To begin with its best to try kicking at a reasonably fast consistent tempo . Elite long distance swimmers can get away with barely kicking to save energy for use in their arms , but that ' s for reference rather than what I propose you do . One of the original posts pointed out kicking from the hips , and not from the knee . This is important . The more you kick from the knee the less effective your technique . Try to kick a little bit under the water . You don ' t want to be slapping the water with your feet as this is ineffective you want to be pushing waterPerseverance is key . Don ' t give up , your muscles will need time to adapt to get truly better , and at a minimum that is 6 weeks work . Have a look at YouTube too if you are really struggling for inspirationAny questions and I ' ll do my best to answer