Wednesday, August 19, 2015

The Science Behind Swimmers' Dolphin Kick

 
Waves Create Drag

"If the body is moving on the surface, it creates waves," Mittal says. "Those waves actually create an extra component of drag. So if you can move underwater instead of on the surface of the water, you can actually eliminate this component of drag."

Mittal says swimming underwater is the fundamental secret of why the dolphin kick is so effective: The more a swimmer can swim below the surface, the more efficient he or she can be.

A swimmer can control various factors, Mittal says, including the frequency of the kick and its amplitude, or height.

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