Dolphin stroke, no fins

[Andrew the fish]

I've only done a few sessions when I practiced dolphin kicks without fins. So far it seems to me that tehnique is quite different from monofin, to the point that I have doubt about usefulness of this exercise for improving monofin technique. Also, I found that I am doing quite fast indulations, much faster then on above video, maybe because my efficiency is quite low. Thanx for youtube link BTW, my kid was looking for good dolphin kick video and couldn't find too many of a good quality. Basically me and my kid both doing dolphin kicks just for sheer fun of it.

 

[Kars]

I think a extra small monofin for practice would be best to practice with, because:

- easy to manipulate,
- keeps the feet together.

The problem with the big monofin for training is that one has not enough strength to move in the correct way. It's like lifting a to big of weight dumbbells, one start to divert from the correct technique doing all sorts of compensations to got to lift it up.
So for practice I recommend a monofin that is medium to soft, with a smaller surface area.

And Andrew, I love to hear your child is doing these water things 'just for fun', and not - for instance - to please teachers or parents. - Look up Alfie Kohn to understand why this is important. - I like his work, and like to teach using his recommendations.

 

[Siku]

Andrew, I think the usefulness comes inpart from the similarlty of the strokes (which may be very different as you say but are more similar than, say, mono and stereo finning), but also:

- strengthening relevant muscle groups (core, spine)
- increasing fexibility in those areas
- increasing awareness of those areas
- no choice! I can't use fins in the pool!

Kars -can you recommend a smaller (softer) monofin?

 

[Kars]

I would think of a WW classic model fin because of the price, it's lightweight, size blade choice(!). But it has a terrible lack of angle... Now I got this piece of hard foam laying around and think of making a wedge on the blade where I place the footpocked on. So I do have an angle, allowing glide and less knee bending - a form of compensation.

I wish a fin company took the concept of the simple 1 mould foot pocket and blade to have an 15 - 30 degree angle. It should not be so difficult.

So I don't know of a fin that is affordable and meets the mentioned criteria.

 

[Siku]

I think every monofin I've ever seen has been almost exactly the same size, except for the little toy kids ones.

Anyone else recommend a decent, small, soft monofin for training?

 

[Andrew the fish]

haven't tried it myself, but there seem to be a few "trainer" types made by Finis, look here

Monofins - Technical Products - Equipment | FINIS

the first, yellow one (Foil) seem to have a bit of an angle. There may be some kind of idea behind "no-agnle" types, like teaching correct form and such, not sure, but all "trainers" seem to have no agle at all.

 

[Kars]

Leaderfins seems to come a bit towards my wish, though this one is $200,- :

 

[Andrew the fish]

WW's "freediver nemo wing" has 12 degree angle.

Monofin «Feediver Nemo Wing»

I've had that one for over a year now, my first and only monofin so far. Having nothing to compare it with I can't say how good or bad the fin is. I have #2 stiffness, and lately I felt it either lost stifness or I just built some muscles to move it, but I think I need a stiffer one. Price tag was 130 euro's or 170$ - just marginally cheaper than Leaderfin. I doubt you can find a good fin cheaper.

 

[growingupninja]

I taught adult swimming lessons in the summers when I was still competing and I remember butterfly being especially difficult to teach to adults. One thing that used to help them learn the kick, and the way it was taught to me as a child, was to keep your hands at your side and do it underwater, leading with the head; it makes it easier to undulate the body and get that feeling. Once you learn that you smooth it out, and add streamline and keep isolated more to abs and hips. Once you know the kick you practice it with a kickboard, but unlike the other kicks--breaststroke and flutter--for teaching the butterfly kick we didn't use kickboards, although I agree with Hanz that they are great for conditioning once you know the kick. For apnea training in a pool I sometimes still use kickboards (no fins) except I just don't breathe.

Butterfly was my stroke and for fly conditioning, besides a lot of abs we did hanging back raises in a Roman chair, well into what most physiologists would call a potentially unsafe hyperextension but hey it's the sport. Many gyms don't even have Roman chairs anymore for laibilty reasons. Kettlebells were not used back then by swimmers but if I had it to do over I'd incorporate them.

 

[nostres]

As I can't wear fins in my local pool I've been practicing monofin-style but with no fin.

I've progressed from literally going nowhere to being able to do 25m reasonably easily. Hopefully this is helping with my monofin technique as well as general aquacity and, of course, butterfly. I'm now as good at dolphin-no-fins as I am at DNF (i.e. terrible).


Does anyone else practice this stroke?
If so any tips or observations would be very welcome.
How do your distances compare to standard DNF?

Thanks

There is this style of swimming called Georgian, looks very interesting. I just don't get it how can they move so fast, they look very efficient. Last time I tried something similar underwater I barely moved Time to give it another try

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4wfWpcdUnA]Henri Kuprashvili. The Georgian style (aka Kolchian-Iberian) of swimming Lazuri (free Kolkhuri) - YouTube[/ame]

 

[nostres]

File:Swimmers bound at poolside for Georgian style swimming.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Simos]

File:Swimmers bound at poolside for Georgian style swimming.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lol - that's how you ensure you are streamlined. With a heavy neck weight and that set up, CWT will be a piece of cake

 

[dimitris33]

Nice one! Greek Salami!

 

[smellsfishy]

fast 50 meter no fins dynamic:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vox9KOxC1ZA]Swimmer's Unique Tactic to Win Race Hill taylor The Dolphin Man Denied Record - YouTube[/ame]