Poll: Where were you (first) introduced to the frog kick (mastery not required)?

[turnerjd]

I am surprised that so many people confuse the standard breast stroke (scissor kick) with the frog kick. As it was explained to me, the scissor kick you bring your feet up to your bum with your knees down, and then the kick continues from there with the feet resting in a line with the body.

The frog kick, if done properly has the thighs level with the body and the calves almost vertically upwards (feet well above the body), and the power comes in part from rotating the ankles and then from the calves as you bring the legs together.

There was a good GUE video on youtube a couple of years ago showing the difference between the two.

Jon

 

[Quero]

I am surprised that so many people confuse the standard breast stroke (scissor kick) with the frog kick. As it was explained to me, the scissor kick you bring your feet up to your bum with your knees down, and then the kick continues from there with the feet resting in a line with the body.

The frog kick, if done properly has the thighs level with the body and the calves almost vertically upwards (feet well above the body), and the power comes in part from rotating the ankles and then from the calves as you bring the legs together.

There was a good GUE video on youtube a couple of years ago showing the difference between the two.

Jon

Jon, I think you are confusing the frog kick used with the breast stroke and the scissors kick used with the side stroke.

Scissors kick: the heels are first tucked behind the body. The top leg, nearest the surface, is extended forward and the leg on the bottom leg is extended back. Power is generated when the legs are brought together to the glide position.
Frog kick: the heels are first tucked behind the body. Both legs are extended to the sides. Power is generated when the legs are brought together to the glide position. Breaststroke lesson - How about them legs?

I do think that what GUE calls a frog kick is different from the swimming frog kick. When swimming, you couldn't get enough thrust with just bare feet by using the GUE method. Wearing fins makes it possible to propel oneself in the water without doing the full swimming frog kick cycle.

 

[Simon-]

First saw it and then tried it myself at open water level (SAA equivalent) in the mid 80's whilst going over a scallop bed in Lulworth Cove

 

[vladimir]

I am surprised that so many people confuse the standard breast stroke (scissor kick) with the frog kick.

I am surprised so many people don't know how to breaststroke properly. As I posted earlier, by definition, the breaststroke incorporates a frog kick or a whip kick. The whip kick is a modified frog kick. Under FINA rules, the scissor kick is explicitly prohibited, as is more than one dolphin kick.