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
I did 10-14 off the start (depending on stroke) at my last meet.
Paul:
This is a little reductionist, but are you saying that if you can't SDK like Coughlin or Lochte, you shouldn't do it? Or just that it's overused? Or that only a few can do it properly and most of us should put the energy into working on our kick instead?
I witnessed this and Leslie was happily doing her "Red October" stint while others wre up and 2or 3 strokes into their swim...I thought she was going to be way behind but she surfaced and was right at the mark with the leaders.
She could do it better I am sure, any of us can improve what we do, but I think she is doing it quite well. As for me I do a nice SDK to start...it's when it's time to start the actual swim it all falls apart!
I did 10-14 off the start (depending on stroke) at my last meet.
Paul:
This is a little reductionist, but are you saying that if you can't SDK like Coughlin or Lochte, you shouldn't do it? Or just that it's overused? Or that only a few can do it properly and most of us should put the energy into working on our kick instead?
I witnessed this and Leslie was happily doing her "Red October" stint while others wre up and 2or 3 strokes into their swim...I thought she was going to be way behind but she surfaced and was right at the mark with the leaders.
She could do it better I am sure, any of us can improve what we do, but I think she is doing it quite well. As for me I do a nice SDK to start...it's when it's time to start the actual swim it all falls apart!
