I've been playing around with my feet for backstroke starts and turns, and wanted to see what other people thought about feet placement.
For starts, I have mostly had my feet together on the same horizontal plane, about 15" apart. I have seen some people stagger their feet (one higher than the other). Tried it, didn't like it. Sticking to the norm there.
However, on turns, I am really torn between using a "same plane" feet placement and the "stagger." I'd like to be consistent, but after experimenting hardcore yesterday, I can't seem to find any benefits or drawbacks of one vs. the other. My brain needs to be told one or the other.
Your thoughts??? :dunno:
Former Member
For starts...a stagger is fine.
For turns...feet planted firmly side by side should provide the most boost.
If they're staggered...one leg might be doing more of the pushing than the other.
Two legs are better than one.
Clay's article in the archives gives some very good pointers.
The rules have changed since then...so ignore the *yards start*
www.usms.org/.../articledisplay.php
I always staggered mine. One knee just won't bend very well, only about 90 degrees. That's the fun of Masters; some technique idiosyncracies you'll see are just to work around physical limitations. The start that gets you to the 15-meter mark the fastest, legally, without trashing the rest of your race should be best.
