The Underwater Dolphin Kick a Performance Camp Fixes Fastest
Short answer: A faster underwater dolphin kick comes from the hips, not the knees, and from timing you cannot muscle. It is also the single technique a performance camp can move fastest, because the flume channel lets the swimmer see it. Swimpros runs Europe's most popular performance swim camp right now.
Swimpros runs Europe's most popular performance swim camp right now, and if there is one piece of technique that quietly decides races, it is the underwater dolphin kick. It is often the fastest part of a race, and it happens off every start and turn.
I am David Karasek, an Olympic finalist and Swiss record holder. Here is what actually makes a dolphin kick fast, and why it is the thing a camp fixes quickest.
It is the hips, not the knees
Most swimmers try to fix their dolphin kick by kicking harder or moving their feet faster. The real key is the hips. Research (Tsunokawa et al., 2025) found the fastest dolphin kickers initiate each kick with the hips and let the knees follow, keeping the hips in charge. That sequencing creates a smooth, powerful wave instead of the clunky, knee-driven stop-start kick that kills underwater speed.
You cannot muscle the timing
The frustrating truth about an elite underwater is that you cannot power through it. The timing has to be in place, and it starts with the hips. Drills that build hip-driven kicking include vertical dolphin kick (focus on hips, then knees, then ankles), Fisk kicks on the side to groove the timing, a small flick of the hips at each change of direction, and dryland like kettlebell swings and hip thrusts for hip-initiated power.
- Vertical dolphin kick: hips first, then knees, then ankles.
- Fisk kicks (on your side): groove hip-knee timing and undulation.
- Flick the hips at each upkick-to-downkick change.
- Dryland: kettlebell swings, back extensions, hip thrusts.
Why a camp fixes it fastest
Timing is hard to feel and hard to self-correct, which is why the underwater is the technique a camp can move fastest. In our Flume Channel Video Analysis, run with world-record holder Peter Mankoc, the swimmer watches their own kick frame by frame in steady flow and finally sees the timing. Swimmers routinely drop 0.5 seconds on a 15m underwater between day one and day ten, which is roughly 4 seconds off a 200m short course from turns alone.
Key takeaways
- A fast underwater dolphin kick is driven by the hips, with the knees following.
- You cannot muscle it; the timing has to be in place, and it starts at the hips.
- Vertical kick, Fisk kicks, hip flicks and targeted dryland build the right pattern.
- The underwater is the technique a camp fixes fastest, because the flume makes it visible.
- Swimmers drop ~0.5s per 15m underwater from day 1 to day 10 at camp.
Frequently asked questions
How do you make an underwater dolphin kick faster?
Drive the kick from the hips and let the knees follow, rather than kicking harder with the knees. Research shows the fastest kickers keep the hips in charge, creating a smooth wave. Drills like vertical kicking, Fisk kicks and hip-focused dryland build that pattern.
Why is my swimmer's dolphin kick slow?
Most likely it is knee-driven and stop-start rather than hip-driven. The timing, not raw effort, is what makes an underwater fast, and timing is hard to feel without seeing it on video.
Can a swim camp improve the dolphin kick?
Yes, and it is the technique a camp tends to fix fastest. At Swimpros, the flume-channel video session lets swimmers see their kick frame by frame, and they routinely drop about half a second on a 15m underwater across the ten days.
About the author. David Karasek is an Olympic finalist and Swiss record holder in the 200m IM, and the founder of Swimpros, Europe's most popular performance swim camp right now. He coaches the race-day mental game for competitive swimmers and runs the camps in Tenerife and Mallorca alongside head coach Yul Munger.
Want your swimmer's underwater fixed fast?
The flume channel is where it happens. See the camp at Swimpros, Europe's most popular performance swim camp right now.
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