Teach the Dolphin Kick Effectively

Have you been looking for ways to teach the dolphin kick to your students, swimmer, children, or simply to improve our own butterfly stroke? Follow these steps to gain insight and a head start on the competition.

Steps

  1. Study the butterfly stroke. The best way to study a swim stroke is through a combination of illustrations, overview, real-life experience, and visualization.
    1. Illustrations. Pictures like those below offer specific details about body position and breathing placement.
    2. Overview. Review the entire stroke in detail. Swim the Butterfly Stroke
    3. Real-Life Experience. Demonstrate the full stroke for your students or visit a swim meet. At a meet, watch carefully those swimmers performing the butterfly.
    4. Visualization. Have your students close their eyes. Talk them through a race situation. Be sure to highlight body position, other body movements, and breathing.
  2. Strengthening. The butterfly is the most challenging stroke of the four competition strokes. In order to perform it, a certain level of fitness is beneficial. This includes upper and lower body strength, as well as stamina. It is best to introduce the stroke after a swimmer has some proficiency in the other three. This will not only assure a level of fitness but also safety if the swimmer tires from the new stroke.
  3. Kick Drills. There are many drills out there for the dolphin kick and the dolphin motion during the kick. This is a list to get you and your students started. For additional drills please click on the link at the bottom of the page.
    1. Body Dolphin 1. Kick with hands at side, breathe on upbeat of every fourth kick, drop head down on downbeat with out hesitating. Keep rhythm consistent, especially while breathing.
    2. Body Dolphin 2. Same as number 1, with hands now in streamline position.
    3. Underwater Kick. Kick in a streamline position underwater, on stomach, back, or side.
    4. Kick on Back. Dolphin kick on your back with hands at your side or in front, keeping knees below the surface of the water.
    5. Underwater Kick with Flippers. Same as above only with flippers. Meant to emphasize kick and exaggerate dolphin motion.
    6. Dolphin Tread. Kick Butterfly while doing a small scull extending beyond the shoulders, and back in again. Keep sculling strokes to less than 12-inches of travel. Purpose: working the catch phase of Butterfly.
  4. Kick Drills with Integrated Pull. There are many drills out there for the dolphin kick and its implementation into the butterfly. This is a list to get you and your students started. For additional drills please click on the link at the bottom of the page.
    1. Two Up, Four Down. Do two strokes Butterfly, breathe, and dive forward underwater into a streamlined position and do four kicks. Purpose: entry, dolphin action, and breath control.
    2. Four Kicks with Flippers. As the swimmer progresses at these drills, the arms may also be incorporated at a ratio of four kicks to one pull, gradually working the ratio down to a full stroke. The final step is to swim butterfly with fins, concentrating on pressing the "T" forward and down while breathing every other stroke.
  5. Practice and Competition. Now that your swimmers can successfully combine kick and pull, continue to develop their abilities further. Continue to use a variety of stroke drills as a reminder of body movement and positions. Congratulations, you and your students are ready for a Prepare-for-a-Swim-Meet

Warnings

  • Kickboards and other swim aids are meant for training purposes only. Swim aids are not a suitable devices to keep a non-swimmer afloat.
  • Watch your students at all times in the pool area.
  • Using drills such as death kick where swimmers hold their breath for extended periods while under water increases the chance for shallow water blackout., especially in a high intensity stroke like the butterfly.
  • Overuse of the butterfly stroke may cause back and shoulder problems. This is typically a concern for competition swimmers.

Things You'll Need

  • Students
  • Swimsuit
  • Goggles
  • Pair of Flippers
  • Kickboard

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

You may like

Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Teach_the_Dolphin_Kick_Effectively&oldid=307240"