I've been playing around with my kick (again) after recently getting a chance to train with Misty Hyman as well as talking with one of our coaches from Japan who trains Kohei Kawamoto (who works out with us on occasion as well)...Coach Tako has been pushing me to work on the "up-kick" (on fly, downward on back SDK) and in turn I've been having some swimmers I coach do the same.
As obvious as it may sound it seems many people (myself included) focus so much on how fast they are trying to SDK that it may in fact be working against them as it requires such a massive amount of effort. My latest "tinkering" is try and actually gauge my distance per kick underwater (using the lane lines and/or cross lines on the pool bottom as a referance).
What I'm finding is that there is a definite and measurable difference by how fast I move thru the water when I "tempo-play" with my kicks and incorporate more of the power in the opposite direction. For me I actually start with several slower/bigger SDK's and then move into fast/smaller kicks...focusing from not just kicking from my core but also using more snap from the knee's.
It's had fro me to articulate...and its something that I've only been playing with a couple of weeks but just the awarenes of how far I'm going/how fast vs. simply kicking as hard as possible with the same tempo seems to have made a big difference.
Fort...interesting that you brought up the use of hands/arms as this is what Misty does and has been preaching. It does however take a lot more overall flexibility..
Ex gymnast-diver, Clydesdale. :)
Ahelee, so vertical dolphin kicking in place is a drill to help the up kick? Do you keep hands at your sides? Do you just do intervals--something like 10x30 seconds kick, 15 seconds rest?
My take on beginning vertical kicking is to do it with your arms folded (Jeannie style) in front (easiest) OR arms lifted above the head in a streamline (harder).
Yesterday at the Nova kidz practice, I watched them doing a combo pool/dryland circuit practice. In one lane the rotation was a swimmer holding a bright orange traffic cone over head while vertical kicking which added weight.
A simple way to check if kicks are evenly powerful, is to lineup swimmers under the backstroke flags facing the lane end.
Set off a timed vertical kick where they keep their eyes straight ahead -15 or 30 seconds.
At the finish, check the location of the swimmer relative to the flags.
Moving forward or backward from the flags shows the uneven direction of kicking power.
The obvious goal is to kick powerfully staying in one spot under the flags without looking at the flags to adjust.
We have done swim sets starting out from the wall, vertical kicking and then transitioning straight into swimming.
Two turn 50s or 25s.
These vertical kick sets can be done in a 1,000 different ways. They are hard - but can really be fun for a group of swimmers as well.
Thanks for the video, Paul. We did plenty of leg training (eggbeater with two full gallon water jugs was my favorite--that and animal drill!) but no dolphin kick that I can remember ;)
Ahelee, so vertical dolphin kicking in place is a drill to help the up kick? Do you keep hands at your sides? Do you just do intervals--something like 10x30 seconds kick, 15 seconds rest?
Jacob...I will soon be inflicting some old UCSB water polo leg training at workouts I coach...ie gladiator drills
two swimmers in the middle of the pool kick as hard as they can until one swimmer pushes the other to the side. Winners move to one lane losers to the other, repeat until a overall winner is determined. Coaches discretion as to what type of kick or eggbeater to be used each round.
Cool, a new acronym. Now I can say things like, "I was working my SDK DPK with MF at the WKSRC when my ACL went AWOL. Now instead of SCY PNA at KCAC I'll be at home watching ANTM."
Jazz...I'm still waiting for that letter bomb to arrive...did you put enough postage on it?
Cool, a new acronym. Now I can say things like, "I was working my SDK DPK with MF at the WKSRC when my ACL went AWOL. Now instead of SCY PNA at KCAC I'll be at home watching ANTM."
Thanks for the video, Paul. We did plenty of leg training (eggbeater with two full gallon water jugs was my favorite--that and animal drill!) but no dolphin kick that I can remember ;)
Ahelee, so vertical dolphin kicking in place is a drill to help the up kick? Do you keep hands at your sides? Do you just do intervals--something like 10x30 seconds kick, 15 seconds rest?
I've been playing around with my kick (again) after recently getting a chance to train with Misty Hyman as well as talking with one of our coaches from Japan who trains Kohei Kawamoto (who works out with us on occasion as well)...Coach Tako has been pushing me to work on the "up-kick" (on fly, downward on back SDK) and in turn I've been having some swimmers I coach do the same.
As obvious as it may sound it seems many people (myself included) focus so much on how fast they are trying to SDK that it may in fact be working against them as it requires such a massive amount of effort. My latest "tinkering" is try and actually gauge my distance per kick underwater (using the lane lines and/or cross lines on the pool bottom as a referance).
What I'm finding is that there is a definite and measurable difference by how fast I move thru the water when I "tempo-play" with my kicks and incorporate more of the power in the opposite direction. For me I actually start with several slower/bigger SDK's and then move into fast/smaller kicks...focusing from not just kicking from my core but also using more snap from the knee's.
It's had fro me to articulate...and its something that I've only been playing with a couple of weeks but just the awarenes of how far I'm going/how fast vs. simply kicking as hard as possible with the same tempo seems to have made a big difference.
I've noticed many fast swimmers kick doing this tempo method trick. I think I will start toying around with this. Wish I could find a special BR kick!
Thank you for the info, Ahelee.
Good drill, Paul--don't remember doing that one, or perhaps I've blocked it from my memory :) I do like to swim but I sorely miss playing water polo. Haven't been able to find any clubs in Georgia outside of Atlanta (4 hour drive). Oh well.
What do you think accounts for the difference in effectiveness between dolphin kicking on the back v. on the front? For me, face up is way stronger, but my new curiosity about the 200 fly has me wishing I had a stronger dolphin kick when I am face down.
