I was still looking at the starting block as I hit (literally, with a big splash and my back stinging) the water.
I used to do this too. Until my coach told me to throw myself back into oblivion with hands locked and be looking at the other end of the pool.
SwimmerLisa is a youtube expert! She will be contributing to OCD, I think.
Thanks Lisa,
My biggest problem is the entry. Once I'm in the water I usually get about half a length of SDK before surfacing and swimming, but the entry is costing me time.
Another tip for backstroke starts: Don't pull your body way UP on the bars. Your feet will usually slip off the wall, which is typical if you weight is right over your feet.
A tip I learned, which works every time, is to pull yourself of up a squatty position. i.e. stick your butt out. Then most of your weight is not directly over your feet and you can get a great pushoff, each time. It may feel weird at first, but it's a small trick that most people learning the start don't know about. It's a trick I let my little swimmers know about, and now they don't slip off the wall anymore!
Don't believe me? Watch the video from the side - they all are sticking their butts out and not pulling their bodies up really far.
Lisa - Thanks. Watching the videos helped me to see how it should look.
Quicksilver - Thanks for the advice on the head position. Thinking back to the last time I practiced starts, I recall that I was still looking at the starting block as I hit (literally, with a big splash and my back stinging) the water.
Backstroke starts are tough! You really need to use your legs to push off. You have to remember to push up and out. You could practice jumps on dryland to get your legs used to the motion. Are you using a gutter start or the block? When I was first was learning starts I used the gutter start to learn the motion of up and out. You really need to dive back. Dive down, not just to the surface, so you can get a great SDK. You really have to jump. Your arms will propel you, throw them back into the streamline and toss your head back - all will increase your speed and motion.
This video shows the underwater motion:
www.youtube.com/watch
This is above:
www.youtube.com/watch
Side:
www.youtube.com/watch
Hope that helps.
Watch the videos - that will give you an idea of what to do. You'll learn that just by focusing on throwing your head and arms back will make a huge difference. Arch your back....jump. There's a lot to think about at first but you'll see it will become natural with practice.
When the hands leave the grab bars....lock them tight...hand over hand. And throw your head back.
The flow of your entry will become cleaner if you get the head going where the body wants follow. A common reflex is to keep the neck muscles tight...with the chin still tucked towards the chest.
A single hole entry is what you want.
That's why you are "back-flopping". :yawn:
This article...written by champion backstroker Clay Britt... breaks it down very nicely.
www.usms.org/.../articledisplay.php
