incorporating underwater dolphin kicks into my workouts

Larry – There are several ways to incorporate UDK into your practices. These are very basic. Before you do any of these, you might want to read the article - . Many, many, many swimmers do NOT have a balanced dolphin kick which causes more drag than power. They would be better off simply streamlining and saving the energy. I suspect it is too early in your swimming career to know where you are in this regard. So, try incorporating these sets. Vertical Kicking – an important part of UDK is being able to balance the kick, so the “upkick” and “downkick” are relatively the same. Vertical kicking can help you figure out this balance. You can do it with your arms at your side, hands out of the water, or arms over head (advanced). Start with 5-10 sec periods of kicking followed by resting as necessary. Repeat anywhere from 10-15 times. UDK during a push-off: Do a set of 8 x 25. After your streamline push-off, stay underwater for 5-7 dolphin kick cycles (the combination of a downkick and an upkick). Surface before the 15 yard mark – there is NO benefit to staying under longer and is not safe. Since the upkick (kicking upward with the soles of your feet) is the usual weakness for UDK, focus on this part of the cycle. Your knees should not bend very much. Kick sets: Sets of 8 x 25s or 6 x 50s would be good. Practice dolphin kicking on your stomach (with or without a board) to get the feel for the undulation of the body in both directions. Dolphin kicking starts in the torso (hips and shoulders). You should also do dolphin kicking on your back because it is easier, in my opinion, to feel the kick with the bottom of your feet. Undulating push-offs: Do a set of 8 x 25 with plenty of rest. After you push-off, try to add a small amount of undulation while staying streamline – like watching a whale cruising underwater. There should be very little break on body position. The undulation comes from slight up and down movements generated by the arms and shoulders. As you advance, incorporate the undulation and/or UDK into every push-off or start that you do. Typically, the longer the repeat, the fewer UDKs and vice-versa. They are a huge drag on your oxygen consumption. In my opinion, if you cannot commit to doing at least 3-4 UDK, don’t bother doing any and just streamline. The benefit is not worth it. Good Luck.

Larry – There are several ways to incorporate UDK into your practices. These are very basic. Before you do any of these, you might want to read the article - . Many, many, many swimmers do NOT have a balanced dolphin kick which causes more drag than power. They would be better off simply streamlining and saving the energy. I suspect it is too early in your swimming career to know where you are in this regard. So, try incorporating these sets. Vertical Kicking – an important part of UDK is being able to balance the kick, so the “upkick” and “downkick” are relatively the same. Vertical kicking can help you figure out this balance. You can do it with your arms at your side, hands out of the water, or arms over head (advanced). Start with 5-10 sec periods of kicking followed by resting as necessary. Repeat anywhere from 10-15 times. UDK during a push-off: Do a set of 8 x 25. After your streamline push-off, stay underwater for 5-7 dolphin kick cycles (the combination of a downkick and an upkick). Surface before the 15 yard mark – there is NO benefit to staying under longer and is not safe. Since the upkick (kicking upward with the soles of your feet) is the usual weakness for UDK, focus on this part of the cycle. Your knees should not bend very much. Kick sets: Sets of 8 x 25s or 6 x 50s would be good. Practice dolphin kicking on your stomach (with or without a board) to get the feel for the undulation of the body in both directions. Dolphin kicking starts in the torso (hips and shoulders). You should also do dolphin kicking on your back because it is easier, in my opinion, to feel the kick with the bottom of your feet. Undulating push-offs: Do a set of 8 x 25 with plenty of rest. After you push-off, try to add a small amount of undulation while staying streamline – like watching a whale cruising underwater. There should be very little break on body position. The undulation comes from slight up and down movements generated by the arms and shoulders. As you advance, incorporate the undulation and/or UDK into every push-off or start that you do. Typically, the longer the repeat, the fewer UDKs and vice-versa. They are a huge drag on your oxygen consumption. In my opinion, if you cannot commit to doing at least 3-4 UDK, don’t bother doing any and just streamline. The benefit is not worth it. Good Luck.