So I've been working on the mechanics of all my strokes for the past few months, and I've decided to swim a "sprint pentathlon" at the Louisville TYR meet on Sunday: 50s of all strokes plus a 100 IM. The idea is to establish baseline times to work from. Today I realized that despite years of youth and high school swimming, I probably have never performed a backstroke start in my life. I tried a few today at the end of my workout, and I felt like a chest of drawers falling off a cliff.
What are the parameters of a legal (and ideally not horrific) backstroke start?
Mr. Wolf, re: Don't curl your toes. Please explain. Why not?
Since Wolf is offline, I'll respond...
You cannot use the gutter with your feet (i.e. grip the edge with your toes). The rule was changed some years ago. You have to have your feet/toes below the water line.
You will need to practice this if you have not done it yet, even if it is during warm-up at the meet. If they are using timing pads at your competition, most pads now have a textured surface to help in preventing slippage in the backstroke start. However, if the pads are older, or they are using watches without pads, your feet can sometimes slip during the start.
Mr. Wolf, re: Don't curl your toes. Please explain. Why not?
Since Wolf is offline, I'll respond...
You cannot use the gutter with your feet (i.e. grip the edge with your toes). The rule was changed some years ago. You have to have your feet/toes below the water line.
You will need to practice this if you have not done it yet, even if it is during warm-up at the meet. If they are using timing pads at your competition, most pads now have a textured surface to help in preventing slippage in the backstroke start. However, if the pads are older, or they are using watches without pads, your feet can sometimes slip during the start.
