Underwater dolphin kick

1. Is there any physical trait which predisposes someone to be good at SDK-ing? same things that are good for flutter kicking, I would think (flexible floppy ankles, hips that angle 'in' vs. 'out' like for ***) plus it prob helps to have knees that hyperextend and the ability to get your shoulders and upper back into a really good streamline. core strength is good too, but anyone can develop core strength. toes that actually point and hips that turn in are another matter... 2. Is SDK-ing really "in" as I saw someone mention in another thread? Aside from the super elite USS swimmers and some other exceptions, I don't see that many masters or age groupers SDK-ing. our coach often stresses it during practice, but this is new... like within the past 2 years. I don't often see it much at meets, but I'm not looking much either. 3. How can you improve your SDKs off the turns as a race goes on? Is this just practice? How much SDK-ing is ideal to avoid oxygen debt? I guess this must be an individual thing ... practice, practice, practice. and yep, everyone probably has their own break-even point between sdks and O2 debt 4. Is there anyone besides Ande SDK-ing say, more than 2x or so, on their back or side off freestyle turns? I take 2-3 kicks total. I guess the 1st one is on my back and #2/3 are on my side. I'm fluttering by the time I'm on my stomach. I have a pathetic, paltry sdk (takes me 15 kicks to get to the middle of a 25 yd pool) yet with 2-3 sdks, a good streamline and a hard pushoff the wall I rarely take my first stroke before the flags. I might toy with using SDK's in the 50 and 100 again this year at some in-season meets but for me I think it's faster to flutter up and go (refer to pathetic paltry comment above). However, I'll continue to do my sdks in training because the oxygen debt practice is good and it improves focus on my streamline.

1. Is there any physical trait which predisposes someone to be good at SDK-ing? same things that are good for flutter kicking, I would think (flexible floppy ankles, hips that angle 'in' vs. 'out' like for ***) plus it prob helps to have knees that hyperextend and the ability to get your shoulders and upper back into a really good streamline. core strength is good too, but anyone can develop core strength. toes that actually point and hips that turn in are another matter... 2. Is SDK-ing really "in" as I saw someone mention in another thread? Aside from the super elite USS swimmers and some other exceptions, I don't see that many masters or age groupers SDK-ing. our coach often stresses it during practice, but this is new... like within the past 2 years. I don't often see it much at meets, but I'm not looking much either. 3. How can you improve your SDKs off the turns as a race goes on? Is this just practice? How much SDK-ing is ideal to avoid oxygen debt? I guess this must be an individual thing ... practice, practice, practice. and yep, everyone probably has their own break-even point between sdks and O2 debt 4. Is there anyone besides Ande SDK-ing say, more than 2x or so, on their back or side off freestyle turns? I take 2-3 kicks total. I guess the 1st one is on my back and #2/3 are on my side. I'm fluttering by the time I'm on my stomach. I have a pathetic, paltry sdk (takes me 15 kicks to get to the middle of a 25 yd pool) yet with 2-3 sdks, a good streamline and a hard pushoff the wall I rarely take my first stroke before the flags. I might toy with using SDK's in the 50 and 100 again this year at some in-season meets but for me I think it's faster to flutter up and go (refer to pathetic paltry comment above). However, I'll continue to do my sdks in training because the oxygen debt practice is good and it improves focus on my streamline.