1. Drills
  2. Swimming
  3. Streamline & Breakouts

Vertical Dolphin Kick

Stay upright in deep water using only a dolphin kick, with your head out and breathing normally.

By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026

Set up

Your coach picks deep water near the wall and stays with you.

Core: Push off and one kick. Beat your own best glide.

Ages
11 and up
Time
10 min
Space
Pool
Bring
Deep end, coach
Level · skill
Developing · Streamline & Breakouts

The steps

How it works

  1. Your coach picks deep water near the wall and stays with you.
  2. Hold your arms crossed on your chest and dolphin kick to keep your head up.
  3. Kick for 10 seconds, then hold the wall and rest.
  4. Do 6 rounds; your head stays above the water the whole time.

Coaching point

Small kicks, tall body.

Safety: Swim only with a lifeguard or coach watching and, under 14, a grown-up within arm’s reach.

Make it fun

Play it, don't drill it

Game version

Streamline statue: push off in a tight streamline and glide while a partner marks each glide with a flag. Swap, and let the pair try to beat its own total number of flags.

Challenge

Pick a level: Less (push off from the wall), Core (push off and one kick), More (push off and a smooth stroke). Beat your own best glide.

Story

You are a rocket sliding through the water without a ripple.

My best

Beat your own count

Beat your own best glide. Only your own number counts: today against last time.

Practice makes progress

Print it now, or save it free

Free for families and teams

Save this drill to your child or team, free

Sign up and the free swimming week for this age opens in your child's planner, kept to healthy limits. A coach can send this drill to the whole team as homework, and parents see every session logged.

14 days free for a family, no card · Running a team is always free

Does your child's coach know about this?

An email from you to the coach, with the words ready. Nothing is tracked and nobody is rewarded.