There is no denying how the underwater component of a race has become a major piece in the puzzle of what can separate the ‘good’ swimmers from the ‘great’ ones. Swimmers from around the world, on all levels have recognized for some time how ‘the fifth stroke’ can make or break a race and give an athlete a monstrous edge over competitors weaker in the underwater element of an event. But, that doesn’t mean everyone includes the skill at every practice.
Watch as Coach David Marsh of SwimMAC Carolina gives us a simple way to integrate underwater work into our daily workouts and how holding oneself accountable to consistency in underwater practice is the key to getting it right. Marsh reminds us that underwater swimming is the “second fastest way to travel through the water” and swimmers need to “commit to it on every single wall.”
Alongside Marsh in the video is NCAA Division II Champion, Matthew Josa, who underscores what Marsh conveys on the subject. Josa’s reiteration of using underwater dolphin kicking as a powerful weapon carries mega-weight, considering the Queens University swimmer racked up several individual titles at this year’s D II Championships, including brand new records in the men’s 200m IM and 100m butterfly events.
Es evidente y claro que las condiciones de los diferentes seres humanos son diferentes pero podemos llegar a realizar trabajos que nos lleven a acercarnos a esos grande nadadores no como ellos pero buscaremos el mejor resultado todos diferentes pero buscaremos como llegar a ser mejores con los diferentes biotipos que existen.
Nice intro/outro tunes. Are we to understand that Matt Josa is the Brantley Foster of underwater kicking?
Is everyone going to be able to hammer it to 15m off every wall? Nope.
Can everyone improve their underwater dolphin kick? Yep.
And yes, with a lot of hard work in the pool, you can get to 8 dolphin kicks off each wall. I am short and stocky, 5’9″, with size 9.5 feet and at most, slightly above average ankle flexibility. I’m merely average on the surface, but thanks to years of hard work (both as an age grouper and as a masters swimmer), I’m well above average underwater. Most of the guys I compete against in the 100 and 200 backstroke have at least 6 inches on me, and usually pull well ahead of me on the surface… Read more »
Could you please explain why selikar, shields or le clos who is also great underwater have so amazing genetics. Phelps? Yes of course. Seliskar is probably similar to you, bodytype-wise, hes short and stocky too but has such a beautiful motion underwaters thats why hes so fast but i think thats mainly learned. If you look at le clos though, this guys technique is ugly in any stroke but breast, which is funnily his worst. anyways his underwater kicking looks bad too and even his streamline position is a bit crooked but still hes an amazing scm swimmer because of his underwaters. anything special about his body? and shields too, what should be so special about his body that could… Read more »
Historically, there have been great underwater dolphin kickers of all body types. The first of them all, Jessie Vassallo, back in the 70’s, was so slight as a teenage prodigy that he developed underwater dolphins to avoid the waves of the other backstrokers off the start. David Berkoff of the “Berkoff Blast”, was on the small side, too (5’9″ 154lbs). On the other end of the scale, Florent Manaudou is a beast with great underwaters at 6’6″ and about 220 lbs.
And pound for pound, Natalie Coughlin might be the best of them all.
Just like with all strokes, there is no one body type or technique (think Vlad Morozov vs. Nathan Adrian both in physique and technique;… Read more »
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHQ_uO12UH8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCzBJ8wbzO4
Here is the 2015 NCAA 800 free relay and 2015 LCM 200 Free. A couple guys give a kick or two, but NONE of them do the Shields, Phelps, Lochte, Seliskar, etc 7-8 kick turns. Same with the 4×50 and 4×100. None of them looked like Phelps in the 2008 200 Free Olympics.
I completely disagree that underwater kicking is faster no matter who you are. Hell no. If you don’t have the ankle flexibility and/or can’t hardly point your toes (which is a lot of collegiate aged men, especially breaststrokers), you aren’t going anywhere underwater.
It is obviously a fantastic edge IF… Read more »
You showed a freestyle video. Did you not listen to David Marsh? He clearly said that the underwater dolphin kick is the second fastest stroke. The fastest stroke is freestyle. So of course they will only do a few dolphin kicks underwater in a freestyle race. Especially in the 200 freestyle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwHG_KnNY1s
Now this video is a better representation. It shows all 4 competitive strokes, and you can clearly see that nearly everyone is kicking to the middle in Fly and Back.
Thanks for that one. I forgot what killer splits Schooling and Conger had on that relay.
And — they had the best underwaters of anyone in the race.
Please don’t say you think Phelps will be burned by Chad.
Oh for the day when new rules come in,
No Dolphin allowed in Back and Breast as fly and bresst have specific rules for kick. Limit the underwater to 10 meters and get back to real swimming. Soon it will be two thirds underwater in Short Course very boring, the sport doesn’t need a fifth stroke to dominate three strokes, Someday !!
You’re going to love the 100 IM this year. 4-6 strokes fly, a 10-12 back, 4 or so breast, maybe 8-10 free.
right only the breast is more like 6-7 (excluding the pullout)
or are you talking about scy?
SCY. At NCAAs.
ok then probably even less fly back and free strokes
What are you talking about? I watched every race at NCAAs this year, and in Fly, Back, and Free EVERY SINGLE SWIMMER did dolphin kicks off each wall. True, the very best swimmers did more kicks and went further off the wall than the average swimmer, but the fact is:
1) dolphin kicking is faster than flutter kicking in a streamline off the wall, no matter who you are.
2) You need to be able to excel in dolphin kicks in order to finish in the top three in Fly and Back these days. That is partly genetics, but if you don’t incorporate it into your training, you will not have a chance to hang with the best.
Your second point is 100% correct, your first isn’t. Some people simply aren’t as good at dolphin as they are a flutter kicking.
The men’s 50 free NCAA finals really highlights the differences between swimmers in their proficiency and utilization of dolphin kicking. Some guys practically pop up into sprint freestyle with flutter kick; others do extended dolphin kicking. They all swim about the same time.
I have to disagree that you need to have big feet and flexible knees and hips. Ankle flexibility can be easily obtained through religious stretching and foam rolling
I think this is a no-brainer provided the swimmer has the physiology for it e.g. big feet with flexible ankles, knees, and hips.
Many males start to lose flexibility as early as middle school. If you watch the NCAA finals, you will see most swimmers not doing dolphin kicks off the walls. Phelps turned it into a style, but if you watch the videos of him underwater, he has incredible flexibility in his ankles. I think guys like Phelps and Lochte are the exception, not the rule. We would all love to do 8 or 20 (like Seliskar in the 2Fly), but its just not happening.
Size 14 feet (Phelps) help too.
We must have been watching different NCAA Finals.
I’m with this guy, David Nolan, Ryan Murphy?
.. schooling.. conger.. hell, go watch dressel in the 50