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?
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By way of an update: I successfully completed my backstroke start, insofar as I propelled myself backward into the water. I went a little deep, and had a moment of looking up and thinking, "I gotta get back up there, and soon." I was half a body back of the guy next to me when I came up. But no muscle pull, no humiliating slippage, and no DQ. So the forumites came through again!
I threaten no one in the backstroke department. But in my heat a 75 year-old guy set the world record in the 50 meter back with a 35+. Needless to say I did not seem him finish.
But generally the meet went well--took 1.4 seconds off my 100 meter IM, and stayed static in other events. Need lots of work on breakouts, that's for sure. My SDK needs work, too.
Thanks to all for the help.
By way of an update: I successfully completed my backstroke start, insofar as I propelled myself backward into the water. I went a little deep, and had a moment of looking up and thinking, "I gotta get back up there, and soon." I was half a body back of the guy next to me when I came up. But no muscle pull, no humiliating slippage, and no DQ. So the forumites came through again!
I threaten no one in the backstroke department. But in my heat a 75 year-old guy set the world record in the 50 meter back with a 35+. Needless to say I did not seem him finish.
But generally the meet went well--took 1.4 seconds off my 100 meter IM, and stayed static in other events. Need lots of work on breakouts, that's for sure. My SDK needs work, too.
Thanks to all for the help.
