The SDK Lane

Karl, my time before Christmas on my front, no fins was 22s with about 30 kicks. I'm having an SDK break right now, but will be back to it in a week or so. I do plan to use it when I race the 100 free next week as I find I get good, fast distance off my turns with 3 or 4 kicks. This will be my first race since the summer season so will be interesting to see how I have improved (if at all that is!). How did the 100 free go? When I do a full 25 SDK, I feel I do a reasonable 15 yds then struggle with the final part. Yea, I agree. Mine seems reasonable for a while, then loses effectiveness, especially if I float up to the surface. I know what you mean about the "magic spot" - Do you SDK off your turns in warm-up and every freestyle set? I have been concentrating on this and find I'm hitting that spot (2/3/4 SDK off the wall-into flutter-into stroke ) a lot more often now than a few months back. I only SDK dilligently on back and fly, but my workouts are more than 50% back, often 70-80% back. I occasionally do one SDK off the wall on free, but I don't see much point, my flutter kick is faster and my free is way faster so I'm not going to SDK in a freestyle race.

How did the 100 free go? Ummm yeah it went! Swam it this morning 1.05.01 vs 1.04.21 in the summer. However the meet was tiny and I had no competition in the 100 free. (I was chasing, and caught the no 1 seed when I did that time in the summer) Got a meet record though! On the plus side it was less off than my other 2 events, 50fly and 100IM, so perhaps the SDK did help.

Ummm yeah it went! Swam it this morning 1.05.01 vs 1.04.21 in the summer. However the meet was tiny and I had no competition in the 100 free. (I was chasing, and caught the no 1 seed when I did that time in the summer) Got a meet record though! Meet record, 0.8 off pb, all with nobody to chase. That's nothing to complain about, esp. if you have been changing your turn, i.e. using SDK. I wouldn't be surprised if a breakthrough swim is around the corner.

Some of the greatest SDK footage ever Starts around 3:00 in Rome 2009 - Men's 100 Fly finals - Phelps vs. Cavic Rome 2009 - Men's 100 Fly finals - Phelps vs. Cavic - YouTube

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?

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.)

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.) Yes.It is much easier and more efficient to slow deceleration than to accelerate.The whole point of SDK is that it is faster than surface swimming(if it isn't for you,don't do it.)Also you can only go 15M,(or until you need to breath), as SDK. You can't go back underwater after you surface,so make the most of it.

Yes.It is much easier and more efficient to slow deceleration than to accelerate.The whole point of SDK is that it is faster than surface swimming(if it isn't for you,don't do it.)Also you can only go 15M,(or until you need to breath), as SDK. You can't go back underwater after you surface,so make the most of it. Seems like a question very similar to the one Karl posed is, when should I start my breaststroke pull-down?

Seems like a question very similar to the one Karl posed is, when should I start my breaststroke pull-down? The "right"answer to that is, "as soon as you slow down to swimming speed."Unfortunately,as you noted,we don't carry speedometers.Its a matter of feel,it's sort of"when you feel yourself slowing down".It is totally subjective,but with practice and use of a stopwatch you can find what is fastest for you and how it feels.I heard one coach say"count to four after the pushoff,then pull-count to 3 after the pulldown and then kick."That may be best for a small percentage of swimmers,depending how fast you count while underwater(I can count really fast on the last turn of a 200 BR SCY or SCM.) Now back to our previously scheduled SDK programming.

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? My age group coach is constantly preaching to "ride the glide", meaning the explosive jump off the walls before beginning any kicking (or the pulldown in breaststroke). Why slow yourself down when you're already going the fastest you can right off the wall? You don't want to glide too long, but it's actually unnecessary to begin kicking of any kind too early off the walls. Even a tight streamline glide can be better than an open poorly executed "superman" streamline w/ kicking.