What Is the Eggbeater Kick? A Beginner's Tutorial

If you watch any water polo match, you'll notice something that looks almost impossible: players hovering high out of the water, hands free, firing passes and shots without ever touching the bottom of the pool. They aren't treading water the way you learned in swim lessons. They're doing the eggbeater kick — the single most important skill in the sport.

Master it, and everything else in water polo gets easier. Struggle with it, and you'll spend every game exhausted and sinking. This guide breaks down exactly what the eggbeater kick is, why it matters, and the one simple cue that makes it finally click.

Why the eggbeater kick matters so much

Water polo has one brutal rule: you can't touch the bottom or sides of the pool during play. That means a player has to stay afloat for the entire game using nothing but their legs — while passing, shooting, defending, and wrestling for position.

A normal flutter kick or scissor kick bobs you up and down and tires you out fast. The eggbeater is different. It produces constant, stable lift with very little effort, which lets a player:

• Stay high enough to pass and shoot over defenders

• Hold a steady position without sinking

• Explode upward for a block or a shot

• Conserve energy across four quarters

In short, the eggbeater is what frees your hands and your mind to actually play the game.

Forget making circles — this is the real secret

Here's where almost every water polo tutorial gets it wrong.

If you search "how to eggbeater," you'll be told to make circles with your legs — one leg rotating clockwise, the other counterclockwise. This is the single biggest mistake in teaching the eggbeater, and it's the reason so many beginners get frustrated and never figure it out. Thinking about circles makes the motion confusing, stiff, and almost impossible to coordinate.

So forget the circles completely. Here's what actually works:

The eggbeater is just one breaststroke kick at a time.

That's it. You already know how to do a breaststroke kick. To eggbeater, all you do is perform a breaststroke kick with one leg, then the other, then the first again — alternating, one leg at a time, without stopping. Because one leg is always kicking, you always have lift.

The circular motion everyone talks about? It does eventually appear — but it shows up naturally on its own once you've got the rhythm of alternating breaststroke kicks. You never have to think about it. Chase the circles and you'll struggle. Do one breaststroke kick at a time and the eggbeater builds itself.

How to do the eggbeater kick: step by step

Practice in water where you can't touch the bottom, ideally with a coach or a wall nearby for safety.

1. Get your body position right. Sit upright in the water as if you're sitting in an invisible chair. Back straight, chest up, knees bent at roughly 90 degrees and pointing out to the sides.

2. Remember your breaststroke kick. Draw one heel up, sweep the foot out and around, and finish the kick. That exact motion is your building block.

3. Do one breaststroke kick with a single leg. Just your right leg. Complete one full breaststroke kick while the left stays relaxed. Feel the lift it gives you.

4. Now alternate, one leg at a time. As your right leg finishes its kick, start the breaststroke kick with your left. Right, left, right, left — continuously, never both at once. One leg is always working.

5. Keep it smooth and continuous. There's no pause and no glide. The kicks flow into each other. Relaxed and steady beats fast and frantic.

6. Let the circles come on their own. Don't force any rotation. As you get comfortable alternating, the motion will round itself out into the classic eggbeater automatically. Trust it.

How long does it take to learn?

Be patient with yourself. Most beginners can keep their head above water within a few sessions once they stop chasing circles and start alternating breaststroke kicks. A smooth, powerful, game-ready eggbeater takes just a couple of weeks of consistent practice — and it improves fast once the rhythm clicks, and it's a skill you'll keep refining for years.

Dryland strength work helps too — hip mobility and leg endurance make a noticeable difference.

Start with the fundamentals

The eggbeater kick is the foundation everything else is built on — shooting, passing, defending, and game IQ all depend on a stable base in the water. If you're just starting out, this is the first skill worth obsessing over.

Want to see the breaststroke-kick method done correctly and follow along step by step? Our free body position lessons walk you through it on video, so you can match your form to a coach's. Get free access to the body position course →

Frequently asked questions

What is the eggbeater kick in water polo?
It's a treading-water technique that keeps a player high in the water without using their arms. The simplest way to learn it is to do one breaststroke kick at a time, alternating legs continuously.

Why shouldn't I think about making circles?
Because focusing on circular leg motion is the most common reason beginners struggle. If you instead do one breaststroke kick at a time, alternating legs, the circular motion develops naturally on its own.

Is the eggbeater kick hard to learn?
The coordination trips people up — but only when they're taught to make circles. Framed as alternating breaststroke kicks, most beginners get the basics within a few sessions. A powerful, game-ready kick takes several weeks of practice.

What muscles does the eggbeater kick use?
Mainly the hips, inner thighs, quads, hamstrings, and core. Hip mobility and ankle flexibility matter as much as raw leg strength.

Can you learn the eggbeater kick at home?
You can build the supporting strength and hip mobility through dryland exercises at home, and study the technique on video — but the kick itself has to be practiced in deep water where you can't touch the bottom.