Yeti Underwater Dolphin: Technical Guide

Objective

Introduce the basic movements and concepts of the underwater dolphin technique, incorporating tempo and race distance information.

Apprentice Guide

1. Body Position:

   • Start: Begin in a Yeti Streamline position with your body straight and horizontal in the water.

   • Focus: Maintain a Yeti Streamline position to reduce drag.

2. Basic Undulation:

   • Movement: Start with gentle, simultaneous undulations flowing smoothly from the front side of the body to the back side.

   • Practice: Perform undulations while holding onto the pool wall or using a kickboard for support.

3. Dolphin Introduction:

   • Motion: Add a light motion at the end of each undulation, starting from the core.

   • Focus: Keep your legs together and loosely extended, avoiding excessive knee bending and straightening. Point your toes inward and keep your ankles relaxed.

   • Drill: Practice small, controlled motions with a kickboard.

4. Knee Bend:

   • Instruction: Limit the knee bend to 10-15 degrees to balance thoracic movement.

   • Practice: Practice gentle knee bends while holding onto the wall, focusing on the correct angle.

5. Core Engagement:

   • Instruction: Teach swimmers to engage their core muscles to initiate the undulation.

   • Practice: Perform undulations emphasizing core activation, using a kickboard for support if needed.

6. Glute Stabilization:

   • Instruction: Engage the glute muscles to maintain a straight hip line and provide stability.

   • Practice: Focus on keeping the glutes engaged during the undulations to ensure smooth and controlled movements.

7. Foot Position:

   • Instruction: Keep your legs loosely extended, with pointed toes and relaxed ankles. Maintain constant pressure as you switch from the frontside to the backside of the foot.

   • Practice: Emphasize correct foot positioning during undulations.

8. Tempo:

   • Instruction: For novice swimmers, focus on a slower, controlled tempo to ensure proper technique. A typical tempo might be around 1.0 to 1.5 seconds per undulation.

   • Practice: Use a tempo trainer or metronome to help swimmers maintain a consistent rhythm.

9. Race Distance:

   • Instruction: At the novice level, emphasize shorter race distances (e.g., 25 to 50 meters) to build endurance and technique.

   • Practice: Incorporate short-distance drills to help swimmers become comfortable with the technique over race distances. Practice underwater dolphins for up to 3x the swimmer's body length.

10. Drills:

• Wall Undulations: Hold onto the wall and practice undulating, focusing on harmony and continuity.

• Kickboard Undulations: Use a kickboard to perform smooth, controlled undulations.

Warrior Guide

1-7: Same as Apprentice Guide.

8. Tempo:

   • Instruction: For intermediate swimmers, increase the tempo to improve efficiency. A typical tempo might be around 0.8 to 1.0 seconds per undulation.

   • Practice: Use a tempo trainer or metronome to maintain a consistent and slightly faster rhythm.

9. Race Distance:

   • Instruction: Emphasize medium race distances (e.g., 50 to 100 meters) to build endurance and technique.

   • Practice: Incorporate medium-distance drills to help swimmers become comfortable with the technique over race distances. Practice underwater dolphins for up to 5x the swimmer's body length.

10. Drills:

• Streamline Undulations: Perform undulations in a Yeti Streamline position without a kickboard, focusing on smooth and powerful movements.

• Vertical Undulations: Practice vertical undulations in the deep end to build strength and endurance.

11. Intermediate Benchmark:

• Goal: Achieve 10 meters in approximately 5 seconds for 200-meter races.

• Practice: Focus on increasing speed and efficiency while maintaining technique.

Gladiator Guide

1-7: Same as Apprentice Guide.

8. Tempo:

   • Instruction: For advanced swimmers, further increase the tempo to maximize speed and efficiency. A typical tempo might be around 0.6 to 0.8 seconds per undulation.

   • Practice: Use a tempo trainer or metronome to maintain a consistent and faster rhythm.

9. Race Distance:

   • Instruction: Emphasize longer race distances (e.g., 100 to 200 meters) to build endurance and technique. Aim for achieving 15 meters in approximately 5.9 seconds, which is an elite-level benchmark.

   • Practice: Incorporate long-distance drills to help swimmers become comfortable with the technique over race distances. Practice underwater dolphins for up to 6x the swimmer's body length, not to exceed 15 meters.

10. Drills:

• Power Undulations: Use resistance tools like fins or resistance bands to enhance strength, speed, and power in your undulations.

• Race Simulation: Integrate undulations into full-speed race simulations, focusing on starts, turns, and finishes with maximum efficiency and speed.

11. Elite Benchmark:

• Practice: Achieve 15 meters for a sprint distance in 5 seconds, at least 10 meters in 5 seconds for 200-meter races. Anything over this requires surfacing on average in 3.5 seconds with a goal distance being approximately 7 meters in 500-meter races. Refine the technique to meet this elite standard.