There are few things in swimming that cross the lines of all strokes, but learning the underwater dolphin is certainly the most important.

This is the first installment of a series on how to learn a good underwater dolphin.  While there are different ways to go about this, this sequence is pretty simple, and will be familiar to many of you.

**Why Do It:**
The underwater dolphin is the fastest many swimmers will ever travel in the water.  It's become a staple of swimming on all levels, and can mean the difference between winning and losing in just about every event.

**How to Do It:**
**1.**  Step one starts with simple, head-lead body-dolphin exercise.  Push off with hands at your sides and by initiate some gentle presses of the chest, allowing the hips and feet to follow the movement.
**2.**  Do your best to keep the head stable, and not let it bob.   Send the top of the head forward.
**3.**  Try not to bend your knees too much, but allow the legs to flow.  If you're going too deep, or kicking too hard, increase the rate of your pulses just a bit.
**4.**  Roll over and try the same exercise on your back.  Remember, the ultimate goal of this will be to accomplish a great dolphin movement on your front, back, or side.
**5.**  Keep your thighs close to the surface of the water, but barely allow your knees to break the surface.

**How to Do It Really Well (the Fine Points):**
If you're having a hard time with this, put on some fins.  Don't use the fins for more speed or power, but just allow the larger surface area to push you forward a bit more.  Learning the underwater dolphin means learning to flow with your entire body.  Do this by initiating the first step very slowly.

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Learning the Underwater Dolphin - Step 1