Duck Feet
Swimmers practise 'duck feet' – flexed and turned out – so their breaststroke kick pushes water instead of slicing through it.
- Stages
- Stage 3, Stage 4, Stage 5
- Difficulty
- Developing
- Skills
- Breaststroke Kick
- Equipment
- Float
- Age
- 6–99 years
- Group size
- 1–10 swimmers
- Time
- About 4 minutes
- In a lesson
- Skill Development 1, Skill Development 2
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
Safety notes
- Mind other swimmers – the kick sweeps wide.
What it develops
- Kick on the front, back and side
- Show early actions for all four strokes
- Show an effective breaststroke leg action
- Breaststroke with effective kick, glide and timing
How to run it
- On poolside or the edge, show ballet toes (pointed) and duck feet (flexed, turned out).
- Sitting on the edge, swimmers make duck feet and push water in a circle.
- In the water, on the wall or with a float, they kick with duck feet.
- Compare: which feet pushed you further?
Teaching cues
- Duck feet!
- Toes out.
- Push with the soles.
Make it easier
- Kick on the back holding a float to see the feet.
- Teacher holds and shapes the feet.
Make it harder
- Kick across with no float, arms streamlined.
- Count kicks to cross – fewer means better duck feet.
Common faults
- Toes pointed so the feet slice through the water.
- Feet turning inwards.
Corrections
- 'Show me the bottom of your feet.'
- 'Toes to your knees, then out.'
Assistant / L1 role
- Work with swimmers whose feet turn in, holding the heels and turning the feet out through the kick.