Originally posted by Paul Smith
Here's the deal folks...forget about weights...if you REALLY want to make a significant break through in your swimming relative to competition stop swimming for 4-8 weeks and go to kick only workouts...as you ease back into swimming you will have the opportunity to "learn" how to integrate a new and powerful element to your stroke...something that 90% of the swimmers I see competing do not do well....
This really caught my attention. I seem to have been hearing this a lot lately: people coming back after a shoulder op, doing kick only workouts and then having their best seasons ever.
I don't doubt the authenticity of it either. I am just interested on what is actually going on. Why should this be the case?
Has anyone ever scientifically measured the amount the kick contributes to forward propulsion? I mean ratio wise, compared to the arms, what would it be? 80% arms : 20% legs?
What about the swimmers who are great kickers in workouts but can't translate it into faster swimming?
How do we actually integrate the kick into our swimming so that it becomes a new and powerful element to our stroke as Paul suggests?
Would it be fair to say that a big part of the improvement these (post op/ focus on kicking )swimmers achieve can be attributed to the strengthened core which is a result of the additional kicking. In other words more credit given to the strengthened core than increased forward propulsion.
I don't know. I just throw out these ideas for discussion.
Syd
george likes to diss kicking, back in his day swimmers could get by with a weak kick, wasn't Jonty Skinner was a 2 beat kicker, he broke the world record in the 100 fr in 1976. I don't believe a weak or slow kicker has held it since.
today's world class swimmers tend to be powerful fast kickers
they train it and USE IT in competition
we're seeing most 400 swimmers use a 6 beat kick and even a few 1,500 swimmers
Some of the fastest swimmers can SDK as fast or faster than they swim freestyle or they reach their crossover point / break out point later
allowing them to take more SDK's off each wall before breaking out
since their arms are streamlined during their SDK, they were at rest
when they start using their arms, they can take more powerful pulls because they don't have to take as many strokes to get across the pool
if you watch Ian Crocker's 100 scy fly at the finals of the
2007 American Shortcourse Championships
He dives in
does about 12 small rapid SDK's, takes 5 strokes, his first 25 is done
hits the wall and turns takes
12 sdks then 5 strokes next 25 is done takes
12 sdks 5 strokes his 75 is done then he takes
12 sdks 6 strokes and his race is done
he also has a very flat fly, not much amplitude
"...if you train that way you can..."
that's the key
ande
Hey guys...I never at any time said that kicking provided MORE of the speed/power than the arms/core....what I'm challenging people to consider is that the kick now may be more like 15% - 20% vs. the 5% -10% back in the 60's, 70's....
I mean look at this and I challenge anyone debating this point the next time you swim a 200/400 try and hold that kick.....if you train that way you can...
www.youtube.com/watch
george likes to diss kicking, back in his day swimmers could get by with a weak kick, wasn't Jonty Skinner was a 2 beat kicker, he broke the world record in the 100 fr in 1976. I don't believe a weak or slow kicker has held it since.
today's world class swimmers tend to be powerful fast kickers
they train it and USE IT in competition
we're seeing most 400 swimmers use a 6 beat kick and even a few 1,500 swimmers
Some of the fastest swimmers can SDK as fast or faster than they swim freestyle or they reach their crossover point / break out point later
allowing them to take more SDK's off each wall before breaking out
since their arms are streamlined during their SDK, they were at rest
when they start using their arms, they can take more powerful pulls because they don't have to take as many strokes to get across the pool
if you watch Ian Crocker's 100 scy fly at the finals of the
2007 American Shortcourse Championships
He dives in
does about 12 small rapid SDK's, takes 5 strokes, his first 25 is done
hits the wall and turns takes
12 sdks then 5 strokes next 25 is done takes
12 sdks 5 strokes his 75 is done then he takes
12 sdks 6 strokes and his race is done
he also has a very flat fly, not much amplitude
"...if you train that way you can..."
that's the key
ande
Hey guys...I never at any time said that kicking provided MORE of the speed/power than the arms/core....what I'm challenging people to consider is that the kick now may be more like 15% - 20% vs. the 5% -10% back in the 60's, 70's....
I mean look at this and I challenge anyone debating this point the next time you swim a 200/400 try and hold that kick.....if you train that way you can...
www.youtube.com/watch
