Best starting block position: left foot forward or right foot?
Former Member
I remember when my friend taught me how to water ski. He told me to stand feet together and then he pushed me. Instinctively my left foot shot out to steady myself. He said that is the foot that should be in front on the slalom ski.
What is the thinking on the starting block position? Which foot should be in front?
Syd
The going in position from this coaches point of view is:
Strongest "Leg" forward as that is the leg that will be doing the majority of the launch......the rear leg does not do a whole lot besides stabilizing your body.
I myself use the 2 footed start....I can usually....not always.....but usually beat the kids that I coach to the 15 meter point even though I might not be the first off the blocks....it's all in the entry and the streamline.
But the biggest thing to take away from this is that it varies a whole lot from swimmer to swimmer....Just my:2cents: of course.....
One thing we should all take away from these types of discussions is there is no "one way" to do something. The key to grow and succeed is to take in a variety of viewpoints, try them all, and adapt to what works best for you.
In my case the two footed grab start as TJ still works best for me for exactly the reasons described.
My wife is still experimenting, she tried and lean back grad start 3 years ago and ended up with a 95% tear of her rotator cuff....which leads to my last bit of "wisdom".....practice starts 2-3x a week during the season.....not the last 2 weeks of a taper!
The going in position from this coaches point of view is:
Strongest "Leg" forward as that is the leg that will be doing the majority of the launch......the rear leg does not do a whole lot besides stabilizing your body.
I myself use the 2 footed start....I can usually....not always.....but usually beat the kids that I coach to the 15 meter point even though I might not be the first off the blocks....it's all in the entry and the streamline.
But the biggest thing to take away from this is that it varies a whole lot from swimmer to swimmer....Just my:2cents: of course.....
One thing we should all take away from these types of discussions is there is no "one way" to do something. The key to grow and succeed is to take in a variety of viewpoints, try them all, and adapt to what works best for you.
In my case the two footed grab start as TJ still works best for me for exactly the reasons described.
My wife is still experimenting, she tried and lean back grad start 3 years ago and ended up with a 95% tear of her rotator cuff....which leads to my last bit of "wisdom".....practice starts 2-3x a week during the season.....not the last 2 weeks of a taper!
