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
After a start or turn, when should a swimmer start to SDK?
It seems that the conventional wisdon is that one should start SDK (or kicking in general) when the glide speed off the wall drops to swimming speed. I've been thinking about this and I'm trying to convince myself that it might be better to start kicking when the glide speed drops below the slowest swimming speed during the entire race. Basically, one needs to maximize the average speed over the entire race. This approach assumes that one could use that tiny bit of extra kicking anywhere during the entire race. Would it not make sense to use it to relace the slowest section, not a faster section off the wall? It seems to me that the longer the race, the more sense this approach would make. Thoughts?
Well, my first thought is that you are over-thinking things only because we don't have accurate built-in speed gauges. Basically I start kicking when my instincts tell me to.
But in terms terms of physics, physiology or what have you, I don't know that your answer is correct. My thought would be to start kicking when you are at your kick speed (SDK or flutter or whatever). If you slow down more than that they you are using energy to get back up to that speed. It isn't just about speed it is about energy efficiency over the whole race too.
(And I think that basically may be when my brain tells me to start kicking, basically saying "you can go faster than this!" if I slowed down too much.)
After a start or turn, when should a swimmer start to SDK?
It seems that the conventional wisdon is that one should start SDK (or kicking in general) when the glide speed off the wall drops to swimming speed. I've been thinking about this and I'm trying to convince myself that it might be better to start kicking when the glide speed drops below the slowest swimming speed during the entire race. Basically, one needs to maximize the average speed over the entire race. This approach assumes that one could use that tiny bit of extra kicking anywhere during the entire race. Would it not make sense to use it to relace the slowest section, not a faster section off the wall? It seems to me that the longer the race, the more sense this approach would make. Thoughts?
Well, my first thought is that you are over-thinking things only because we don't have accurate built-in speed gauges. Basically I start kicking when my instincts tell me to.
But in terms terms of physics, physiology or what have you, I don't know that your answer is correct. My thought would be to start kicking when you are at your kick speed (SDK or flutter or whatever). If you slow down more than that they you are using energy to get back up to that speed. It isn't just about speed it is about energy efficiency over the whole race too.
(And I think that basically may be when my brain tells me to start kicking, basically saying "you can go faster than this!" if I slowed down too much.)
