The SDK Lane

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.) I go for maximum distance, and at times more maximum than my neighbor in the next lane over. :) I will actually wait and glide longer, waiting for him/her to take their pulldown, knowing that I carry excellent upperbody strength for a good pulldown. I then ride out that glide as well before I do my final kick and breakout. After that, well, the breaststrokers win the race...but in SCY/SCM I do my best to keep up with each following pullout. :D

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. Indeed. I started to think about this because I have been watching a lot of age group swim meets recently and it appears to me that many kids start kicking too soon, (sometimes even in the air off the start!) and most start their breaststroke pullout waaaaay too soon. That made me wonder; when is the correct time to start kicking? I've never really thought about it. I just start kicking when instinct tells me to, like Chris says. I now think maybe I start kicking too soon in freestyle. I milk my breaststroke pullouts for all they are worth because my breaststroke is weak so I'm definitely not too soon there. I've been playing with my backstroke kickouts and now think maybe I start kicking too late. I need to find a coach with a watch...

Going back to a topic from a page or two ago, I timed my 25 underwater SDK on my back today. From a push at about 90% effort, I went 17 seconds. I didn't count how many kicks I took. A few months ago, I did a 50 backstroke kick for time from a push, staying underwater and SDKing as long as possible--came up at the flags to take the flip stroke and then made it to just shy of the 15m mark off the turn before running out of air and switching to flutter kick. I did a 35.2 with a two stroke finish. I do know that in general I don't get much DPK at all. When I race backstroke, 14 kicks off the start gets my breakout stroke right at the 15m mark. Right now I'm playing around with my SDK on my back, trying to see whether leading with my upper body or powering with my hips is more beneficial. For free and fly, I power from the hips, as I just can't seem to utilize my upper body unless I'm on my back.

In track all sprinters reach their maximum speed at 60-70 meters and they start to slow down. Whomever slows down the slowest appears to be accelerating because the other runners fall back. I think in swimming you want to start kicking early and hang onto that pushoff speed as long as possible.

I think in swimming you want to start kicking early and hang onto that pushoff speed as long as possible. But there is a point at which each swimmer should surface vs. trying to stay under for the full 15 meters allowed. Some people are excellent at SDKing and can maintain a swimming speed underwater, but others actually begin slowing down, even though they can still make the full 15 meters. Once you begin slowing down, you're better off to get to the surface and swim if you care about your speed.

I have started to set SDK goals off each walls for the backstroke events, and I do more in the 50 than in the 200; I have timed myself with Ande's methods and am faster underwater, but I can't hold it together on the 200. Setting #'s off the walls has helped me to commit to staying with the underwaters before they start to be deleterious for the rest of the event.

But there is a point at which each swimmer should surface vs. trying to stay under for the full 15 meters allowed. Some people are excellent at SDKing and can maintain a swimming speed underwater, but others actually begin slowing down, even though they can still make the full 15 meters. Once you begin slowing down, you're better off to get to the surface and swim if you care about your speed. Yes. I have timed this over and over in practice. Zero SDK is the fastest (except off the start where 2-4 SDKs seem to be ok - not clearly faster than FK, but not cleary slower either). I'm convinced that I am doing something wrong in my SDK, but I haven't figure out what it is yet.

But there is a point at which each swimmer should surface vs. trying to stay under for the full 15 meters allowed. Some people are excellent at SDKing and can maintain a swimming speed underwater, but others actually begin slowing down, even though they can still make the full 15 meters. Once you begin slowing down, you're better off to get to the surface and swim if you care about your speed. I absoultely agree with that. I was speaking about when, after the pushoff, you initiate your kicks. I think it should be pretty early and not wait to slow down before kicking, then surface when you slow down below your swim speed.

I absoultely agree with that. I was speaking about when, after the pushoff, you initiate your kicks. I think it should be pretty early and not wait to slow down before kicking, then surface when you slow down below your swim speed. I know that I am not the greatest at SDKing, but I can maintain a good enough speed for a short distance off the walls. I've also raced with others who I notice seem to stay under too long (and lose speed), thus affecting the total potential time for their swim.

any SDKers out there? What's working?