Track start vs. Traditional start?

I do grab starts because I'm closer to the finish starting in that position, and I have powerful calves:)

I never even tried a track start until Omaha, but since we had those special blocks with fins, I tried some starts that way in warmup and some of my races and felt like I only got a slightly better push off the wall. But that could be because I haven't done these before. And one time I didn't have the fin snapped in good and it slipped back when I propelled myself of the block, which felt really bizarre.

Interesting thread. We have recently had access to the OMEGA FIN (OSB12) blocks, while hosting some Olympic squad swimmers, so have had a few weeks to compare the 2. I have always been a grab starter. We were taught grab starts as a kid, and despite trying the track start when I returned to swimming as a master, timed 15M swims confirmed grab start was much quicker for me. A number of competing swimmers did some tests using both traditional grab start, track start and track start with fin. The test was consistent over 15M and the results were quite surprising. Even for a dinosaur grab starter like me, the track start with fin was consistently quicker, Across all swimmers we reckoned 0.3-0.4 secs per 15M. Quite a margin. The only issue I had was getting the entry right - the depth seemed inconsistent compared with a grab start, but that could just be my inexperience in that type of start.

Any suggestions for tips ... To answer the question you asked, this essay seems instructive. It was written about 7 months ago. I noticed the track start was easier on my back... To answer a question you didn't ask ... Track starts help me with one of my own physical limitations, static balance. I am lucky to crawl up onto a block without falling off! A grab start puts all points of contact with the block onto a straight line. That is not mechanically stable. A track start provides a nice, three-point, mechanically stable triangular base. No falling off! No false starts! Track starts may be friendlier to masters swimmers in general, because they are easier on our backs, our balance, etc.

I am resurrecting this old thread because of questions I have about the track start.I have been an advocate of the grab start,but with the fin blocks at the Olympic Trials pool the track start is clearly faster.As I was practicing the track start there(thanks for having start lanes always open) I noticed the track start was easier on my back(I have had chronic back problems.)When I got back to my home pool I was working on the start and one of the coaches I know suggested that I get my back leg really straight to raise my hips and rear up for better leverage. Aside from being uncomfortable this did not seem to give me better leverage. From what I could see on videos this did not seem to be what the elites were doing,however I could not find any really good instructional videos on line for the track start.Any suggestions for tips on teaching an old dog new tricks? get my back leg really straight to raise my hips and rear up for better leverage ??? REALLY? REALLY REALLY? What awful advice ... How stupid is that? you can only jump if your knees are bent both knees need to be bent, our standing jumps are more powerful when we use both legs also there's an ideal level of bend Watch videos of the best starters in the world Watch what they do pay attention to their set positions You must have enough knee bend in your set position to LAUNCH I wrote these series of start tips in SFF Tip 177a Crocker's Track Start Tips Roland Schoeman Start Vlad Morzo Cesar Cielo Filho track start - YouTube 3 sec - Nov 28, 2008 Uploaded by LadislavVelek Cesar Cielo Filho track start - YouTube Swimming - Go Swim Sprint Freestyle with Roland Schoeman ... 2 min - Apr 3, 2009 Uploaded by goswim098 Swimming - Go Swim Sprint Freestyle with Roland Schoeman - YouTube Roland Schoeman & Steffen Deibler Track Start - YouTube 10 sec - Mar 27, 2012 Uploaded by villekal1 www.youtube.com/watch. Roland Schoeman Start - YouTube 9 sec - Apr 24, 2012 Uploaded by ulbert19 Roland Schoeman Start - YouTube

I think it depends on what kind of starter you are in the first place. I was always a grab starter, but I always had problems getting the weight rolling forward after the starting signal. In most respects my actual reaction time was fine, but my "block time" (like that which is measured by the pressure pads) was horrible because the process of getting my weight rolling forward was not natural to me. This was only amplified after coming back to masters swimming at 250-260lbs. I switched to a track start and overnight my block times came down to .70-.73 consistently, which I feel is probably faster than the norm for a 1/8 ton man. lol. I can't wait to try out the fin blocks. I had thoughts of making my own addon wooden fin with ratchet straps to practice with at my local pool before nats next year.

The swimmer's horizontal speed is unaffected by gravity. Unless something heavy falls on their back while in the air.

Micheal, As to grab starts, you travel through the air at the speed of gravity at 9.4 meters per second. Coach Wayne McCauley ASCA Level 5 I know this post is over 10 years old, but I couldn't pass up the appalling physics error. Gravity has no speed. It is a force exerted on every body. It's value on the surface of the Earth is 9.81 m/s^2 * the mass of the body (F=m*a). The speed of someone off the block is a combination the force exerted by gravity (downward vertical component) and the force exerted by their legs (both upward and horizontal components). The swimmer's horizontal speed is unaffected by gravity.

Looking at the Olympics most swimmers seemed to be going relatively straight out instead of slightly up to maximize flight time.What is the rationale for this.Slightly up is going to give you more flight time,have you enter the water faster,and make it easier to enter the water through one hole.What am I missing,or are most of the world's coaches wrong (or am I just fooled by the NBC camera work.) A coach friend told me that with any upward angle there is a bit of a stall at the apex of the dive that is slower than going straight in. Make sure thighs never get over horizontal off the blocks. This is pretty much what is being taught at the highest competitive levels. I still have trouble getting a clean entry where I feel a quiet acceleration no matter what I try. I hate my usual noisy turbulent entries.

A coach friend told me that with any upward angle there is a bit of a stall at the apex of the dive that is slower than going straight in. Make sure thighs never get over horizontal off the blocks. This is pretty much what is being taught at the highest competitive levels. I still have trouble getting a clean entry where I feel a quiet acceleration no matter what I try. I hate my usual noisy turbulent entries. The physics of that don't make sense.The horizontal vector will be relatively constant.The decrease and then increase of the vertical vector really doesn't affect the horizontal vector(but increased vertical vector does affect flight time.) Increasing the vertical vector does increase entry velocity which can be translated to forward velocity as you angle up after entry. Either I am missing something or too many coaches don't know physics.I'm not saying they are wrong,I don't know,but swimming has a history of following success rather than science and then changing directions again(Swim flat,no rotate,well rotate a little: pull straight back,no S pull,no pull straight back was right etc.)