How to stop bent knee kicking

[CoachPaulB]

So I have a student who for some reason bends her knee during kicking. I have tried putting her on a kick board, done underwater video, vertical treading water with hands/wrists raised and had her watch videos of proper flick kick.
Does anyone know what else I can offer her to get her to start to kick from her hip/pelvis, or thigh?
By the way she is quite athletic and for the most part has a good understanding of TI swimming techniques.
Any help would be appreciated.

Coach PaulB

[Scotty]

Coach Paul:

I was a bent knee kicker for a long time, and did not realize how severe it was until I saw the underwater video from a TI workshop. Focusing on kicking from the core helped me quite a bit. What really corrected the problem was focusing on pointing the toes to the back wall. That action goes a long way to straightening the kick.

Scotty

[drmike]

Among other things, e.g., pointing the toes behind you, a dry land exercise helped me learn to kick from the hip: Rest the torso on a bed, hold the legs over the edge, and kick, from the hip of course. The reduced complexity of motion compared to moving though water seems to compel attention to leg motion and helps entrain a hip-to-toes flow. However, if the goal is an economical 2BK for distance swimming, you may spend months or years trying to unlearn the energy-intensive 6BK that results fro this ancient routine.

Mike M.

[CoachStuartMcDougal]

I have had several bicycle kickers, and use a focal point I learned from Fiona that really does help remedy this problem. Kick from top of foot focal-point and quiet the kick through refining balance; bicycle kick is largely a consequence of poor balance. Have student feel the pressure focal point top of foot pressing downward to pool bottom in superman and/or skate drills. Any pressure on the calves causes hip sink. And often I've held my palm below the student's foot during drill and ask student to "toe flick" touching my palm; alternate between left/right foot standing to one side.

Happy Swimming and Toe Flicking!

Stuart

[Zanna]

Coach Paul, Have you read this thread: http://www.totalimmersion.net/forum/...ead.php?t=3318

The description of the kick in this was a big insight to me. Perhaps it would help your student.

[Ladyfish]

Have the person squeeze their glutes when they kick. It is very difficult to do this and also pedal the kick. This will actually create a straight leg, scissor kick which isn't ideal either but it is a nice first step.

Find a physical therapist with many years of experience in how to fix bow legs

Find a physical therapist with many years of experience in how to fix bow legs
http://yourlifebalancing.com/how-to-fix-bow-legs/

[daveblt]

I can relate to bent knee kicking because it is something that took me a long time to correct . Like coach Stuart mentioned I think balance is first and most important .This video below has been posted here before and the info seemed to help me quite a bit . By engaging the lower back muscles and the muscles in the glutes and back of the thighs (with legs close together) helps to pull the legs up to help keep them more relaxed and so your more balanced . Once that happens then it will be easier to kick properly .When I first tried this It felt like I could float right through the water with lighter legs a more relaxed core and an easier two beat kick. .And like I mentioned above ,it seems easier to keep the legs straight so the knees don't bend when the legs are fairly close together when you swim.

Dave
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oW5nE5FBPsQ