Quick Dip: What Is the Fifth Stroke?

A short read for the car journey

Category: Technique  | Read time: Under 2 minutes

You know front crawl, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly. So what is the fifth stroke?

It is a nickname for underwater dolphin kicking, used after starts and turns in front crawl, backstroke and butterfly.

Why can it be faster than swimming on the surface?

When you swim at the surface, your body makes waves. Making those waves uses energy and adds resistance, called wave drag.

Travelling below the surface reduces this wave-making resistance. A locked streamline also helps you move through the water with less resistance. Together, these can help you carry the speed from your start or push-off further.

Your dolphin kicks help maintain speed. The movement travels through your body towards your feet, with both legs working together. Simply bending and straightening your knees misses much of that movement.

Being underwater does not automatically make you faster.

If your kicks are slower than your surface swimming, adding more can cost you time. Going too deep also leaves you further to travel back up.

Your breakout connects the final underwater kick to your first stroke at the surface. Getting that timing right helps you keep moving smoothly into your swimming.

In freestyle, backstroke and butterfly races, your head must break the surface by 15 metres after the start and each turn. That is a limit, not a target for every swimmer.

Practise underwater skills within your training. Never make them a contest to hold your breath or stay underwater longest.

Ask your coach: How can we check whether another dolphin kick helps me go faster or slows me down?

Created by Basingstoke Bluefins Coaching Team