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The more rest in between human power consumption (strokes), the greater efficiency from aerobic performance and the longer it takes to get to the point of inefficient anaerobic metabolism.
wondering if when the flutter kick is being referenced it is really the scissor kick that is being discussed. I use a flutter kick on a swim-thru, however, if it is done incorrectly it can silt up the water.
As a former hypermiler I can confirm that you get your best mileage with the pulse and glide strategy. That isn't proof that the same holds true with the frog kick but I would put money on it if I had to bet one way or the other with no more to go on than my gut. That's all I have to go on, no data, not test results. In my car, I have the data.I am a big fan of the frog kick but I don't buy into this "glide" saving energy, if anything it is a net negative. Changing inertia and regaining speed is more expensive than maintaining it. Think of it this way, do you get your best fuel economy on the freeway by maintaining a constant 70mph or do you accelerate to 70, coast aka "glide" down to 50, accelerate back to 70, coast to 50, repeat over and over?
And once again, I have been proven wrong. I guess I should go back to one of my standby adages: It's better to let people think you're stupid, than to open your mouth and dispel all doubt.A flutter kick and scissor kick are two different styles. The scissor kick is only used with the side sidestroke, it has a power and glide portion, similar to the frog kick.
I tried to get a quick diagram to post but came up short, I didn't find a simple diagram, may be someone else can coax Google better than I.
Bob
I think people worry too much about their SAC. It like worrying about how much your bicycle weighs (the easiest way to shed five pounds from a bike is for you to eat less snack food and beer and use the bike every day). The type of kick is a tool to get around, which is best is application dependent. A good SAC is more dependent on choosing the right kick for the job.
I use Flutter kicks when I need to get somewhere in a hurry. It burns gas faster, but on a long traverse, either on the surface, underwater or fighting a current. It provides sustained power over a distance. Frog kick is great for enclosed spaces, seeing the sights, avoiding silting (if you are flutter kicking along the bottom, you are probably out of trim and rototilling, IMHO). It is slower, but I think with the kick glide -kick much more energy efficient. Dolphin kick is a great power stroke because you are using a completely different muscle group than the other two kicks, at least for me, it is not sustainable for very long distances. I like it for short sprints.
I'm certainly no expert in biomechanics, but for me, I actually do a full glide. After my power stroke, I actually just relax my legs for a moment and don't move them at all as I'm moving forward, once I begin to come to a stop, I do another power stroke.