Butterfly - Backwards Dolphin Kick

Posted by Glenn Mills on Dec 08, 2006 08:00AM (19,847 views)

Working on a solid dolphin kick usually requires a board, or the rigors of holding your breath and kicking under water. Here's a drill that will help you develop a stronger kick, as well as allow you to work the core muscles.

Why Do It:
Now that dolphin kick is allowed -- at least at some point -- in EVERY stroke, every swimmer needs to spend time developing good dolphin technique and strong dolphin muscles -- the abs. This drill allows swimmers to work more of their body, while not having to struggle for air. It also gives coaches a way to "check" to make sure each swimmer is getting everything they can out of the drill.

How To Do It:
1. Start on your back with your hands at your sides.

2. Right after you push off, lift your head and look BACK at your feet.

3. Start dolphin kicking, and make SURE your head stays above the water.

4. Focus on the UP kick, which means that your feet should POP out of the surface, and create a SPLASH.

How To Do It Really Well (the Fine Points):
While you're GOING to use your hands, try not to push too hard with them. Allow them to follow and to scull just enough to stabilize your body.

Focus on kicking the water ABOVE the surface. But BE CAREFUL. You don't want to simply kick your feet out of the water. The goal is to carry enough water UP, so that the splash is higher than the toes. This means you'll be connecting with the water, rather than over kicking, and just trying to make a good show.

Keep looking at your feet and have your head up ALL the time. After a few laps, your mid-section and thighs will let you know why this is so important.

This drill is intense. So when you first try it, you can alternate one length of the drill and one length of underwater -- or more relaxed -- dolphin kicking. Don't overdo the drill. It WILL get tough.

Responses

Tomás	Responded Dec 08, 2006 09:46AM I do this drill a lot but I never let my knees break the surface...is there some special reason to break the surface? Tomas
JZ	Responded Dec 08, 2006 01:00PM Hey! I do between 600 to 1000m of this drill every day. Today they were 8 x 200m... but with fins: it's like surfing your own wave. I really like it.
AZsunswim	Responded Dec 08, 2006 07:06PM OK where does a 67 year old guy who swims the 50SCY sub :30 (and has never done a dolphin kick in his life) Start ??? The video looks great but when I tried it all I go was a sore back. Must be doing it wrong. Any suggestions as to where to start to learn the dolphin. I placed 6 th in national last year less than :025 behind the 2nd place guy and I know I can place 2-3 with a better turn/ dolphin.
Barbara Hummel	Responded Dec 08, 2006 08:40PM Start by wearing fins. Do the same drill with fins, and don't hold your head out of the water. This will let you learn the correct motion without so much effort. Crunches are good, too. You need strong abs for this drill (and for good dolphin)!
Henry Sulaeman	Responded Dec 12, 2006 12:23AM PLS read this FYI tks Henry
Tomás	Responded Dec 12, 2006 06:02PM AZsunswim...just let me express my sincere congratulations to you. Great example to follow!!!! Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!! Tomas
CoachKelly	Responded Dec 21, 2006 10:46PM I have used this drill for years with everything from beginning age groupers to masters and national level swimmers. I have this drill done with no fins, zoomers, bi-fins, and various sized monofins. There are many variations on this drill, such as kick on one's side, totally underwater, both with and without a board. It really helps to develop the kick, in addition to working the body core and developing the full body for proper butterfly kick. It is also great for developing competitive finswimmers. I used this drill almost daily for one of my finswimmers who competed at the World Finswimming Championships in Spain in 2000. She was 13 and was the youngest competitor at the Worlds and had a phenomenal kick. Now she is swimming at the NCAA Division 1 level and has one of the best kicks around. Swimmers don't do enough fly kick training. Everyone should do more, both with and without fins. Edited Sep 16, 2008 09:13AM
Cesar	Responded Sep 15, 2008 11:07PM I'm agree with Tomás, knees should not emerge.
Glenn Mills	Responded Sep 16, 2008 02:31AM Chances are, if the knees don't pop out a bit, the point of the drill may be missed. While there are many drills like this, the point of this one is a very strong, quick up kick. A bit more bend in the knees will allow this. Please don't mistake this drill for solely a fly drill... if you look at it, this has nothing to do with body alignment, or how to integrate your entire body into the kick. It's only about the legs and abs and like I said... a bit of extra knee bend is allowed to get the foot speed necessary to complete the drill as prescribed. Thanks.
James Stuart	Responded Jan 10, 2009 02:09AM I did try it - its wasnt good really cos however how hard I try its went so slow like snail - I using hip to let flow like dolphin but no avail......
James Stuart	Responded Jan 11, 2009 11:04PM So how I do it faster?
Glenn Mills	Responded Jan 12, 2009 12:01PM Try to lean back a bit and check to see how deep you're allowing your hips to sink. Gets a bit tough if you're sitting up too much.
camy	Responded Aug 26, 2009 02:51PM I need help too. I use underwater or fin dolphin in my swimming without problem but I can't perform this particular drill ! The ceiling doesn't move an inch... so I quit. Though I can do it with my hands in front of me and my head underwater, so I can arch my back. But with head above water and hands at my side, no way ! My knees don't emerge at all. I tried the drill many times but I really can't, and at the end I get backache. Where does the problem come from ? My abs are ok so I realise I may not perform the dolphin kick in an efficient way.
Barbara Hummel	Responded Aug 26, 2009 03:01PM Hi, Camy I had trouble with this at first, too, but now the ceiling moves a little faster. The progression that I use is to do several 25s of the drill, but with fins. Try to make as big a bubble or "dome" of splash with your feet as possible. Really throw water UP with your fins. Get the feeling with fins, then take off the fins and keep the same feeling -- that you're throwing water UP with your feet. It takes a lot of practice :)
camy	Responded Aug 27, 2009 05:42PM As long as I use fins, it's ok. Without fins, no way ! Backache is getting bigger. Huge effort to throw the hips up. How do you expect the 25m time to be without fins ? This is clearly the drill that takes me the looonger time :-((
Barbara Hummel	Responded Aug 27, 2009 05:59PM On this drill, try thinking about getting the tops of your feet up, rather than getting your hips up. Don't worry too much about your time. One thing that helps me (and helps some of the Masters swimmers that I coach) is to alternate 6 dolphin kicks with 6 or 7 flutter kicks (this is kicking on your back, without fins, with arms at your sides).
camy	Responded Aug 28, 2009 05:36PM Thank you for the idea, Barbara. It helps a lot (no more backache). First time in my life I felt happy with flutter kicking... Now I wonder how this drill can develop a stronger dolphin kick, as the feet work more than the hips. I thought a powerful dolphin kick was mainly coming from the hips and abs ?