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
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Former Member
Ok, so here is a related question. Just at what point does your SDK start slowing you down in a race? What is the optimal number of kicks and how does one go about measuring that number?
I have been practicing my SDK's a lot lately and I have made some quite decent improvements. Yesterday, I thought I would put it to the test in a race situation. I did two sprint 50's fly. On the first I did 5 or 6 SDK's from the pushoff and about the same at the turn. I rested for about 2 mins and the second time I still did 5 or 6 off the pushoff but only two at the turn. I came in a second and a half faster!
So I guess this means I shouldn't be adopting SDK as a race strategy just yet.
So how fast should I be doing my SDK for it to be an effective race strategy? Not more than 2 seconds slower than I could swim it? Currently I SDK 25m about 4-5 seconds slower than I can actually fly it. I am guessing this is too large of a difference and the reason for my first 50 being slower than my second.
How close are your SDK times to your actual swim times?
Syd
Ok, so here is a related question. Just at what point does your SDK start slowing you down in a race? What is the optimal number of kicks and how does one go about measuring that number?
I have been practicing my SDK's a lot lately and I have made some quite decent improvements. Yesterday, I thought I would put it to the test in a race situation. I did two sprint 50's fly. On the first I did 5 or 6 SDK's from the pushoff and about the same at the turn. I rested for about 2 mins and the second time I still did 5 or 6 off the pushoff but only two at the turn. I came in a second and a half faster!
So I guess this means I shouldn't be adopting SDK as a race strategy just yet.
So how fast should I be doing my SDK for it to be an effective race strategy? Not more than 2 seconds slower than I could swim it? Currently I SDK 25m about 4-5 seconds slower than I can actually fly it. I am guessing this is too large of a difference and the reason for my first 50 being slower than my second.
How close are your SDK times to your actual swim times?
Syd
