Stroke Fundamentals
Volume V
Underwater Kicking
Underwater kicking decides races.
You’ve seen it:
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Your swimmer is even at the turn… and gets left behind off the wall.
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Some swimmers can kick fast underwater but only do it when they feel like it.
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Others dolphin kick twice, pop up, and start churning away.
You tell them “more kicks,” “kick harder,” “stay under longer”… and nothing really changes.
You can only yell cues so many times before they stop meaning anything.
If your swimmers can’t:
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Stay stable
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Generate real propulsion
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Kick effectively in both directions
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And hold a streamlined posture while they do it
then their underwaters will always be a liability instead of an advantage.
The problem isn’t that you don’t know underwater kicking is important.
The problem is that most attempts to train it are:
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Vague (“better underwater”)
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Hard to coach in a group
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Bolted on as a few 25s instead of integrated into the work
Stroke Fundamentals Volume 5 – Underwater Kicking shows you how to turn underwater kicking into a trainable skill that fits inside the practices you already write.
I’ve spent the last 20+ years coaching swimmers from beginners to Olympians and building skill development systems for clubs around the world. This book is the exact process I use to help teams turn underwaters from a weakness into a weapon – without sacrificing real training.
On my main site, Stroke Fundamentals Volume 5 – Underwater Kicking is $49.
Because you came here from my email list (after downloading ‘Develop The Foundational Underwater Kicking Skill’), you’re getting subscriber‑only pricing on this page: just $9.
If you already know underwaters are a limiter for your group, you can get instant access here:
When you get Stroke Fundamentals Volume 5 – Underwater Kicking, you’ll receive a digital manual (PDF) plus video walk‑throughs for the key skills, drills, and example sets.
This is the full manual, not a shortened or “lite” version.
What This Resource Covers
1. The 4 Key Skills of Fast Underwater Kicking
You’ll learn:
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Which simple skills actually drive underwater speed:
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Maintain a stable platform
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Create as much propulsion as possible
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Maintain equal propulsion and tempo in both directions
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Maintain a posture that reduces resistance
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What those skills look like in real swimmers (with video examples)
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How to explain them in plain language so your athletes know what they’re trying to feel
Instead of chasing 100 tiny technical details, you’ll have 4 clear skills to train. When those improve, underwaters improve.
2. Drills and Training Activities That Build Those Skills
You’ll see how to use:
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Stability drills (wall kick, vertical kick variations, objects in streamline, arms across chest/head) to create a solid platform
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Propulsion drills (resisted kicking, Flipper Kick, backward vertical kick, surface dolphin variations) to teach swimmers to “hold water” with the feet and shins
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Bidirectional kicking drills (different vertical kicks, side kicking, 360° kick, opposite‑side work) to get pressure and foot speed in both directions
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Posture / alignment drills (fins for overspeed, clothing, amplitude exploration, non‑streamline arm positions) to help swimmers feel resistance and reduce it
All of these:
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Use full kicking and undulation (not isolated pieces)
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Are designed to be trained, not tip‑toed through in warm‑up
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Work at different intensities: sprint, pace, aerobic
You’re not guessing what drills might help. You’re picking from a short list of proven options that do most of the coaching for you.
3. How To Turn Drills Into Faster Underwaters In Practice
Strategies only matter if they show up in sets your swimmers actually do.
You’ll get a simple framework to:
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Decide which underwater skill you’re targeting (stability, propulsion, bidirectional kicking, posture)
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Choose the right training context (skill work, endurance, race training, speed)
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Select the right tools (resistance, fins, clothing, timing, etc.)
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Match the challenge to your swimmers’ level so they can be successful and improve
Then we walk through:
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How to write simple but effective underwater-focused sets
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How to sequence drills → underwater kick → swimming so skills actually transfer
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How to adjust sets on the fly when they’re too easy or too hard
So you’re not hoping underwaters get better. You’re running a process designed to make them better.
Ready to start building better underwaters into tomorrow’s practice?
Bonus: The Underwater Kicking Implementation Pack
To make sure you can put all of this to work immediately, you also get:
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Drill checklists for each key skill
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Stability
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Propulsion
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Bidirectional kicking
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Posture / alignment
So you can quickly pick the 2–3 best exercises for your group and train them hard.
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Example set templates that show how to:
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Mix drills and underwater kicks in the same set
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Combine drill complexes with swimming and underwater work
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Drop underwater skills into kick sets and swim sets without blowing up your plan
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Multiple “drill sequences” demonstrating:
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How to go from vertical work → underwater kicking with aids → race‑style underwaters
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How to link less‑specific drills to highly specific underwater execution
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Video walk‑throughs for the premade sets
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What each part is doing
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Why it’s there
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What swimmers should be focused on
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You’re not just getting ideas. You’re getting finished, pressure‑tested examples and the thinking behind them.
Who This Is For
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Age-group coaches who want to teach good underwaters early and make them automatic.
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Senior and college coaches who are tired of losing races off the walls and want a clear system to fix it.
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Any coach who knows underwaters win races but doesn’t want to waste time on “cute” drills that never show up when swimmers are tired.
If you’re writing sets and you want your swimmers to have faster, more consistent underwaters – not just “more kicks” – this is for you.
Price, Guarantee, and How To Get It
On my main site, Stroke Fundamentals Volume 5 – Underwater Kicking is $49.
Because you came here through my email sequence, you get the same full resource for just $9 on this page.
Your price today: $9
This product has a lifetime guarantee. If you’re not 100% satisfied with your investment, email me and I’ll refund your money quickly. No questions asked.
If you’re on the fence, you might as well see if Stroke Fundamentals Volume 5 – Underwater Kicking is right for you. There’s no risk. If it’s not helpful, you get your money back.
Prefer PayPal?
Open a new tab and go to www.paypal.me/masteringflowLLC.
Include your name, email, and “Stroke Fundamentals Volume 5 Underwater Kicking – $9 email offer” in the notes, and I’ll connect with you.
Keep it simple…
Andrew
FAQS
How is the information provided?
To make sure you understand exactly what skills are important, and you understand the skills, I provide written descriptions and videos of swimmers executing the key skills. During the videos, I describe what’s happening, so you have an even better sense of the skills. Same thing with all the skill development exercises. I describe them, I show them, and I explain them. That way you know what to do and how to do it.
For what age and ability levels is this information designed for?
While this isn’t designed to help swimmers learn to swim for the first time, it’s intended to be used when coaching swimmers of all abilities. If they can swim legal strokes, they’ll benefit. The skills of fast swimming are the same for all swimmers of all ages. This is particularly true as I focus on the fundamental principles that universally build speed. All swimmers need to get better and better at executing the key skills, and certain strategies are more effective than others.
Even if you coach really novice swimmers, it’s important to have a rock-solid understanding of where they need to get to eventually. You need to know the strategies that will be most effective to get there. In terms of the solutions designed to improve these skills, the vast majority can be performed by swimmers of all ages and ability levels. While there are more difficult exercises, most can be performed by those capable of executing legal strokes.
What if I’m not sure how to put this into practice?
I show you which strategies to use to improve each skill. There’s also a section on basic set design to show you how to use these strategies when creating sets. There are also 20+ training sets per stroke so you can see examples of what effective sets look like. You’ll have information you need to get started, and then you’ll be able use your skill as a coach to continue to innovate and design sets to help your swimmers.
Is this a physical book?
No. The written documents are PDF files that you can read on any device. Within each PDF, there are links to unlisted YouTube videos so that you have access to all the different videos wherever you are. I am also including all the ‘hard copy’ video files so that you have access to them offline.
Are dryland exercises covered?
No. The focus is on the skills in the water and how to improve those skills with water training. While I believe that dryland is important, I am keeping the information focused to the work that takes place in the water.
Are turns covered?
Improving starts and turns is a topic in and of itself, and that requires its own dedicated attention. Starts and turn will be covered in the future.
I am a swimmer that does not have a coach. Will this information help me?
While the information is written for coaches, it provides clear information about the important skills swimmers must develop to improve their speed. The exercises involved are also designed to minimize the amount of ‘coaching’ that is required. In that respect, the information can be of value to a self-coached athlete, and you should learn multiple ways to improve. However, it is not necessarily designed for that purpose.