The Fastest Way to Swim Underwater

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The Fastest Way to Swim Underwater

The fastest way to swim underwater is using the underwater fly- kick. When you know how to do it, swimming underwater is faster than swimming on the surface of it. When you want to go fast, swim underwater for as long as you can.

The information in this post is from the book “Swim Workouts and Water Rescue Skills” by Sam Fury.

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The Fastest Way to Swim Underwater

There are two main ways to do the underwater fly-kick. The dolphin kick and the fish kick.

If you are good at it, the fish kick is faster than the dolphin kick, but in the SFP we focus on the dolphin kick because it is:

Easier to master.
Easier to control, especially in open water.
Used in other SFP Swim Workout Training strokes.

Once you have the standard dolphin kick mastered, you may wish to progress to the fish-tale kick.

After your initial propulsion (e.g., dive or push-off) maintain your streamline position. You want to maximize this glide phase before you start kicking.

Just before you start to slow down, use both feet/legs at the same time to kick up and down. Keep your upper body in the streamline position.

Bend your knees so that your kicks finish/start well in front (or behind) your body, but do not kick from your knees. Use your core/hips to generate the power. To do this, suck in your tummy and squeeze your buttocks together.

You must also snap your toes and ankle. It may help to think of your body as a whip. The power comes from your core (the handle), and your feet/toes are the tip of the whip which snap up and down. Kick fast and kick small.

Ensure you also kick backward instead of only up and down. You want to push the water behind you.

Your up and down kicks should be of equal force. Use the vertical kicking drill to develop your coordination and strength for this. The vertical kicking drill is in the freestyle chapter.

When you start to surface, begin freestyle.

Ankle Strength and Flexibility

Increasing your ankle strength and flexibility will improve your dolphin (and flutter) kick. Here are some exercises you can do.

Ankle rotations. Move your foot and ankle in a circle as large as possible without pain. Do 15-20 circles in each direction.

Ankle stretches. There are four levels of this exercise. Each one increases in difficulty from the previous one.

From a standing position, place the top of your toes on the ground a half step behind your other foot. Push down and forward into the ground.

Sit on your heels, with your shins and the top of your feet flat on the ground.

Lean back onto your hands to increase the stretch.

Finally, put your hands up in the streamline position and then lift your knees off the ground.

Ankle Inversion. From a standing position, roll one foot to the outside. Press the edge of your foot into the ground in a gentle manner. Only do one foot at a time.