Drill of the Week - Body Dolphin with Board

Here's a quick drill we use with our age-group swimmers to teach a more stable body dolphin.

Why Do It:
Teaching young swimmers butterfly typically comes with a lot of up-and-down movement, so to stabilize that, we use a kicking drill.

How to Do It:
1.  Get a small kickboard, and have the swimmer LAY the hands on the board instead of grabbing it.
2.  Have them kick dolphin kick while holding the board out front with the arms in "Position 11."
3.  Keep the head down until they need air, then allow them to lift the head for a quick breath.

How to Do It Really Well (the Fine Points):
There are three key points in this drill to keep your eyes on.  First, the hands resting on the board stops the swimmers from pushing down too much.  Second, watch for the head and chest to be stable, and the hips to be breaking the surface.  Finally, try to keep the feet under water in this drill so they're not driving too much from the legs.