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Turns - Learning the Underwater Dolphin - Step 4

Posted by Glenn Mills on Feb 16, 2010 08:54AM (7,637 views)

Continuing our series in learning the underwater dolphin, it's time to make things dynamic.

Why Do It:
Learning the underwater dolphin will help make you faster at the start of every race, and off every turn.  Learning the underwater dolphin in every position ...on the front, back, or side... will give you an even greater advantage because you'll be able to adjust to every angle of pushoff and you'll be able to check out your competition.   

How to Do It:
1.  
Start by rehearsing the underwater dolphin in the positions you're most comfortable with, flat on your stomach, or flat on your back.
2.  Next, push off on your stomach and kick for a few cycles, then rotate to your side.  Maintain the same rhythm of the kick.
3.  Repeat but rotate to your other side.
4.  Now pick a side, start on that side, and rotate to your back.
5.  Repeat to the other side.
6.  Spend some time kicking specifically on your side.  This is a bit more challenging, but is a great teacher of bodyline and balance in this drill.

How to Do It Really Well (the Fine Points):
Put all the directions together.  This revisits and old drill called 360 Dolphin Rotation that we posted a few years ago, but is now a bit more integrated into the sequence.  Do your best to always driv the fingers forward, and not up and down.

We've also received many emails about the fins we're using during this drill.  They are the Alpha fins by Aqua Sphere.




Responses

Responded Feb 24, 2010 10:31PM

I've been watching this series over and over so much that I've started to dream about it. Seriously -- dreamt last night I raced Natalie Coughlin underwater... and beat her! Keep up the fantastic work, Glenn. GoSwim is a goldmine of information.

Responded Mar 05, 2010 11:27AM

good workout, can you do it without the fins

Responded Jan 30, 2011 02:31PM

Excellent set of drills, I keep coming back to try to perfect the underwater dolphin. I'm 30 and just learnt to swim last year and this site has been so useful. I got the alpha fins after watching this video, and I have to say I like them. In fact my son who is 4 and a half liked them too, he used them to learn to swim, not very gracefully, but he's getting there.
Thanks flowmeister.


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