How can I improve my dolphin kick? I feel that my dolphin kick is weak as anything, and I am having trouble with the nice undulating motion of dolphin kick. I am told that the body should undulate from the armpits all the way down with the hands streamlining and staying quite still. Yet my undulating motion feels unnatural. What are some drills or swims that I can do to improve it? And any other tips anyone can give me about dolphin kicks (the backstroke start dolphin kicks too)? Thanks a lot.
Parents
Former Member
Obviously, I can't see your dolphin kick from here, but a problem that people frequently encounter is that they haven't found their body's natural pulsing rhythm.
I remember a high school physics class where the teacher had suspended a slinky from the ceiling using strings. You could grab one end of the slinky and move it from side to side, and the ripples would travel all the way down its length. But the size of the pulses depended on the speed at which you moved the slinky. If you tried to move it too fast (or too slow), the pulses that traveled down the slinky wouldn't be very big. But if you could find its resonant rhythm, the pulses would get really big.
I've found that some swimmers, because they want to move fast, tend to pulse too quickly, and the result is that their pulsing isn't very effective. I'd suggest that you experiment with different pulsing speeds and try to find the one that seems to fit your body most naturally. For me, at least, the pulsing I do while streamlining starts at my hips rather than my chest. I think about thrusting my belly button up and down, and let the ripple travel down to my toes.
Also, make sure you are keeping a tight streamline with your arms while you are pulsing. You should be pressing your arms tightly against your head right behind your ears, as though you were shaping your body into a needle.
Hope this helps!
Bob
Obviously, I can't see your dolphin kick from here, but a problem that people frequently encounter is that they haven't found their body's natural pulsing rhythm.
I remember a high school physics class where the teacher had suspended a slinky from the ceiling using strings. You could grab one end of the slinky and move it from side to side, and the ripples would travel all the way down its length. But the size of the pulses depended on the speed at which you moved the slinky. If you tried to move it too fast (or too slow), the pulses that traveled down the slinky wouldn't be very big. But if you could find its resonant rhythm, the pulses would get really big.
I've found that some swimmers, because they want to move fast, tend to pulse too quickly, and the result is that their pulsing isn't very effective. I'd suggest that you experiment with different pulsing speeds and try to find the one that seems to fit your body most naturally. For me, at least, the pulsing I do while streamlining starts at my hips rather than my chest. I think about thrusting my belly button up and down, and let the ripple travel down to my toes.
Also, make sure you are keeping a tight streamline with your arms while you are pulsing. You should be pressing your arms tightly against your head right behind your ears, as though you were shaping your body into a needle.
Hope this helps!
Bob
