The SDK Lane

Way to go, Karl! :applaud: Hey, regarding SDK on your back, you might want to pick up a nose clip and give that a try. I bought one, because I had trouble with the same issue on backstroke starts. As a breaststroker, my backstroke :censor: , but I wanted to compete in a pentathlon which required me swimming backstroke. I got used to the nose clip quickly (after the initial clastrophobic feeling) and now use it whenever I swim backstroke (except in IM) or SDK on my back. Give it a try; I bet you will do great with it! Good luck! :cheerleader:

at 2008 SCY Nats in austin a team mate did the 200 fl & split it 28 32 36 44 Got video?

8 x 25 / week? Good grief I must be a slow learner. I've been doing 16 x 25 per day, for like 3 months! Doing only 8 25's SDK a week is probably not enough to improve doing 16 x 25 per day might be too much consider doing 8 x 25 SDK FAST on 1:30 each day

hey Chris, glad "Hung in the lung" got you to chuckle... proper depth & "columns " of water to push against in both directions is very important, this is why misty hyman and many other fast SDKers kick on their sides maintaining a very tight streamline is critical as well Surfacing does kill SDK speed. lack of air is quite troubling. Fins can be hugely helpful ankle flexibility is key to having good SDK speed but I'd also throw in foot flexibility in the sense of how well can your toes without trying. as is feel for the water with your feet and shins working kick sets with intensity is the gospel truth can we get an AMEN? kick sets are not breaks between swim sets they aren't casual kick chat opps on kick sets. swimmers need to kick fast and hard and gasp on the wall between efforts

yesterday Tue Nov 30 2010 I did some timed SDKs in practice wearing a yingfa jammer longhorn aquatics coach doug rusk timed me 15 M SDK fast for time from a flip turn start went 7.4 200 ish easy 15 M SDK fast for time from a push off start went 7.0 200 ish easy 25 y SDK fast getting 15 M & 25 y times from a roll start off blocks went 5.1, 10.1 200 ish easy 50 SDK fast for time getting splits at 15, 25, 35 & 50 5.4, 11.4, 18.9 (7.5), 23.9 (12.5) 200 ISH EASY from my Nov 30 2010 workout

Chris Stevenson continues to impress me with his kick/SDK sets, especially his hypoxic stuff. He seems to be quite hung in the lung, or mentally tough, well conditioned and slightly crazy. This type of training allows him to maintain high SDK counts in his 200 races. Quite challenging. Might need a don't-try-this-at-home warning. (or training on your own) His WOs are Definitely worth checking out at his blog here's some of his recent impressive sets: NO FINS Hypoxic Kick (600/2800) 10 x 50 on 1:05, odds fast kick evens easy swim -- did all these no-board hypoxic kicking, about 90% effort -- alternated between back (18 kicks, breathe, flip, then no-breather) and fly (breathe at open turn) -- goal was to go 27s on the back, 29s on the fly, and that's exactly what I did Kick Set (750/3300) 8 x 75 back kick on 1:30, two sets of #1 25 easy, 25 hypoxic, 25 easy #2 25 hypoxic, 25 easy, 25 hypoxic #3 same as #1 #4 hard -- went about 55s on 1-3 & 5-7 (except on #6 my mind wandered and I went 48); went 42-43 on the fast ones Kick Set (700/3550) 14 x 50 on 1:00, odds strong kick, evens easy swim -- alternated the kicks between back and fly. -- the back was 18 SDK, surface & breath, flip and then a no-breather. I held mostly 27s, a few 26s sprinkled in there. -- the fly was front SDK, breath during the open turn flip but no-breather otherwise. I held mostly 28s, a couple 29s sprinkled in there. Hard Hypoxic Kicking (1000/3000) 4 x 100 back kick on 2:00 -- 16 SDKs off the walls -- wanted to hold 1:05s or better -- went 1:05/1:03/1:03/1:02 SDK Pyramid "pyramid" (goal is, as always, to hold at a pace of 15 sec/25 or better; I've only succeeded once before, and didn't succeed today). I did this all backstroke. 25 kick on 0:30 (no-breather; went 13) 50 kick on 1:00 (18 SDKs off walls; 28) 75 kick on 1:30 (17 SDKs; 44) 100 kick on 2:00 (16 SDKs except on last wall did 14; 1:01) 75 kick on 1:30 (17/17/15 SDKs; 45) 50 kick on 1:00 (18/17; 29) 25 kick (no-breather sprint; 12) -- didn't seem to "have it" on the hypoxic for this 2nd set. Maybe I was just tired from the first set Kick Set (850/3300) 4 x 100 back kick on 1:45 (held 1:05s, 17-18 SDKs off walls) 50 easy on 1:00 4 x 100 fly kick w/ board on 1:45 (skipped one, goofing around; 1:10-11s on others) 100 easy Kick Set (500/2800) 8 x ?? on 1:15 -- Mark said the emphasis was on staying underwater. Gee... -- did backstroke on all these. Decided to do 50s and try to descend the times (still tired from the previous set when I started this set) rather than do 75s with less rest -- did 18 dolphin kicks off both walls, basically going to the flags. Went 30/30/29/29 then all 28s. Desc 200s Kick (900/3500) 4 x 200 descend kick on 3:00 -- did these backstroke kick -- went 2:42 (10 kicks off walls), 2:33 (11 kicks), 2:26 (11-12 kicks), 2:17 (12 kicks). Worked the last one pretty good. Pretty Hard Kick Set (900/3600) 200 kick fast on back on 3:00 (12 SDKs off walls, went 2:19) 50 easy on 1:30 200 kick fast dolphin with board on 3:00 (2:25) 50 easy on 1:30 100 kick fast on back on 1:30 (16 SDKs, went 59) 50 easy on 1:30 100 kick fast dolphin with board on 1:30 (1:07) 150 easy Hypoxic Kick Change-up (1000/3600) 2 x 4 x 100 on 2:00, 75 kick + 25 easy. -- This was all backstroke kick. -- The 1st 50 of the 75 kick was a "hard cruise," 16 SDKs, about 30 sec. Then flip and do the next 25 kick fast no-breather. Total time was 43-44 sec on all of them -- idea was to simulate the last 1-2 walls of a backstroke race. -- took 100 easy on about 2:00 between the two sets of 4x100 Fast Kicking (1000/3300) Went back kick on all these. 4 x 100 on 2:00, 75 fast kick (get time), 25 easy swim (17 SDKs off walls, 47/45/44/43) 4 x 75 on 1:40, 50 fast kick, 25 easy swim (18 SDKs, breathe+flip then no-breather, went 26s) 4 x 50 on 1:20, 25 fast kick, 25 easy swim (no-breathers, went 12s) 100 easy

Chris Stevenson continues to impress me with his kick/SDK sets, especially his hypoxic stuff. He seems to be quite hung in the lung, or mentally tough, well conditioned and slightly crazy. This type of training allows him to maintain high SDK counts in his 200 races. Quite challenging. Might need a don't try this at home or training on your own warning. "Hung in the lung" got me to chuckle... While one can certainly work on dolphin kick while on the surface, I don't think anything quite matches the effectiveness of being under the water. Quite aside from the hypoxic aspect, which isn't for everyone, you have a full "column" of water to push against in both directions and you also can work on maintaining a very tight streamline. Surfacing kills SDK speed. But the lack of air is, um, troubling. One good option that works for Fortress is to use fins. Even if you can't do (say) a full lap underwater normally, it might be quite easy to do with fins. The greater speed can also give you some feedback to help you find a good streamline position b/c you might be able to feel where the rushing water is hitting. It can also help with ankle flexibility, which is probably the most important key go having good SDK speed. But you can certainly work on dolphin kicking with a board, too. When I was in college that's ALL I did, I didn't know any differently, but I had a faster dolphin kick then than I do know. The important thing is to work your kick sets with intensity, don't view them as breaks between swim sets that are more important. You can also use a FINIS snorkel combined with the FINIS "alignment kickboard" to work on good streamline position without worrying about air. It still isn't as good as being underwater but if you work it hard, it is still beneficial to your SDK, in my opinion.

... working kick sets with intensity is the gospel truth can we get an AMEN? kick sets are not breaks between swim sets they aren't casual kick chat opps on kick sets. swimmers need to kick fast and hard and gasp on the wall between efforts AMEN I work with younger age groupers, and we try to stress all the above. Sometimes they would rather have another coach than me on kick days. What are your thoughts on pushing the hypoxic SDK kicking with younger swimmers?

thank you thoughts on pushing the hypoxic SDK kicking with younger swimmers? what do you mean by younger? 8 - 10, 11 - 12, 13 & up I'd stay safe & with in the groups capabilities Coaches should consider incremental pushing 5 meters SDK, then 10, then half way, then 15 meters, then 20 then 25. Coaches get to decide how swimmers start how much rest they get between efforts (time & easy swims) how many kicks swimmers take or how far they can go how much kicking how much swimming ie 200 bk with 8 fast kicks off each wall, swimming easy is a SDK set The kids can also play games like SDK Whale Attack which is like sharks and minnow or whale attack BUT the minnows can only SDK across the pool, preferably no breathers from a dive, if the pool is deep enough. whoever is IT has to catch the minnows underwater and pull them to the surface to be considered caught. AMEN I work with younger age groupers, and we try to stress all the above. Sometimes they would rather have another coach than me on kick days. What are your thoughts on pushing the hypoxic SDK kicking with younger swimmers?QUOTE]

thank you thoughts on pushing the hypoxic SDK kicking with younger swimmers? what do you mean by younger? 8 - 10, 11 - 12, 13 & up I'd stay safe & with in the groups capabilities Coaches should consider incremental pushing 5 meters SDK, then 10, then half way, then 15 meters, then 20 then 25. ... ie 200 bk with 8 fast kicks off each wall, swimming easy is a SDK set The kids can also play games like SDK Whale Attack which is like sharks and minnow or whale attack BUT the minnows can only SDK across the pool, preferably no breathers from a dive, if the pool is deep enough. whoever is IT has to catch the minnows underwater and pull them to the surface to be considered caught. Thanks, Ande. I have kids in all those ranges (and at varying levels of skill), so the "developmental" approach seems to make the most sense. I like the idea of blending SDK into the longer sets. Great idea about the Whale Attack game. Appreciate your feedback.