Dolphin Dives
Swimmers porpoise over and under a noodle like dolphins, feeling the head-first wave movement that butterfly uses.
- Stages
- Stage 3, Stage 4
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Skills
- Submersion, Dolphin Kick, Coordination, Body Wave
- Equipment
- Noodle
- Age
- 6–14 years
- Group size
- 1–8 swimmers
- Time
- About 5 minutes
- In a lesson
- Skill Development 1, Skill Development 2, Game / Consolidation
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
Safety notes
- Water must be deep enough to dive safely but shallow enough to stand and push up.
- Hands stay in front of the head at all times.
What it develops
- Submerge confidently and retrieve objects
- Show early actions for all four strokes
- Show dolphin kick and early butterfly movement
How to run it
- In waist- to chest-deep water, hold a noodle across the water.
- Swimmers jump forward over it, arms first, and dive down in an arc.
- Touch the floor with the hands, push up and come back up like a dolphin.
- Repeat across the width.
Teaching cues
- Hands first, head follows.
- Over and under.
- Push off the floor to come up.
Make it easier
- Noodle on the surface – just duck under it.
- Step over and bob down.
Make it harder
- Several dives in a row without stopping.
- Dolphin dive then two dolphin kicks.
Common faults
- Landing flat on the tummy.
- Diving too deep and steep.
Corrections
- 'Make a rainbow shape.'
- Keep the arc long and low.
Assistant / L1 role
- Hold one end of the noodle and watch that hands lead every dive.