Swimming
Prone Underwater Dolphin Kick
The prone underwater dolphin kick uses a small body wave and simultaneous leg kicks to move face down beneath the surface. It trains coordinated kicking and a streamlined body position for swimming.
Higher injury risk. Read the safety notes before adding weight.
- Intermediate
- Higher injury risk
- Rest 1 min
How to do it
- Place your feet against the pool wall with your knees bent.
- Extend your arms overhead with one hand overlapping the other.
- Push off face down just beneath the surface.
- Send a small wave from your chest through your hips to your feet.
- Kick both legs together through repeated upward and downward movements.
- Angle your body gradually toward the surface.
- Surface to finish the underwater pass.
Form cues
- Reach long through your fingertips.
- Keep your neck in line.
- Let your ankles stay loose.
Common mistakes
- Bending the knees too muchKeep knee bend modest so your lower legs do not fold sharply behind you.
- Exaggerating the lower-back archReduce the size of the body wave rather than forcing your lower back into a deep arch.
- Kicking only downwardMove your feet actively upward as well as downward for a continuous rhythm.
Safety
Underwater breath-holding can cause loss of consciousness without warning and drowning, especially after hyperventilation or repeated efforts without recovery. Exaggerated body waves can also strain your lower back.
- Use a lifeguarded pool with a capable observer specifically watching your underwater pass; never practice alone.
- Breathe normally before starting, never hyperventilate, and recover fully at the surface between passes.
- Surface at the first urge to breathe or any discomfort; never push through to reach a distance or time target.
- Check the depth and lane clearance before pushing off, and stay shallow enough to surface easily.
Choose a surface kicking drill if you cannot comfortably swim and surface independently, or seek medical advice first if you have a history of fainting, heart problems, or breathing problems.
Muscles worked
Primary muscles
Secondary muscles
Equipment
- Pool Lane Line (optional)
Sets and reps
- Sets
- 3–4
- Target
- 3–5 meters
- Rest
- 1 min
Use one short pass per set; record time only for tracking, not as a breath-hold goal.