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Learning
the "Diagonal 2-Beat Kick"
By PAUL SMYTH
 NOTE FROM TERRY LAUGHLIN The
most popular topic on the TI Discussion Forum, by
a wide margin, has
been
the 2-Beat Kick (2BK), particularly the Diagonal
Power (or Cross-Kick) version I’ve written
about in several articles. This kick—in
which the right foot drives as the left arm spears,
and
vice versa–integrates better with the “perpetual
motion stroke” for endurance and fitness swimming,
than any other kicking style. Many TI swimmers, when
they begin to examine their kicking, discover they
instinctively do a “same-side” kick.
This works, after a fashion, but doesn’t add
nearly as much energy to body rotation. This modification
of Skating practice, suggested by Paul Smyth, is
the best exercise I’ve seen for learning the
essential coordination of the Diagonal 2-Beat. To
add even more value, do Paul’s exercises with
awareness of the core muscles, as described in Julie
Friedeberger’s article.
Here’s a suggestion for a drill to get
the feel of kicking with the leg opposite the spearing
arm:
1. Skate, kicking normally.
2. Kick with both feet, but focus on the foot on
the same side as the extended arm. If you’re
skating on your left track, tune in to your left
leg. Examine how your right hip and shoulder move
as you vary the kick. Your right shoulder will be
just above the surface and your hip should be aligned
with it.
3. The arm at your side—the right arm if you're
skating on your left track—is the one that would be spearing. Keep it “in your pocket” but
imagine yourself like a boxer feinting—think
about the "contextual" core-muscle parts
of the kinetic chain.
4. Feel that long, supple kick from your upper hip
or gut, and feel how your right shoulder reacts you
play around with making the kick deep, shallow, wide,
compact, with varying degrees of knee bend, foot
point, etc. Define the physical/conceptual space,
then explore it, then narrow it down.
Also experiment with timing, relative contraction
or relaxation of various muscles, and the overall
gestalt of getting your hip into it. Explore how
the different kick styles you use, as an isolated
element, move you forward or slow you down due to
drag. I enjoyed doing this because it allowed me
to test numerous iterations quickly, accumulating
and comparing them to choose one or two that work
best.
You can also experiment with the "incorrect" kick—that
is, with left arm is extended, feel how your right
hip and shoulder move as you kick the right leg.
When you mix the cross-kick and same-side kick, they
either cancel, like opposite waves, leaving you becalmed,
or introduce a jerky, disruptive, element into an
otherwise smooth shift from one side to the other.
As one Forum poster suggested, when the rhythm breaks
down, you go from a powerful rhythmic feel to a chaotic
wounded-fish flail.
To bring this awareness into whole-stroke, I’d
suggest a series of 50s. Skate on the first 25 and
swim on the second. On the odd 50s, pay attention
to your left leg and right shoulder/hip on Skating
and your right-hand-spear on whole stroke. Even 50s,
switch your attention to the other side. Once you
have the basic coordination, experiment with how
little motion is required for a 2BK. This will improve
your streamline and concentrate your power.
This approach might not work for everyone but it
helped reduce my 50-yard time by 12 seconds and my
golf score by nine points.
Paul Smyth is beginning his second year as an
age-group triathlete. "TI swim technique and emphasis
on mindful practice has given me the confidence to
train for a half-ironman event this year after doing
well in sprint and Olympic-distance events last year," he
notes, "and has helped me enjoy every lap, and
also every bike and run mile." He is a neurologic
consultant and writer in Cincinnati, Ohio.
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