Here's a Dolphin Kicking Test Set I created.
It allows swimmers to
test their dolphin kicking ability,
to train SDK then
retest and compare results.
If you try it, please post your times.
do it like this
youtube.com/watch
or like this
www.youtube.com/watch
or this
www.youtube.com/watch
can you kick 10 meters off the 3rd turn in a 200 free
www.youtube.com/watch
The Dolphin Kicking Pentathlon Set
A High Quality Kick Set:
Tell the swimmers dolphin Kick the following distances VERY FAST for Time on a watch or with a timing system
Distances are 015, 025, 050, 100, & 200 (yards or meters)
Go in heats of 4 to 6 swimmers one swimmer per lane, make sure each swimmer has a timer before starting them
Do an easy swim down after each effort,
Allowing plenty of rest between efforts,
015 followed by approx 2 - 3 minutes rest
025 followed by approx 3 - 4 minutes rest
050 followed by approx 4 - 5 minutes rest
100 followed by approx 5 - 6 minutes rest
200
Get 25 splits on the 50 and
50 splits on the 100 and 200
Encourage athletes to split their 50, 100, & 200 well
What to do with the data:
Collect times
Post swimmer times and rankings for each distance
Declare and celebrate winners for each length and the over all winner
Convert times into seconds ie 2:30 = 150 seconds
Calculate 25 speed on each effort: Divide the time (in seconds) by a factor to determine the 25 pace for each distance
015 / 0.60
025 / 1
050 / 2
100 / 4
200 / 8
Add up all the times and post that list.
During the season, train to improve SDK,
especially 15 meter SDK and SDK off of turns in races
Revisit the set now and then to track improvement over the season.
Do a few using the timing system
Do a one where swimmers wear fast skins
Set Rules
NO boards, fins, or paddles
NO 15 meter rule
the 15 meter Rule does not apply, the swimmer may kick underwater as far as she wants, but no one is allowed to pass out and breathing is a sensible thing to do in the 100 and 200
Arm Position:
Swimmers may be
1) streamlined, both arms above their heads or
2) have both arms at their side or
3) one arm forward and the other by her side
Arm Use
the only permitted arm use is as follows:
the swimmer may take one arm stroke with one arm before each turn
the swimmer may move one or both arms to her side once per length when transitioning from SDK to arms by their side to allow breathing.
Swimmers kicking on their belly may scull to take a breath but no more than quarter breastroke stroke
Body Position:
A swimmer can kick on her back, either side or belly
A swimmer may change positions at any time in the race
Start:
From blocks, just like freestyle, or from a push
Turns:
Swimmers may take one arm stroke going in to a turn
They can do a
flip turn similar to backstroke turn rules or an
open turn
(Flipping is faster for most swimmers)
Touch:
can touch with any part of the body
Ande:
Do we want to SDK using high cycle SDKs or more moderate cycles or does it depend on the distance and stroke? For example, when watching Worlds, I seem to recall that the women had a much higher cycle rate than the men. It also seemed that the high cycle rate was used more in the sprints, which I guess is to be expected. In contrast, Phelps always looked like he was very leisurely SDK-ing underwater with a fairly high amplitude or undulation. I'm sure he wasn't, but it looked that way. Particularly in the vids of his 200 free or 400 IM.
For others, I know Ande doesn't use a monofin or fins, but I think they're useful for practicing SDKs. You've got to practice them; it's not instantly faster and automatic. Some may find it easier to pick up than others, but it is also a learned skill. Unless you're Jeff, and then you're screwed.
Ande:
Do we want to SDK using high cycle SDKs or more moderate cycles or does it depend on the distance and stroke? For example, when watching Worlds, I seem to recall that the women had a much higher cycle rate than the men. It also seemed that the high cycle rate was used more in the sprints, which I guess is to be expected. In contrast, Phelps always looked like he was very leisurely SDK-ing underwater with a fairly high amplitude or undulation. I'm sure he wasn't, but it looked that way. Particularly in the vids of his 200 free or 400 IM.
For others, I know Ande doesn't use a monofin or fins, but I think they're useful for practicing SDKs. You've got to practice them; it's not instantly faster and automatic. Some may find it easier to pick up than others, but it is also a learned skill. Unless you're Jeff, and then you're screwed.
