swimming freestyle since 2023 February . Now I can swim one beat kick 😅. . actually it quite easy . Not tough as you think . What experience the more you kick the more energy you gonna use and tiring. So less kick mean more reserved energy in my opinion

[@antronero5970]

Love the music

[@marcozocker1963]

Fire Breathers - Heat; the good part starts at 0:30

[@antronero5970]

Thanks!

[@mrlee9213]

Katie is my hero

[@wentianhe5195]

I hope I can swim this smooth in 2 years

[@stevenhyde6225]

Great to watch. What song is this. Thankyou for the vid...

[@GeorgeJarvis-o6i]

Simply the fast style of TI swimming, plenty of vids on here showing you how.👍

[@manuelenriquez560]

Katie Ledecky de lejos la campeona su estilo para nadar es unico Que bien⭐⭐⭐

[@himanshusparikh]

Superb

[@himanshusparikh]

Great

[@newpageinmylife]

best swimmer i have ever seen .Imagine if she was as tall as Phelps .Her technique is flawless

[@ShaferHart]

She would still lose to Phelps like every other Olympian that's as tall as him and they still lose 😂

[@ShaferHart]

She would also not have the power to swim faster even if she was that tall, the sport is separate for a reason. Not sure why you bring up Phelps, it's like you need to put men down. Fmnnnsm has really done a number on you people 😕

[@oktojack]

My age group coaches would have chewed me out for a 1 beat kick. Amazing

[@file4318]

Fair enough tbh lol

[@edgarjuliobarrongonzalez9777]

Woooow wounderfull!!👏🏊

[@soniamunozbravo2990]

Wow... es una sirena! Bravo 👏

[@writethisthat3613]

You could easily argue her 2 beat is barely a kick, mostly a rudder to balance.

[@mikeshawn5864]

Look carefully. It is powerful kick from hip down like a fish tail.

[@lohbut2]

Agree. Balance. It assists in rotatation and keeping her hips up and streamlined. When she’s in the 1 beat kick, it’s from her opposite leg she turns her head to breathe from. More balance.

[@sagamauga8074]

Got the Brain

[@LeticiaFWirth]

Does she do a slight up and down head movement after she breathes or am I seeing wrong? My coach always tells me to keep the head super still.

[@a_a9221]

She is doing hybrid driven freestyle the head movement will be slightly different. Not mention she is using that down to drill down forward momentum. Hybrid driven freestyle is really different than hip driven.

[@jeroenpotma4191]

Yes, she lifts her head a bit, and also het upoer body with it. It goes in the flow of movement and doesnt sink her legs though.

[@uzdik.student]

Does she breathe every 2 strokes?

[@danielpizarro6496]

Que HERMOSURAA verla nadar....saludos

[@BelleMorue]

Nice, I swim like that. I was asking if I made a mistake because I don't move much faster, I only work on my torque to sprint. This technic give me less friction and I slide much more.

[@JeannetteTengue]

Tu est superbe 😍😍 j'adore trop

[@lunetic0991]

Why does ledekcy use left foot to kick 1 beat instead of right?

[@jorgeclar7852]

Los super dotados hacen los que les parecen y te pasan por encima igual ❤

[@rauze4393]

This woman is incredible

[@Kevin-qj7fp]

im curious katie ledeckys technique could you thereticly improve on it so that you use your bodies core to turn more like a propeller from side to side while using your arms to do most of the gliding and your feet with a mix of katie ledecky + propeller turning (of course your kicking/turning in an arc ) (each foot arcs 180degrees as you kick to use that 180degrees like a propeller balde turning in a circle

[@Kevin-qj7fp]

in this video shes doing 2 kicks but if you did it kinda of my way you would kind of prolong those 2 kicks further increasing purpulsion and increasing gliding and decreasing drag as your kicking like a propeller /katie ledecky while arternating your hand strokes

[@Kevin-qj7fp]

i might be on to something even tho im not a pro swimmer idk swimmers let me know on this and go test it

[@barracuda7018]

İmpossible to beat...

[@samxyx]

How unique is this style of kicking? I know nothing about competitive swimming. Just trying to figure out how someone can be so dominant on a world stage

[@fubiao9149]

Will/have other swimmers start to copy her technique?

[@cwr8618]

For the regular schmoes like me, any take aways? This is Olympic swimming, a level which nearly nobody is at. Other than watching in awe, what do I do with this information

[@johnds1963]

Keep your feet out of the way, and pull like hell as fast as hell!

[@Quacker701]

Try swimming with less kicks. It takes a lot less energy, feels totally different. Also notice how her kicks are synced with her pulls, essentially making her push both at the same time. Those things combined makes it a lot easier to go farther distances

[@cwr8618]

@@Quacker701 i'll try tomorrow

[@cwr8618]

@@Quacker701 very hard to adjust kicks. Kept getting off balance and screwing up my rhythm

[@Quacker701]

@@cwr8618 I totally agree with you there! It took me 3wks to get myself sorted. And some days, I still mess it up. I'm sure I looked funny as hell working on it too. But it paid off and I feel like I enjoy it more and can swim for longer distances. For me part of the key was finding the rhythm with the rotation of my body. If I don't rotate my body as much, I loose that rhythm.

[@tecnicanio]

Es una maquina perfecta! Mental, fisica y coordinación

[@lgdneuro9586]

To everyone saying "Oh look I swim like Katie with a 2 BK"'....dont ignore the fact she has a very hight stroke rate and with such high stroke rate this kind of 1 bk wouldnt work....

[@jon-williammurphy9780]

Breathes every 2, and switches from L to R each lap

[@KhoiNguyen-gr2ie]

CÔ ấy như 1 con rái cá thực thụ tôi hâm mộ cô ấy❤

[@wilson4019]

Idol ❤👏👏

[@skrzydlatesowa4921]

💥💥💥

[@낭만백작-g9k]

Good 👏👏👏

[@Princesa_Arkusha]

Su técnica es casi similar a la de Laure Manaudou 😱

[@F3r.n4n.d0]

My name is Giovani Giorgio but everybody calls me...

[@lamh5265]

Looks like upper body strength.

[@tienvu648]

it seem like she only 1 beat kick, when breathing, the kick is very light

[@albert3941]

song?

[@marcozocker1963]

Fire Breathers - Heat; the good part starts at 0:30

[@jookm02]

존나멋잇다

[@cheachyang3502]

Only 2 kick per set? Can be faster😮?

[@hkkhgffh3613]

It's on the long distance. At 100m people use more kicks.

[@braeden-rz2qm]

I'm kinda surprised shes 2 minutes slower than her old and world record

[@elvisevillive]

Holly her leg work during 1 beat kick looks like her legs got obsessed with demons

[@madhavdubey7867]

i won't be surprised if she identifies herself as a mermaid.

[@Rrabbit_swim]

I slowed the video down and she doesn't look like she was kicking

[@baraklevy3344]

i guess very high SPM does the job with a good body position...

[@turankara8528]

I think she swims better than men. If she were as strong as a male swimmer, she would break the men's record too...

[@luisalbertocarrasconfrutos5094]

Yep but she is An Amazing WOMEN, she is unique by her self ❤❤

[@file4318]

Maybe, she is amazing but if she were in a male body, that technique would not work. It relies on a higher body fat percentage to stay high in the water.

[@1ThaiSurfer]

I know she love KFC.

[@bestonemusic]

Are you blind she kicks only with her left foot

[@johnds1963]

Truly a 1 beat kick

[@joejoe-lb6bw]

She varies the kick. Sometimes she kick more.

[@bestonemusic]

Yeah she does the same with food sometimes she eats more @@joejoe-lb6bw

[@Ana-iy8hq]

She keeps the 1 kick when she wants to keep the same rhythm- when she's already ahead.

[@akumahulky4403]

There is hardly any kick,it's all in the arms

[@TatianaMirov]

Looks like upper body strength.