The wide frog kick brakes you and loads the knees. How to spot and correct the wedge and swim a clean, symmetrical whip kick that finally drives you forward.
The honest answer to why your breaststroke kick brakes: you're probably doing a frog kick (wedge kick) instead of a whip kick. In the wedge you splay the knees wide and press the legs apart with pointed feet – that barely pushes and heavily loads the inside of the knee.
The difference is decisive: in the whip kick the knees stay narrow (hip-width at most), the feet are flexed and whip together in a fast circle behind you. The pressure comes from the sole of the foot, not from knee width. Narrow and fast beats wide and slow – every time.
This guide is a repair guide: it helps you spot the frog kick in yourself and turn it step by step into a clean, symmetrical whip kick – for more propulsion and less knee pain.
One thing up front: relearning is more uncomfortable than learning fresh. Your old kick feels "right" because it's ingrained – the new one feels foreign at first. That's actually a good sign. Give the rebuild a few sessions and the feeling flips, and the whip kick becomes your new normal.
### 1. Spot your frog kick Two signals: your knees open wider than your hips, and your toes point backward (pointed foot) instead of being flexed. Film yourself from behind or deliberately feel how wide your knees go.
### 2. Flex the feet The most important fix: before the kick, pull the toes toward the shin and turn the soles outward. Only the flexed foot grips water. Without a flexed foot, every kick stays an ineffective wedge.
### 3. Keep the knees narrow Only draw the heels to your bottom while the knees stay hip-width at most. The legs open back and out, not sideways like a frog. Less knee width means less drag and less knee load.
### 4. Check the symmetry A common hidden fault is the scissor kick: one leg whips cleanly, the other wedges or folds out to the side. Both legs must work as mirror images. Asymmetry isn't just slow, it twists one knee unevenly.
### 5. Drill it in isolation Swim the new kick on a board, slow and deliberate, until it feels normal. Check via the glide distance: whip cleanly and you glide noticeably further after each kick than with the old wedge.
The wedge isn't just slow, it's the prime suspect in "breaststroker's knee" – after the shoulder, the knee is the second most common site of swimming complaints, especially in breaststrokers. The wide, twisted leg position stresses the inner knee and the medial collateral ligament. A stabbing pain on the inside of the knee means: drop the volume, check the technique, see a doctor if needed.
Rebuild the kick pain-free and slowly, not with maximum force against a locked knee. The outward turn comes from foot and hip, never from a statically twisted knee joint. Warm the legs up thoroughly before kick sets and only raise the volume once the knee stays quiet.
The fastest self-test at the wall: sit on the pool edge, hang your lower legs in the water and do the kick dry in the air. Do you see your soles pointing outward? Then you're flexing the feet correctly.
If the toes point down like in ballet instead, you've found your frog kick. This one visual check replaces hours of inefficient lap swimming.
### How do I get rid of the frog kick? Two levers: flex the feet (toes to shin, soles outward) and keep the knees narrow (hip-width at most). Drill the new kick slowly on a board until it feels normal. Track progress by the glide distance after each kick.
### Why is the whip kick better than the frog kick? Because the flexed, outward-turned foot grips water and the narrow, fast whip creates more propulsion with less drag. The wide wedge with pointed feet barely pushes and additionally loads the knee. For speed and joint protection the whip kick is clearly superior.
### What is a scissor kick in breaststroke? An asymmetric kick: one leg whips cleanly, the other wedges or folds out to the side. That costs propulsion and twists one knee unevenly. Deliberately make sure both legs work as mirror images – video from behind reliably exposes the scissor.
### Is the frog kick linked to my knee pain? Very likely. The wide, twisted leg position of the wedge is a main risk for "breaststroker's knee" with irritation on the inner side. Narrower knees and a clean outward foot turn from the hip unload the joint. For persistent pain, get it checked medically.
### How long does relearning take? Expect a few sessions of focused practice before the new pattern holds automatically. An old kick is deeply ingrained and returns under load. So drill the whip kick slowly and in isolation first before transferring it into fast swimming.
Breaststroker's Knee: How to Protect Your Inner Ligament