track starts

Everyone seems to be doing "track starts" off the block now - one leg behind the other. How and why do you do this? I haven't been in a meet for a long time...back then everyone did the "grab start". Any instructions on doing a track start would be appreciated. Faster reaction time. Per USA Swimming, here are some text instructions: Description Swimmers can use either a grab start with two feet forward or a track start with one foot back. Dependent upon their age and development, swimmers may feel better balance in the track start. Strong leg back, toes straight ahead Other leg forward, toes over the edge Hands grab block on each side of front leg, thumbs forward Look down or slightly back Forward knee over the toes, hips over the heels Lean forward Actions Pull down for an instant Head and arms thrown forward Drive with the legs Perform a shallow dive Mistakes Leaning back excessively Head too far up or too far down. (Keep head in neutral position after leaving block) Hands or head thrown too high No leg push Breaking at the hips or executing a start in the pike position I typically do flat starts because I feel better balanced. That and if you do track starts, you have to deal with more variance in your starts meet to meet (different depths and material on blocks). I have tried track starts a few times and did them at some USA-S meets with the aforementioned back "ledge" which is also referred to as adjustable footrests. Specifically, the footrest permits swimmers to start with the back leg at a 90° angle, obtaining an ideal position for the launch. This solution allows the swimmer to gain up to one tenth of a second in start signal reaction time. One example can be seen here: www.myrthapools.com/.../myrtha-track-start-the-newest-starting-blocks-from-myrtha-pools.htm These blocks are not common though, presumably because they are expensive.

Everyone seems to be doing "track starts" off the block now - one leg behind the other. How and why do you do this? I haven't been in a meet for a long time...back then everyone did the "grab start". Any instructions on doing a track start would be appreciated. Faster reaction time. Per USA Swimming, here are some text instructions: Description Swimmers can use either a grab start with two feet forward or a track start with one foot back. Dependent upon their age and development, swimmers may feel better balance in the track start. Strong leg back, toes straight ahead Other leg forward, toes over the edge Hands grab block on each side of front leg, thumbs forward Look down or slightly back Forward knee over the toes, hips over the heels Lean forward Actions Pull down for an instant Head and arms thrown forward Drive with the legs Perform a shallow dive Mistakes Leaning back excessively Head too far up or too far down. (Keep head in neutral position after leaving block) Hands or head thrown too high No leg push Breaking at the hips or executing a start in the pike position I typically do flat starts because I feel better balanced. That and if you do track starts, you have to deal with more variance in your starts meet to meet (different depths and material on blocks). I have tried track starts a few times and did them at some USA-S meets with the aforementioned back "ledge" which is also referred to as adjustable footrests. Specifically, the footrest permits swimmers to start with the back leg at a 90° angle, obtaining an ideal position for the launch. This solution allows the swimmer to gain up to one tenth of a second in start signal reaction time. One example can be seen here: www.myrthapools.com/.../myrtha-track-start-the-newest-starting-blocks-from-myrtha-pools.htm These blocks are not common though, presumably because they are expensive.