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HOW TO DEVELOP AN AWESOME UNDERWATER DOLPHIN KICK

1. Technique

- Early vertical ankle (EVA). Remember that to maximize propulsion you should be kicking backwards, not just up and down.
- Kick fast, kick small. Remember to think of yourself under the water—and the magnitude of your kick—as being like a Ferrari, not a Mack truck.
- Kick from your core, not your hips. True power comes from the core—your mitro-powered engine—and not your knees.
- Kick in front of your body. Remember the extension of the kick should take place in front of your body.
- Fast toes, fast transitions. Think of the tips of your toes as a whip, snapping fast and without pause between transitions in the up and
  down phases of your kick.
- Be a two-directional kicker. Remember to use the upkick of your dolphin kick to generate propulsion as well.

2. Flexibility

- Lacrosse/Tennis Ball to Bottom of Foot. Standing or sitting, use a ball to loosen up the fascia on the bottom of your feet.
- Foam roll calf. Hit both sides of your calves with a foam roller.
- Ankle rotations. Supplement your arm and leg swings with big toeled ankle rotations. Do them in both directions.
- Wall lean stretch. Standing facing the wall, plant your heel into the ground, toes reaching up the wall, and lean forward.
- Ankle roller. The money maker. If you only have time for one stretch, this is the one.

3. Ankle Strength

- Dorsiflexion. Point toes away from your body with band.
- Plantar flexion. Point toes towards your body with band.
- Inversion. Point toes inwards with band.
- Eversion. Point toes outwards with band.

4. Put it all together

- Make it a fixture of your training. Progressively add it to your every day training and sets.
- Controlled breathing to help lengthen your underwaters. Practice breath control in your swimming to help your underwaters.
- Vertical kicking. Tack on 5-10 minutes of vertical kicking to your workouts.