It
occurs to us as we watch our sport progress that most everyone now fully acknowledges
that underwater dolphin kicking is extremely fast and therefore a beneficial
skill to possess and refine. Upon reflection it is perplexing that it took “us”
– the collective sport – the better part of 30 years to come to this
realization. It is especially confounding when we all saw it with our own eyes
or via the image on the TV screen.
DavidBerkoff, trained by Joe Bernal, won the 1988 Olympic 100 backstroke title
dolphin kicking underwater for the overwhelming majority of both laps. There was
no mistaking his prowess. We are told by Joe that in college (he went to
Harvard) David kicked a 50 in a free
relay underwater in the low 20 point range, maybe it was even 19 high – we
cannot remember…and it – the time – doesn’t matter. What matters is that this
athlete demonstrated a better (faster) way to “skin the cat”.
Now
the whole world buys it. In the last decade or two several dozen athletes
bought in but still the masses wouldn’t allocate the resources to acquiring
this skill. What resources you may ask…simple…spend the time learning how to do
it; then commit to doing it in a race.
So
many coaches are preoccupied with building aerobic bases that they will not
allocate the time to developing this critical skill. But wait, when you hold
your breath under water for ½ a lap – every lap – you are actually building
your aerobic capacity AND refining your dolphin kicking prowess…two birds with
one stone; nice!
So
what are coaches and swimmers going to be saying, “We need to do this” in the
next 10-30 years? If you as a coach or swimmer can identify that one (or more)
item(s) you will be a trend setter instead of a follower. We have been both and
the former is much preferred. It gives you an edge. In the world of
competition, edges make a huge difference.
We
know you are out there, reading this. If you will share your thoughts, we will
publish them anonymously, in hopes of stimulating a major positive
breakthrough. One of the most significant positive attributes about our sport
is the willingness to share. Let’s see if we can do so with this question as
the cornerstone of the discussion…
What is next?
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