We love to SDK. It's the 5th stroke. It takes skill, strength, flexibility, conditioning & mental toughness.
For many it's the 2nd fastest stroke, but it's not a legal stroke.
We wish it was legal. We wish there weren't 15 m restrictions in races.
We count our kicks because kicks count.
We train to SDK faster. Some call SDKs underwaters or dolphins.
What are you doing to improve your SDK?
How many do you take in each race?
Help! My SDK is Horrible! has many tips & a program to get faster.
Here's a helpful post in it.
What are your SDK times?
15, 25, 50, 75, 100, 150 & 200?
Spend some time in the SDK lane & you'll be kicking faster before you know it.
the breastroke lane
The Middle Distance Lane
The Backstroke Lane
The Butterfly Lane
The SDK Lane
The Taper Lane
The Distance Lane
The IM Lane
The Sprint Free Lane
The Pool Deck
Hey, a little progress! Today I completed a 25 SCY SDK for the first time ever! and I did it twice! (both on my stomach.)
The first time took 40 kicks. The second time I rode the glide on each kick and completed the 25 in 31 kicks. I did not time myself.
...so why did I make it finally? I think that there were a lot of factors: First, I was pretty well rested. Although I did weights yesterday and this morning before swimming, I hadn't swum since Saturday. I think the biggest factor was that while I work my SDK at the end of practice, after 3500+ yds of swimming, today, I was swimming with my 8 yo daughter, so my swim "workout" was not much more than my usual warmup. Another benefit was that I was at a pool that has lines painted both directions. This gave me a better indication of how far I had progressed. The first time I didn't even intend to go a full 25, and almost gave up near the end, but then saw the last line and realized that a few more good kicks would do it.
Now I need to time myself and work on improving my speed.
I found that the limiting factor on my back was running out of air. Eventually I could not hold back the water any longer and water would flood my nose and estuation tubes. This is not compatible with going fast.
Hey, a little progress! Today I completed a 25 SCY SDK for the first time ever! and I did it twice! (both on my stomach.)
The first time took 40 kicks. The second time I rode the glide on each kick and completed the 25 in 31 kicks. I did not time myself.
...so why did I make it finally? I think that there were a lot of factors: First, I was pretty well rested. Although I did weights yesterday and this morning before swimming, I hadn't swum since Saturday. I think the biggest factor was that while I work my SDK at the end of practice, after 3500+ yds of swimming, today, I was swimming with my 8 yo daughter, so my swim "workout" was not much more than my usual warmup. Another benefit was that I was at a pool that has lines painted both directions. This gave me a better indication of how far I had progressed. The first time I didn't even intend to go a full 25, and almost gave up near the end, but then saw the last line and realized that a few more good kicks would do it.
Now I need to time myself and work on improving my speed.
I found that the limiting factor on my back was running out of air. Eventually I could not hold back the water any longer and water would flood my nose and estuation tubes. This is not compatible with going fast.
