“What Are You Just Gonna Kick Me Out?”: 23x Olympic Medalist Michael Phelps Revealed a Painfully Strict Regimen Got Him to the Pinnacle of Swimming

Legendary Olympian and swimmer Michael Phelps has achieved features that no other athlete has ever touched. It was not easy for the swimmer to achieve 28 Olympic medals just by his unique physicality and talent. He went through intense training and hard work under coach Bob Bowman.

During a recent interview, Phelps revealed how a particular technique enforced by his coach since the beginning helped him remain on top throughout his career.

Michael Phelps shares the importance of the “six-beat kick”

Recently, Michael Phelps had featured on a live discussion show by Great Place to Work. While talking about working on small details, Phelps revealed the importance of the “six-beat kick” swimming technique in his career. The six-beat kick involves three kicks for each single arm stroke.

The swimmer credited his coach Bob Bowman with intense training sessions and a compulsion to learn this technique. Phelps was 11 when he first learned about this essential technique. He recalled, “The very first day, he said, ‘All right I want you to get in and do the six beat and don’t drop your feet. The second you drop your legs, you’re out.’ And I was like, ‘What are you just gonna kick me out?'”

However, although it sounded like a harsh punishment, his coach’s technique soon gained him positive results. Within a week, “The Baltimore Express” had nailed the six-beat kick. Phelps also added how the six-beat kick helped him stay ahead of everyone else. “So, ever since that moment, I never dropped my legs for s six feet in a single practice. So imagine that done with every single stroke, every single streamline, every single dolphin kick, every single push off the wall. Every little small detail, that’s how I approached it,” said a proud Phelps.

Read More: “His Kick Is Absolutely Insane”: Michael Phelps’ Son’s Swimming Skills Once Caught the Legendary Olympian by Surprise

Hearing Phelps’ inspiring story, the entire crowd cheered for the legendary swimmer. This experience from the greatest Olympian’s life is definitely an important tip for many young swimmers.

How a unique technique helped Phelps at Beijing Olympics

The 2008 Beijing Olympics was Phelps’s “best” feature of all time. During this mega event, the “GOAT” won eight gold medals and broke several Olympics records.

Once while talking about his training for the Olympics, Phelps revealed how coach Bob Bowman’s training had helped him set the world record [1:52:03] in the 200-meter butterfly race. But it was the “goggles controversy”, that made the race more special.

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Before several meets, Bowman used to hide Phelps’ goggles, forcing him to swim without wearing one. Hence, during the final race, when Phelps had accidentally broken his goggles, making his vision blurry, he stayed calm and went on to win a record-breaking gold medal at the Olympics.