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
FYI -- I am working on this a bit, too, and I found I go much faster with a larger wave and fewer kicks. I repeat 18s w/24 kicks or so and I'm around 20s with my fast kick, which is 30-34 kicks. My best is 16, always at the end of practice.
YMMV, and I have small, inflexible feet feet. And, I have no idea if these times are good.
I find that if i kick larger with knees, i can feel the water drag alot more than a smaller quicker kick only from the hips and ankles. I have very flexible ankles too so that helps. I really should try this as a sprint and bribe a lifeguard to run a stopwatch for me. Timing things by the paceclock alone is hard.
I thought that the value of the SDK is that you are going faster than you can swim (whatever stroker you are racing). If your SDK is slower, what is the point of doing it?
I think the point is, that by allowing yourself to go slower in practice, so that you become more proficient at it, you will more easily incorporate it into your races, and you will NOT be slower when you do this. It takes a lot of breath control, and breath control takes practice. Gotta be willing to try new things!! :wiggle:
I really need to spend more time here.....
Right now I'm only getting 3 or 4 kicks off the wall on freestyle, then finding I'm moving slower than I should be on my breakout. Ahh well more SDK tomorrow, maybe I'll try and time some 25s.....actually maybe I'll just try and complete some 25s without fins :laugh2:
just keep kicking, just keep kicking, just keep kicking, kicking, kicking.....
Hanging leg lifts = all you need :)
If you still want more though... lay on your back, lift your legs about 1 foot off the ground and then with your legs together move your legs as if writing the alphabet with your toes. Do this til you can go twice through the alphabet without lowering the legs :)
I never thought of it as ab strength though, you want ab endurance.
Why not both? Consider a weak SDK - If the lower abs/lower back combo are stronger - you should be able to perform a more "robust" (bigger kick) SDK in a shorter/the same amount of time.
If you want to do it again and again (and again and again and again....etc..) you need to build the endurance.
In my case - I need to build both. A lot.
Why not both? Consider a weak SDK - If the lower abs/lower back combo are stronger - you should be able to perform a more "robust" (bigger kick) SDK in a shorter/the same amount of time.
If you want to do it again and again (and again and again and again....etc..) you need to build the endurance.
In my case - I need to build both. A lot.
I suppose it's almost the same thing, I just don't see the sheer strength part as needed. I think most healthy people posess the ab strength needed to put forth a powerful dolphin kick once regardless of current conditioning. It's all about the repeatability of this move. We're really saying the same thing here though so I won't add anything else :) Work the kick and the abs for endurance and you'll have gained plenty of strength in the process :D
Hanging leg lifts = all you need :)
If you still want more though... lay on your back, lift your legs about 1 foot off the ground and then with your legs together move your legs as if writing the alphabet with your toes. Do this til you can go twice through the alphabet without lowering the legs :)
I never thought of it as ab strength though, you want ab endurance.
That sounds painful - but worth a go I guess!
I finished a 25 SDK with no fins in 22 sec today. Gotta start somewhere.
So as I'm working on my SDK - I know my lower abs are still too weak. So as a bit of an experiment (a necessary one at that) I'm taking the time during my dry land to put an emphasized focus on my lower abs. Things like leg lifts are far harder than they should be and I feel that since the SDK should engage the lower abs, I should (eventually) see a large improvement in my SDK as a result of greater lower ab strength.
put an emphasized focus on my lower abs
Hanging leg lifts = all you need :)
If you still want more though... lay on your back, lift your legs about 1 foot off the ground and then with your legs together move your legs as if writing the alphabet with your toes. Do this til you can go twice through the alphabet without lowering the legs :)
I never thought of it as ab strength though, you want ab endurance.
Why not both? Consider a weak SDK - If the lower abs/lower back combo are stronger - you should be able to perform a more "robust" (bigger kick) SDK in a shorter/the same amount of time.
If you want to do it again and again (and again and again and again....etc..) you need to build the endurance.
In my case - I need to build both. A lot.
I vote for both.
You needs the total core for SDKs: abs, back, hip, glutes, thighs. And strength helps.
Though hanging leg lifts are good stuff. When you get good at this, you can start raising your legs all the way up to the bar.
