I was told long ago that practicing dolphin kicks with short fins would help me train for learning the proper technique. I got back into swimming at 54 after a 36 year layoff and have now been at it for six years. Back in my youth days, swimmers did not do dolphin kicks. I feel like I do it great WITH the fins, but when I take them off, I got nothing!
I still don't think I can do a proper dolphin kick and think I do better (in freestyle) by just surfacing and starting my stroke as soon as possible. I can't seem to get the body undulation thing down.
Should I keep trying and if so, any tips? Am I alone in failing to properly be able to do this? Any drills to help master this?
I'm in the same position as you. With fins, I'm like a pro with UDKs. Without them, I'm just doing some weird movement underwater that takes up energy. Earlier this year, I decided not to do any dolphin kicks while racing, just to conserve my energy. But during practice, I make it point to do 1-2 dolphin kicks off the wall (its great with mid-long distance sets!). It might take a while, but I know that if I continue doing this, at some point I will be more comfortable with it and will do it while racing. So definitely keep trying!
I'm in the same position as you. With fins, I'm like a pro with UDKs. Without them, I'm just doing some weird movement underwater that takes up energy. Earlier this year, I decided not to do any dolphin kicks while racing, just to conserve my energy. But during practice, I make it point to do 1-2 dolphin kicks off the wall (its great with mid-long distance sets!). It might take a while, but I know that if I continue doing this, at some point I will be more comfortable with it and will do it while racing. So definitely keep trying!
