The SDK Lane

How many kicks did that take? 38 :cane: but today I did it in 34 kicks 21 sec :cheerleader: Although I am just using the digital pace clock for time. I figured I've got enough time to drop that whole second increments would work for the foreseeable future. On the plus side I am getting more consistent in my turns - warm-ups and stroke work = 4 SDK off each turn Fast(ish) 100s 3 off, and 50s 4 off This in turn has reduced the number of strokes I take per length, so I'm headed in the right direction :D

Indeed you are headed in the right direction! This is also encouraging for me. My 22 kicks to go 15 yds translates to 36 kicks for 25 yds, so my DPK is comparable. Clearly I need to work on sustaining the SDK longer. Keep at it - I sometimes find I float to the surface at around 20yds, so have worked on my breath control and doing the 25 is getting easier. Plus it is helping on coming out of the turns, I now don't think my lungs are about to burst after 3 SDKs.

38 :cane: but today I did it in 34 kicks 21 sec :cheerleader: Indeed you are headed in the right direction! This is also encouraging for me. My 22 kicks to go 15 yds translates to 36 kicks for 25 yds, so my DPK is comparable. Clearly I need to work on sustaining the SDK longer.

Over the past few days I have been experimenting with my backstroke SDK. On repeat 100s backstroke I typically do about 3 SDK off every wall, so I tried some where I forced myself to do 4-5 SDK of every wall. They were about 2s slower per 100. Today I did 10 repeat 100s bacstroke and forced myself to do 7-8 SDK off every wall. They were about 10s slower per 100! In fact, I couldn't make my usual interval and had to increase my interval by :15/100. Now part of this is almost certainly due to the fact that I have done several very hard workouts this week. (Very hard for me - pretty mellow by the standards of many bloggers here.) I would have been slower today even at 3 SDK per wall, but I suspect that even when rested the time increase with increasing SDK would be significant. I don't like this trend. Last year I spent a lot of time working on my turns and I could see it translating into faster swims. This season I am spending a lot of time working my SDK and it seems to translating to slower swims. I don't like this picture at all.

Over the past few days I have been experimenting with my backstroke SDK. On repeat 100s backstroke I typically do about 3 SDK off every wall, so I tried some where I forced myself to do 4-5 SDK of every wall. They were about 2s slower per 100. Today I did 10 repeat 100s bacstroke and forced myself to do 7-8 SDK off every wall. They were about 10s slower per 100! In fact, I couldn't make my usual interval and had to increase my interval by :15/100. Now part of this is almost certainly due to the fact that I have done several very hard workouts this week. (Very hard for me - pretty mellow by the standards of many bloggers here.) I would have been slower today even at 3 SDK per wall, but I suspect that even when rested the time increase with increasing SDK would be significant. I don't like this trend. Last year I spent a lot of time working on my turns and I could see it translating into faster swims. This season I am spending a lot of time working my SDK and it seems to translating to slower swims. I don't like this picture at all. Karl, SDKs aren't for everyone. They require flexibility, core strength and leg strength/endurance. For some, they can be counter-productive and slower. Or you can be better on your back or your belly. But I can say they don't happen overnight. It's really a long term project. And it depends, I think, somewhat on your kicking background. I've been doing kick intensive workouts for about 3 years now and I invest a lot of time in SDK work every day I'm in the water. (This is partly due to the shoulder saving nature of this type of practice.) I also think, for me, that kicking a lot with fins and a monofin helped improve and strengthen my SDK. I don't think you should be discouraged yet. But you may need to assess how many SDKs are best or you. I don't see many masters doing 7-8 off turns on a 100 back. Or at least effectively.

Ok finally had a workout that I didn't feel like sprints instead of kicks. SCM 25 SDK 16 sec 37 kicks from a push timing off the paceclock. I workout twice a week 45 minutes / 2300m whichever comes first. :)

Over the past few days I have been experimenting with my backstroke SDK. On repeat 100s backstroke I typically do about 3 SDK off every wall, so I tried some where I forced myself to do 4-5 SDK of every wall. They were about 2s slower per 100. Today I did 10 repeat 100s bacstroke and forced myself to do 7-8 SDK off every wall. They were about 10s slower per 100! In fact, I couldn't make my usual interval and had to increase my interval by :15/100. Now part of this is almost certainly due to the fact that I have done several very hard workouts this week. (Very hard for me - pretty mellow by the standards of many bloggers here.) I would have been slower today even at 3 SDK per wall, but I suspect that even when rested the time increase with increasing SDK would be significant. I don't like this trend. Last year I spent a lot of time working on my turns and I could see it translating into faster swims. This season I am spending a lot of time working my SDK and it seems to translating to slower swims. I don't like this picture at all. Although I'm pretty new to this SDK lark, I have worked on my kick/core/SDK more since May than ever. Right now I am aiming for 3-4 really good SDKs off each turn in a race. Any more than that I think will be counter-productive. I've never been a great kicker, but must have had some good core strength for my fly, which I'm getting back. I know when I do my 25s SDK (I tend to do 4 with fins, then 4 without once per week) I start out well, but half way down the pool my lungs hurt, the legs get faster and the momentum disappears! I'm sticking with the 25s as I can time them and count the kicks and it helps my lung capacity. But in the grand scheme of things you can only do 15yds anyhow. :blah::blah: there I go again......but that's whats working for me now :)

Karl, SDKs aren't for everyone. They require flexibility, I'm ok on that count, for a guy at least. core strength Pretty good here I think, and I'm doing lots of planks. and leg strength/endurance. This may be more of a problem, but I think it is lung-capacity/breath control that is killing me. ... But I can say they don't happen overnight. It's really a long term project. Yea, I first tried them about a year ago, and I've been working them seriously in almost every practice since about June. ...I don't think you should be discouraged yet. But you may need to assess how many SDKs are best or you. I don't see many masters doing 7-8 off turns on a 100 back. Or at least effectively. Well that's encouraging. My kicking 100 back race plan is currently 5,4,3,2, but I'd like my SDK to be a weapon. 'gotta watch that Hill Taylor video 20 more times to keep my motivation up.

...I know when I do my 25s SDK (I tend to do 4 with fins, then 4 without once per week) I start out well, but half way down the pool my lungs hurt, the legs get faster and the momentum disappears! ... Yea, I think you have nailed the central challenge. it's lung-capacity/breath-control. Last spring I was working with a coach who suggested that to improve breath control, so that I would be better able to handle more SDKs, I should take more strokes before breathing off every turn in practice. I went from 3 to 4 strokes off every wall and after a few months I did see some improvement, as in I mearly hurt, as opposed to me nearly going blind off each turn, but I discovered during the summer that I am faster at 3 strokes off each wall before the breath. 4 slows me down and I wind up taking more strokes per length too. For many years I would breath every 5 stokes in practice in freestyle. Last year my training partner (triathlete) commented that I might go faster if I had more oxygen, pointing out that great distance swimmers breathe every cycle. I went to breathing every 3 strokes and, sure enough, its faster. It seems clear to me that there is a pretty big speed penalty for depriving oneself of O2. Somehow I have to train myself so that penalty is less.

...I know when I do my 25s SDK (I tend to do 4 with fins, then 4 without once per week) 8x25/week? Good grief I must be a slow learner. I've been doing 16x25 per day, for like 3 months!