I watched the video on Schoeman's start swimswam.com/.../ and it raised a question I have had for a long time;why jump straight out from the start? Schoeman noted another swimmer who dove slightly up at the start and "stalled out"..In a previous thread Rich Abrahams said a coach told him the same thing about stalling out.The physics of this statement make no sense to me.Horizontal velocity is going to remain fairly constant,vertical velocity will decrease as one goes up and then increase again past the apex. I emailed Brent Rushall and he said to jump straight out or slightly down,but the article he referenced said
" Enter the water steeper rather than flatter (this should reduce the amount of splash (irrelevant water movement)).
Practice diving out as far as possible (maximal horizontal velocity produced primarily by leg drive off the block) before entering the water.
Dive deep so that resistance is reduced and more effective double-leg kicks are executed before surfacing."
To maximize distance(diving as far out as possible) one should angle up about 35-40 degrees(if the top of the block was even with surface of the water it would be 45 degrees(Rob Copeland said 32 degrees in another thread but: en.wikipedia.org/.../Ballistic_trajectory )
No one still does that,but some really good starters used to 1984 Olympic Men's 100m Breaststroke final - Steve Lundquist - YouTube .
When I ask coaches why the start should be straight out instead of angled up I never get an answer other than it has been found to be faster.In researching "found to be faster" I have found very little real confirmation.The best study I found(which I can no longer find the reference for) stated that the most important variable in speed to 15M was clean entry and that the greatest correlation with clean entry was experience.This also means that studies that just compare speed to 15M of different starts need to take experience with the start into account.
When I try the straight out start I have variable success with my entry(as would be expected with a new start.)I am willing to practice to get more consistent if I can get an explanation of why it is faster that makes "physics sense". I have seen too many trends in swimming change to think something is right just because everyone does it.(The first lesson I learned about starting was "ït is not a good start if it doesn't give you a red chest". I have been variously taught to swim freestyle without rolling and to kick out on BR kick so I know common wisdom isn't always wise.)
Why jump straight out from the start?
you want mostly OUT trajectory with some up
It's pretty impossible to "stall out" if you dive slightly more up
Wind resistance won't slow you down that much after only 8 to 12 feet
I think it's a bad idea to jump "slightly down"
water is 800 times thicker than air, it's better to have more air time
you want to Enter the water in one hole like you were diving through a ring instead of smacking flat
"more effective double-leg kicks are executed before surfacing." = SDKs
"When I ask coaches why the start should be straight out instead of angled up I never get an answer other than it has been found to be faster."
The truth is vectors and trajectory which could be dectected by a series of pressure plates on a block wired to a computer to determine what great starters actually do durining their starts instead of what they think they do or what coaches say they do or should do.
Physics is always right. Sometimes coaches just believe an assumption (about swimming) to be true or better rather than experiement.
Have a great set position.
Hips high Schoeman says keep your hips high, makes sense because the higher your hips, the higher your center of gravity.
Lean slightly back while holding the block (create a plyomentric effect)
you'll notice some great starters like cesar cielo, swing their back leg up while still attached to the block which raises their center of gravity
the most important variables for 15M speed are:
+ an explosive start great jump & dive,
+ a clean entry, (proper angles, an ideal arc, not too deep not too shallow)
+ a great streamline,
+ lean mass, (heavier swimmers (but still lean and strong) glide further faster than lighter ones)
+ fast SDK & flutter,
+ super break out &
+ fast swimming
I'm NOT sure if jumping straight out is faster, than mostly out with some up
I think swimmers can't create as much "UP" force doing a track start as they can with both feet forward. The track start increases stability on the block and decreases "block time" by enough to get to 10 or 15 meters faster.
"ït is not a good start if it doesn't give you a red chest"
ouch for your chest and time.
common sense isn't always sensible
What is sensible, is the more starts you do with measurement, testing & feedback, the better and faster you will become. It is a skill you can develop and improve. There are best practices for racing starts. They are based in science and fact.
HOW?
+ Watch video of the greatest starters in the world,
+ Copy their technique
+ video your starts and watch them in slow motion,
(above the water from the side and underwater from entry to break out)
+ Time 10 & 15 meter sprints
+ Get one on one expert instruction
Anything you do and measure,
improves.
The problem is that coaches aren't getting their swimmers to do the right stuff or measuring it accurately or enough.
Ande
Why jump straight out from the start?
you want mostly OUT trajectory with some up
It's pretty impossible to "stall out" if you dive slightly more up
Wind resistance won't slow you down that much after only 8 to 12 feet
I think it's a bad idea to jump "slightly down"
water is 800 times thicker than air, it's better to have more air time
you want to Enter the water in one hole like you were diving through a ring instead of smacking flat
"more effective double-leg kicks are executed before surfacing." = SDKs
"When I ask coaches why the start should be straight out instead of angled up I never get an answer other than it has been found to be faster."
The truth is vectors and trajectory which could be dectected by a series of pressure plates on a block wired to a computer to determine what great starters actually do durining their starts instead of what they think they do or what coaches say they do or should do.
Physics is always right. Sometimes coaches just believe an assumption (about swimming) to be true or better rather than experiement.
Have a great set position.
Hips high Schoeman says keep your hips high, makes sense because the higher your hips, the higher your center of gravity.
Lean slightly back while holding the block (create a plyomentric effect)
you'll notice some great starters like cesar cielo, swing their back leg up while still attached to the block which raises their center of gravity
the most important variables for 15M speed are:
+ an explosive start great jump & dive,
+ a clean entry, (proper angles, an ideal arc, not too deep not too shallow)
+ a great streamline,
+ lean mass, (heavier swimmers (but still lean and strong) glide further faster than lighter ones)
+ fast SDK & flutter,
+ super break out &
+ fast swimming
I'm NOT sure if jumping straight out is faster, than mostly out with some up
I think swimmers can't create as much "UP" force doing a track start as they can with both feet forward. The track start increases stability on the block and decreases "block time" by enough to get to 10 or 15 meters faster.
"ït is not a good start if it doesn't give you a red chest"
ouch for your chest and time.
common sense isn't always sensible
What is sensible, is the more starts you do with measurement, testing & feedback, the better and faster you will become. It is a skill you can develop and improve. There are best practices for racing starts. They are based in science and fact.
HOW?
+ Watch video of the greatest starters in the world,
+ Copy their technique
+ video your starts and watch them in slow motion,
(above the water from the side and underwater from entry to break out)
+ Time 10 & 15 meter sprints
+ Get one on one expert instruction
Anything you do and measure,
improves.
The problem is that coaches aren't getting their swimmers to do the right stuff or measuring it accurately or enough.
Ande
