Dives: Once and for all, how much faster do they make you?
Former Member
Ok so we all know how well dives make you go faster, compared to pushing off the wall or flip turn, but how much faster??
I ask this mainly because I am sure I'm not the only one during training curious on how much faster that 100 or 200 would've been if I dove in. Maybe a second??
Also: RELAY EXCHANGES
I'm also curious on average how much faster are you relay splits than your regular races just because of the relay exchange??
Thanks for your help!! :D
I've heard 0.7 seconds for a relay start, too, and it makes sense. A good reaction time is 0.7-0.8 for a flat start (i.e., a start in a non-relay race). So assuming you can judge a relay start perfectly you're gaining 0.7 seconds or more there. If you play it safe on the start your feet are leaving the block about 0.2 seconds after the swimmer in the water finishes, so now we're back down to 0.5-0.6 seconds faster than a flat start. However, there's one more advantage given by a relay start and that is that you can be in motion whereas on a flat start you must be motionless before the start signal, so you gain a little more there.
I've heard 0.7 seconds for a relay start, too, and it makes sense. A good reaction time is 0.7-0.8 for a flat start (i.e., a start in a non-relay race). So assuming you can judge a relay start perfectly you're gaining 0.7 seconds or more there. If you play it safe on the start your feet are leaving the block about 0.2 seconds after the swimmer in the water finishes, so now we're back down to 0.5-0.6 seconds faster than a flat start. However, there's one more advantage given by a relay start and that is that you can be in motion whereas on a flat start you must be motionless before the start signal, so you gain a little more there.
