Noticing more frequent use of grab starts in Beijing...
Former Member
Notably by the Chinese female swimmer, and it's combined with tremendous water entries and SDK's ... I'd say almost Coughlin caliber underwaters and theyr'e coming up on the fielkd, but no one is talking about it.
Look at their entries in the 200 free. In the 100, Pang jumped so take her slight reaction time out of it and she still is well up after the SDK's.
Notice also that Lenton of Australia used the conventional grab start, as do several other of her country women.
In one particular Chinese sprinter (Le?), she squats with her but down quite low for her stance, which would seem very slow off the block. At 15 meters though she is ahead.
Any thoughts?
Parents
Former Member
Allen,
Actually I think more like 1500 meter swimmers and 400 IMers doing a track start. Many europeans sprinters have used the 2 foot grab start with great success. Even their track start is different from the USA version.
The euro/aussie track start has the swimmer exploding forwards about a 40 to 45 degree angle to the water. They go up high like the grab start, go out farther, and always have a splash free entry.
The USA track start just allows the swimmer to fall into the water, at the 2004 Olympic trials the women were about 12 to 18 inches beyond the T at the bottom of the pool. That T is 6' 7" from the wall. There is no attempt to gain either heighth or distance. Just getting into the water with minimum splash.
I have seen 12-15 year old boys go 14 feet off the starting blocks, at a starting clinic. Even fat, OLD me did 13 to 14 feet!
Popov and Mark Foster both used the grab start, and used their great starts to have LONG swimming success.
I have a great photo from the 2004 Olympic trials, it captured all 8 swimmers at the exact point they were starting to enter the water, after ALL had used the track start. No one had an advantage.
Going back to Steve Lundquist, he often had a 4 to 6 FEET advantage over the other breaststrokers, due to his great start. THAT is what you can only get from the perfect GRAB start.
Allen,
Actually I think more like 1500 meter swimmers and 400 IMers doing a track start. Many europeans sprinters have used the 2 foot grab start with great success. Even their track start is different from the USA version.
The euro/aussie track start has the swimmer exploding forwards about a 40 to 45 degree angle to the water. They go up high like the grab start, go out farther, and always have a splash free entry.
The USA track start just allows the swimmer to fall into the water, at the 2004 Olympic trials the women were about 12 to 18 inches beyond the T at the bottom of the pool. That T is 6' 7" from the wall. There is no attempt to gain either heighth or distance. Just getting into the water with minimum splash.
I have seen 12-15 year old boys go 14 feet off the starting blocks, at a starting clinic. Even fat, OLD me did 13 to 14 feet!
Popov and Mark Foster both used the grab start, and used their great starts to have LONG swimming success.
I have a great photo from the 2004 Olympic trials, it captured all 8 swimmers at the exact point they were starting to enter the water, after ALL had used the track start. No one had an advantage.
Going back to Steve Lundquist, he often had a 4 to 6 FEET advantage over the other breaststrokers, due to his great start. THAT is what you can only get from the perfect GRAB start.
