Which freestyle kick pattern should you use in a triathlon (2-beat, 4-beat or 6-beat kick)

We recommend triathletes to swim with a two-beat kick. With this technique, each arm stroke is accompanied by one short kick. This helps to support the body rotation and at the same time prevents the legs from sinking. As a result, all the energy can be used for the arm stroke while the legs stay fresh for the subsequent bike and run course.

Even world record swimmers like Katie Ledecky or Gregorio Paltrinieri rely on a two-beat kick for distances of 800 meters and more. And they don’t need their legs for two other disciplines after swimming like triathletes. Additionally, in many triathlon competitions neoprene suits are allowed which already supports the body position well.

As a triathlete, one often experiences the situation in the swimming pool that the legs are tired from the other two disciplines. Instead of training with heavy legs resulting in a bad body position and a bad swimming style, we recommend using a pull buoy and focusing entirely on your arm stroke.

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Our articles on swimming training in triathlon:

How to swim faster in a sprint triathlon? How to swim faster in an Olympic triathlon?

Helpful resources to train more effectively and swim faster

Are you looking for an app to help keep your motivation to swim high? Download the Swim Coach App now. More other articles on swimming training:

20 tips to swim faster →
5 workouts to swim faster
How to swim faster 50 meter freestyle
How to swim faster 100 meter freestyle
How to swim faster 200 meter freestyle
How to swim faster 400 meter freestyle
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