By Olivier Poirier-Leroy on SwimSwam
Swimmers (and coaches, swim parents, and your favorite swim commentators) know the importance of developing a fast underwater dolphin kick.
It helps us get more from our starts, turns, and, once we really get good at it, can be used to carry more vroom-vroom off every wall.
This leads to lots of face-down dolphin kicking, kick counts, resisted kicking, breath training, ankle mobility, and making our undulation more buttery with each swim practice.
But if you are only ever kicking on your front, you’re missing out on a deeper understanding of how your body best moves through the water.
That’s the idea behind this underwater dolphin kick set.
It rotates through different body positions—front, back, side and side—to help you explore the movement from different angles, teaching you what your fastest dolphin kick looks like.
Let’s get to dolphin kicking.
The UDK Explorer Set
Here’s the set:
20×25 underwater dolphin kick with fins – 20-30s rest per rep
Cycle through five rounds of: Rep 1: on your left side Rep 2: on your back Rep 3: on your right side Rep 4: on your front, FASTThe set works as a stand-alone underwater set (especially when you start adding resistance) or can be used as part of your warm-up before the main set of your practice.
Why This Set Works
Elite swimmers don’t all dolphin kick the same way. Once the fundamentals are in place—smooth undulation, driving from the hips, ankle ROM, trunk stability, leg power, clean streamline—there are multiple ways to kick fast.
Case in point.
A study (Connaboy et al., 2016) took a group of national-level swimmers and had them belt out a series of all-out underwater dolphin kick reps while measuring joint ranges of motion, amplitude, kick frequency, kick length, and so on. All the spicy ingredients that go into dolphin kick technique.
The big takeaway?
Fast underwater dolphin kicking is highly individual. Two swimmers averaged 1.18m/s when kicking, but did so with different kicking strategies:
Variable Swimmer A Swimmer B Foot amplitude 0.52 m 0.69 m Kick frequency 2.22 Hz 1.98 Hz Cycle length 0.53 m 0.59 mOne swimmer used a narrow amplitude while another had one of the biggest amplitudes and lowest frequencies. But both hit the same top speed.
An easy comparison to make at the hyper-elite level are two of the best female dolphin kickers on the planet—Maggie Mac Neill and Gretchen Walsh.
Both kick unbelievably fast but use different movement strategies to do so. Mac Neill used fast, high-tempo leg movements. Walsh’s longer limbs appear well-suited to a wider amplitude and lower kick frequency.
Both crushed it.
There’s no “perfect” dolphin kick that works for every swimmer, and that’s the premise behind this set. To help you settle into the movement pattern that works best for your body dimensions, mobility, strength, and coordination.
One of the key things that legendary coach Bob Bowman does with his athletes is do a lot of different types of kicking.
“I like to do a lot of kicking on their side in a streamline, kicking on their back, we do vertical kicking… a variety of movements will help you zero in on what your specific technique should be.” – Bob BowmanAnd that’s pretty much what this set is all about.
Instead of copying someone else’s dolphin kick, use the set to give yourself the chance to learn the kick strategy that works best for your body dimensions, strength, mobility, and coordination.
Wrapping Things Up
The underwater dolphin kick isn’t one-size-fits-everybody.
Some swimmers split the pool in half with a big, powerful kick. Others create speed with a tight bodyline and higher kick frequency. Both approaches can lead to elite kicking.
By rotating and exploring different body positions in the water, and then applying it to your fast kicking, you’ll build a better feel for what moves your dolphin kick.
Happy kicking!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Olivier Poirier-Leroy is a former national-level swimmer, 2x Olympic Trials qualifier, and author of several books for swimmers, including The Dolphin Kick Manual: The Swimmer’s Ultimate Guide to a Fast Underwater Dolphin Kick.
The book is a beastly 240+ pages of actionable insights and research into elite dolphin kicking technique and performance. It details everything from mastering undulation to vortex recapturing to structuring a dryland program for dolphin kicking success.
The Dolphin Kick Manual combines evidence-based insights with a collection of 20 ready-to-go sets and a 6-week Action Plan to help swimmers set a course for dolphin kicking success.
Train smarter and kick faster.
Learn more about The Dolphin Kick Manual
Read the full story on SwimSwam: An Underwater Dolphin Kick Set for Exploring Technique and Speed
Hence then, the article about an underwater dolphin kick set for exploring technique and speed was published today ( ) and is available on swimswam ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( An Underwater Dolphin Kick Set for Exploring Technique and Speed )
Also on site :
- Spain v Argentina LIVE: Messi sends emotional message to holders ahead of tonight’s blockbuster World Cup final
- Spanish goalkeeper doesn’t ‘want to go to prison’ for refusing to shake Trump’s hand if team wins World Cup
- Fifa World Cup 2026 closing ceremony: Start time, how to watch and performers line-up including Robbie Williams and Tom Cruise