I'm new at competing and just went to my second meet where the entire pool was only 4ft deep. I didn't know how to dive properly. I came within inches of the bottom each time, and then when I tried to sdk for power and momentum I kicked the bottom with my feet and lost efficiency trying to get up and out on top. Plus, when trying to do the kick out, on breaststroke, at turns, I didn't have the room to use my strength and power to do it properly, I felt constrained.
What do the rest of you do?
Parents
Former Member
I'm a breaststroker and flier and go pretty deep on the starts. I've stopped doing starting block dives for pools that are that shallow.
Kirk is right that, when we were younger, the shallower pools didn't matter so much because we (I at least) were taught to hit the water completely flat on the start. Now that I'm trying to get into the water w/o splashing it takes me pretty deep. I'm pretty happy with my present entry and am disinclined to change it.
Most places where I compete are deep enough that it's not a problem so, for the shallow pools, I just modify my swim events such that starting in the water isn't a big deal (read: these are good pools for the distance free events).
BTW, where I train, the pool is shallow enough at one end that I hit my hand on the bottom many times while swimming freestyle.
I'm a breaststroker and flier and go pretty deep on the starts. I've stopped doing starting block dives for pools that are that shallow.
Kirk is right that, when we were younger, the shallower pools didn't matter so much because we (I at least) were taught to hit the water completely flat on the start. Now that I'm trying to get into the water w/o splashing it takes me pretty deep. I'm pretty happy with my present entry and am disinclined to change it.
Most places where I compete are deep enough that it's not a problem so, for the shallow pools, I just modify my swim events such that starting in the water isn't a big deal (read: these are good pools for the distance free events).
BTW, where I train, the pool is shallow enough at one end that I hit my hand on the bottom many times while swimming freestyle.
