Olivier Poirier-Leroy

6 days ago | swimswam.com | Olivier Poirier-Leroy

Fast dolphin kicks are the result of great technique, undulation, conditioning, and optimal range of movement. While the majority of your training to sharpen the fifth stroke happens in the water, whether it’s steadily extending your breakouts, doing resisted kicking, or banging out 25s fast with a monofin, dryland training is a powerful way to build the strength, power, and stability to increase kicking speeds.

1 week ago | swimswam.com | Olivier Poirier-Leroy

The underwater dolphin kick has become an essential part of the toolkit for competitive swimmers serious about performance. But mastering the technique, strength/power of the movement, breath control, and training it properly can feel overwhelming. Where do you start? What actually works? How do elite swimmers make it look so effortless? That’s where The Dolphin Kick Manual kicks in the chlorinated door like the Kool-Aid Man.

1 week ago | swimswam.com | Olivier Poirier-Leroy

Swimming fast on race day is the result of a lot of hard work and focus. We spend countless hours refining technique, building larger aerobic/anaerobic capabilities, obsessing over tech suit fabrics, timing that pre-race snack, and so on. But one of the most underrated parts of peak chlorinated performance is getting in and out of the walls fast. Turns are one of the most underutilized opportunities for swimmers to separate from the field.

2 weeks ago | swimswam.com | Olivier Poirier-Leroy

Nothing better than going fast in the water, whether that means getting to the wall first, going a personal best time, or simply leveling up technique in the water. And while most of our attention is what happens at the surface with our arms, our legs are super busy too, from creating propulsion when full-stroke swimming to getting us in and out of turns, starts, and transitions. And the two most common kinds of kick during these phases? The underwater dolphin kick and underwater flutter kick.

3 weeks ago | swimswam.com | Olivier Poirier-Leroy

“Every year since I have been swimming competitively, I have set goals for myself. In writing. The goal sheet was mandatory. I got used to it and it became a habit.” – Michael PhelpsMichael Phelps, certified GOAT, wasn’t just an elite athlete. He was also an elite goal setter. He had them written out, bedside, so that when he woke up for another big day of swim training, another day of doubles, he knew why. Writing out your goals flat-out works.