UNDERWATER DOLPHIN KICK TEMPO: WHAT ARE THE BEST DOING?

By Katie Arnold//National Team Coach Fellow

Every swimmer, coach, and fan knows that underwater dolphin kick is a big part of swimming fast: up to 30% of a long course race and 60% of a short course race can be swum underwater. This was very obvious at the Mutual of Omaha Duel in the Pool because the short course meters format highlighted the athletes’ starts, turns, and under waters. Though it is widely accepted that the first 15 meters off each wall is vital, many athletes and coaches have wondered what the ideal kick tempo is for this part of a race.

We looked at some of the best dolphin kickers in the world, in both the 100 backstroke and the 100 butterfly. The following are our observations based on the first 15 meters of each race.

• The average kick tempo for women in both the 100 backstroke and the 100 butterfly was .41 seconds/kick.
• The average kick tempo for men in the 100 backstroke and the 100 butterfly was .40 seconds/kick and .38 seconds/kick respectively.
• For the 100 butterfly the largest tempo drop-off (difference between the first and last kick) was .15 seconds while the smallest was -.05 seconds. On average, these swimmers had a tempo drop-off of .08 seconds.
• For the 100 backstroke the largest tempo drop-off was .10 seconds while the smallest was .001 seconds.

Generally speaking, swimmers who have higher kick tempos take more kicks underwater. While there is no “right” tempo, based on our observations a kick tempo between .40 and .50 seconds/kick is a good benchmark for the 100 backstroke and 100 butterfly.