How to Stop Overkicking While Practicing Backstroke

Regain Efficiency, Reduce Fatigue, and Swim Faster by Mastering the Art of the Controlled Flutter 

Backstroke — with its serene, sky-gazing rhythm — should feel smooth, balanced, and sustainable. But if you’re gasping for air, your legs are burning after 50 meters, or your hips are sinking despite furious kicking… you might be overkicking.

Overkicking — using excessive, large-amplitude, or knee-driven flutter kicks — is one of the most common technique flaws in backstroke. It drains energy, creates drag, and throws off body alignment. The good news? It’s fixable.

In this guide, you’ll learn why overkicking happens, how to recognize it, and — most importantly — how to correct it with targeted drills, cues, and training strategies so you can glide farther, kick smarter, and swim faster.

🚨 Why Overkicking Ruins Your Backstroke

Overkicking doesn’t just tire you out — it actively works against you:

❌ Wastes Energy — Legs consume massive oxygen; inefficient kicking burns through reserves fast.

❌ Creates Drag — Big, splashy kicks lift your knees, dropping your hips and increasing frontal resistance.

❌ Disrupts Body Line — Excessive motion breaks streamline, causing “bounce” or “wiggle.”

❌ Reduces Propulsion — Power comes from small, fast kicks — not wild thrashing.

“Your legs aren’t propellers — they’re stabilizers. Kick to balance, not to bulldoze.”— Coach Eddie Reese, 12x NCAA Champion  

🔍 How to Know If You’re Overkicking

Here’s what overkicking looks like — and feels like:

🎯 Visual Signs:

• Knees breaking the surface

• Big splashes behind you

• Legs “bicycling” instead of fluttering

• Hips visibly bobbing up and down

🧘‍♂️ Sensory Signs:

• Quads or hip flexors burning within 25m

• Feeling “out of breath” even at moderate pace

• Lower back strain or tightness

• Feeling like you’re working harder than you’re moving

💡 Ask a coach to film you underwater — or record yourself with a waterproof phone. Overkicking is often invisible to the swimmer.  

🛠️ 5 Proven Strategies to Stop Overkicking

1. Relearn Kick Mechanics: Hips, Not Knees 

The Fix: Initiate the kick from your hips, not your knees. Think “flutter,” not “bicycle.”

✅ Drill: Vertical Kicking (No Hands) 

• In deep water, cross arms over chest.

• Kick to keep head above water — but keep knees submerged.

• Focus: Small, fast kicks from the hip flexors and glutes.

• Do 4 x 30 seconds. Rest 30s between.

Cue: “Kick from your belly button down — not your kneecaps.”  

2. Use a Tempo Trainer to Control Kick Rate 

The Fix: Overkickers often kick too slowly with too much force. Speed up the tempo to reduce amplitude.

✅ Drill: Tempo-Controlled Back Kick 

• Set Tempo Trainer to 1.8–2.2 beeps/second (adjust to your level).

• On your back, kick to match each beep — small, quick pulses.

• Use fins initially to feel the rhythm, then remove.

Cue: “Fast feet, quiet water.”  

3. Add Drag to Force Efficiency 

The Fix: Paradoxically, adding resistance teaches you to kick smarter — not harder.

✅ Drill: Drag Sox or Parachute Kicking 

• Wear drag socks or attach a light parachute.

• Swim 4 x 50m backstroke easy — focus on minimizing knee bend and keeping kick compact.

• You’ll naturally reduce amplitude to fight less drag.

Cue: “Long body, small kick — let the drag teach you economy.”  

4. Streamline Kick Off Every Wall 

The Fix: Reinforce proper body position and kick mechanics from the most hydrodynamic position.

✅ Drill: Streamline Dolphin-to-Flutter Transition 

• Push off in tight streamline.

• Do 3–5 underwater dolphin kicks.

• Transition smoothly to small flutter kick while maintaining body line.

• Surface and continue 25m backstroke — keep that same tight core and hip-driven kick.

Cue: “Keep the streamline feeling — even when you’re on the surface.”  

5. Kick on Your Side (6-Kick Switch Drill) 

The Fix: Side kicking teaches core stability and removes the temptation to “pedal.”

✅ Drill: 6-Kick Switch (Backstroke Version) 

• Start on your back, one arm extended overhead, other at side.

• Take 6 small, fast flutter kicks.

• Roll gently to your side (like a rotisserie chicken), keeping hips high.

• Take 6 more kicks on your side.

• Roll back to back — repeat.

• Do 4 x 50m.

Cue: “Roll with your core — kick with your hips.”  

🎯 Bonus: Equipment That Helps (and Hurts)

✅ HELPFUL:

• Short Blade Fins — Teach proper mechanics without overloading knees

• Snorkel — Removes breath timing stress so you can focus purely on kick

• Tempo Trainer — Enforces rhythm and rate control

• Pull Buoy (Used Strategically) — Place between thighs to “lock” knees and force hip-initiated motion (use sparingly — don’t become dependent)

❌ HARMFUL:

• Long Paddle Fins — Encourage big, slow, knee-driven kicks

• Ankle Weights — Increase injury risk and reinforce bad mechanics

• Overuse of Kickboard on Back — Can arch lower back and promote knee bend

📅 Sample “Stop Overkicking” Practice Set (45 Minutes)

Warm-Up:   

• 300m easy choice + 4 x 50m drills (catch-up, side kick)

Technique Focus:   

• 4 x 25m Vertical Kicking (no hands) — 30s rest

• 4 x 25m Tempo Back Kick (Tempo Trainer @ 2.0s) — 20s rest

• 4 x 25m Streamline Transition Kicks (dolphin → flutter) — 30s rest

Main Set:   

• 6 x 50m Backstroke @ moderate pace

  • Focus: “Small kick, high hips, quiet splash”

  • Count strokes — aim for consistency

  • Rest: 30s

Pull Buoy Reset (Optional):   

• 2 x 50m backstroke with pull buoy between thighs — feel hip-driven motion

• Remove buoy, repeat 2 x 50m — replicate the feeling

Cool-Down:   

• 200m easy backstroke + 5 min stretching (quads, hip flexors, hamstrings)

💬 Coaching Cues That Stick

Use these mental triggers during every backstroke set:

🐠 “Kick like a mermaid — not a windmill.”

🌊 “Your kick should whisper — not shout.”

🧱 “Hips are bricks — legs are feathers.”

🎵 “Small, fast, and steady — like a metronome.”

🚫 “If you see your knees — you’re doing it wrong.”  

📈 How to Track Progress

• Video Analysis: Compare kick amplitude and knee bend over 4 weeks.

• Stroke Count: Efficient kicking = longer glide = fewer strokes per 25.

• Perceived Effort: Rate exertion on a 1–10 scale — over time, same pace should feel easier.

• Heart Rate: Monitor HR after 100m back — should decrease as efficiency improves.

Final Thoughts

Overkicking is a habit — and like all habits, it can be unlearned. By retraining your neuromuscular system to initiate kicks from the hips, control amplitude, and prioritize rhythm over force, you’ll transform your backstroke from exhausting to effortless.

Remember: backstroke is won above the water — with clean rotation, perfect timing, and a relaxed recovery. Your legs? They’re just along for the ride — keeping you balanced, stable, and streamlined.

So quiet the splash. Calm the knees. Let your hips lead.

Your smoothest, fastest, most efficient backstroke is just a few small kicks away.

Less kick. More glide. All speed. 

Because in backstroke, silence is speed — and control is power. 🌌🏊‍♂️