Underwater Butterfly Kick

Good Morning Forumites, I have a question for you. We all know the fifth stroke is considered the underwater butterfly kick. It doesn't matter if it is used off freestyle, backstroke, or butterfly turns. How much time have you dropped in your respective events after you have implemented a 10-15 meter underwater dolphin kick off each wall? I am looking for input from butterflyers, backstrokers, and freestylers. The events would consist of below: 100, 200 free 100, 200 fly 100, 200 back Another question, hypothetically, if USA Swimming and US Masters abolished the 15 meter underwater rule and established a 5 meter underwater rule, how much would times slow down on average? Thank You for your input. Hello we call "Underwater Butterfly Kick" SDK short for "streamline dolphin kick" We have a forum called "the SDK Lane" where much is discussed. I've written much in SFF like SDK Advice for a 5 year old. How much time have you dropped in your respective events after you have implemented a 10 - 15 meter underwater dolphin kick off each wall? Not sure, but it's helped a lot especially in sprints 50's & 100's 100, 200 free 100, 200 fly 100, 200 back every swimmer should train to improve their SDK and have an SDK kick count strategy for each race. If you're a fast SDKer, use more kicks, work on speed and speed endurance so you can do a few more kicks per length in your 200's If you're not so fast do a few small kicks If you have a terrible SDK and after training for several months flutter kicking is faster for you, don't do any If USA Swimming and US Masters abolished the 15 meter underwater rule and established a 5 meter underwater rule, how much would times slow down on average? my guess is several 10ths per 25

Good Morning Forumites, Another question, hypothetically, if USA Swimming and US Masters abolished the 15 meter underwater rule and established a 5 meter underwater rule, how much would times slow down on average? Thank You for your input. I doubt seriously if the underwater portion of strokes could be reduced anywhere near 5 meters. That is the distance of the flags from the wall. I don't know of many swimmers that don't go farther than 5 meters (head breaking surface) on every turn, including lazy warm up turns. I've spent lots of time and effort trying to determine the fastest way for me to get to 15 meters (both off starts and turns). This involves not only pure under water speed, but your breakout effectiveness. I use the most SDK's for backstroke (as close to 15 meters as possible as I'm a weak backstroker), 4 or 5 for fly and 3 to 4 for free.

Check out this 200 BACK from the spring, I believe Ande took it of Chris S. It highlights the importance and benefit of efficient and powerful sdk. I just wish my lungs would allow me to stay stay underwater as long as Chris does! Just like others here have said, you have to train this "stroke" like any other. I started by doing two or three off each wall, and increasing from there. (I also don't see how a five meter rule could be put into place. I am 1.8 meters tall, and can easily glide a body length past the flags on a turn by just streamlining)

5 yds is too close. I think a second per 50 would be the drop for me if no SDK was used.

I doubt seriously if the underwater portion of strokes could be reduced anywhere near 5 meters. That is the distance of the flags from the wall. I don't know of many swimmers that don't go farther than 5 meters (head breaking surface) on every turn, including lazy warm up turns. I've spent lots of time and effort trying to determine the fastest way for me to get to 15 meters (both off starts and turns). This involves not only pure under water speed, but your breakout effectiveness. I use the most SDK's for backstroke (as close to 15 meters as possible as I'm a weak backstroker), 4 or 5 for fly and 3 to 4 for free. Worse is the starts. Diving off blocks and coming up at 5m means you will waste a ton of speed totally unrelated to SDK. Even 10m from the blocks I think I could only do about four dolphin kicks. SDK is supposed to be slightly slower than sprint freestyle so I don't think it helps the 100m free much. It helps my backstroke a lot. In practice I can stay even with people on my team doing freestyle until I surface.