How much does a good kick contribute?

chris, 15/25 = 60%, where did 66% come from? slow kicking can be beneficial if the swimmer is 1) concentrating on DPK (distance per kick) or 2) recovering from or getting ready for fast kicking kicking fast for time is the best thing swimmers can do (one all out 25 SDK trumps 20 at 60%) Benchmark and beat is the way to go develop a deadly SDK Practice using your improved kick when you swim swim at race speed with integrated legs and try this drill do 25s swimming with smooth relaxed arms while kicking at race speed Experiment with KICKING GEARS Learn to kick fast and relaxed, not quite all out Learn to correctly split races by controlling the effort of your kick Saving your legs is a wonderful thing in a 200 even in a 50, you won't swim as fast as you can if you blow your legs on the first 25, you have to be in the game at the 25, hit an awesome turn, great pushoff/streamline/SDK/breakout this is more important in 100's, 200's & up Develop a weapon and use it. I disagree with his conclusion, but Terry brings up several good points. One of them is this: being fast with a kickboard is not the same thing as integrating your kick with your stroke. I also agree with him that kickboard training CAN BE ineffective in improving swim times. In my experience -- and I've swum with many teams -- it is EXTREMELY rare to find swimmers putting forth the same effort on kick sets as they do on swim sets. Light kicking sets, especially with a kickboard, are worse than useless since they take time that could otherwise be devoted to productive efforts. And time is usually a limiting factor in USMS workouts. There is, of course, no reason that kicking sets have to be with a board. In fact, I would say that about 75% of my own kick sets are without a board (usually on my back). A set can also be "kick focused" rather than a traditional kick set with a board. There are many productive ways to do this. There are two distinct areas in which kicking is an advantage: during the stroke itself and off the walls. I feel that Terry is mostly concerned with "kick integration" in his message, but the effect of a good SDK can be huge. Consider that up to 66% of a race in SCY can be done underwater, though the number is usually in the range of 20 - 50% depending on the event and the swimmer. In LCM the upper limit is 30% and in OW swimming, of course, it is zero. (In OW swimming the kick is important really only in bursts for position or at the end of the race.) Certainly good swimmers tend to have good kicks and that observation alone does not necessarily mean that one causes the other. But ANYONE can improve their kick, and I think kicking or "kick focused" sets are the best way to do so. I'm sure most of you have watched Phelps' 200 LCM free world record. Van den Hoogenband was clearly faster between the walls for 150m of the race but Phelps crushed him on the walls, particularly the last one. This was the result of a conscious decision by Phelps to improve his SDK.

chris, 15/25 = 60%, where did 66% come from? slow kicking can be beneficial if the swimmer is 1) concentrating on DPK (distance per kick) or 2) recovering from or getting ready for fast kicking kicking fast for time is the best thing swimmers can do (one all out 25 SDK trumps 20 at 60%) Benchmark and beat is the way to go develop a deadly SDK Practice using your improved kick when you swim swim at race speed with integrated legs and try this drill do 25s swimming with smooth relaxed arms while kicking at race speed Experiment with KICKING GEARS Learn to kick fast and relaxed, not quite all out Learn to correctly split races by controlling the effort of your kick Saving your legs is a wonderful thing in a 200 even in a 50, you won't swim as fast as you can if you blow your legs on the first 25, you have to be in the game at the 25, hit an awesome turn, great pushoff/streamline/SDK/breakout this is more important in 100's, 200's & up Develop a weapon and use it. I disagree with his conclusion, but Terry brings up several good points. One of them is this: being fast with a kickboard is not the same thing as integrating your kick with your stroke. I also agree with him that kickboard training CAN BE ineffective in improving swim times. In my experience -- and I've swum with many teams -- it is EXTREMELY rare to find swimmers putting forth the same effort on kick sets as they do on swim sets. Light kicking sets, especially with a kickboard, are worse than useless since they take time that could otherwise be devoted to productive efforts. And time is usually a limiting factor in USMS workouts. There is, of course, no reason that kicking sets have to be with a board. In fact, I would say that about 75% of my own kick sets are without a board (usually on my back). A set can also be "kick focused" rather than a traditional kick set with a board. There are many productive ways to do this. There are two distinct areas in which kicking is an advantage: during the stroke itself and off the walls. I feel that Terry is mostly concerned with "kick integration" in his message, but the effect of a good SDK can be huge. Consider that up to 66% of a race in SCY can be done underwater, though the number is usually in the range of 20 - 50% depending on the event and the swimmer. In LCM the upper limit is 30% and in OW swimming, of course, it is zero. (In OW swimming the kick is important really only in bursts for position or at the end of the race.) Certainly good swimmers tend to have good kicks and that observation alone does not necessarily mean that one causes the other. But ANYONE can improve their kick, and I think kicking or "kick focused" sets are the best way to do so. I'm sure most of you have watched Phelps' 200 LCM free world record. Van den Hoogenband was clearly faster between the walls for 150m of the race but Phelps crushed him on the walls, particularly the last one. This was the result of a conscious decision by Phelps to improve his SDK.