In my own experience, in both free and back (especially backstroke), if my initial 1-2 strokes went wrong (e.g. too slow, or paused, or lost rhythm), then it ruins the whole lap. It seems the inertia from the start determines if the rest of the lap will be successful or not. Can you fully recover from a start that went wrong and still finish a good lap?
Not only do I think you can recover but you can also take advantage of it. Face it...less than perfect starts/turns are VERY common, but how you react is the key. If you "panic" you'll waste the surge of adreniline that comes after the screw up and "over spin" and lose not only tempo but that energy boost. Stay calm/focused as best you can and rather than flail trying to recover take 1-3 strokes to build tempo back up.
Also, practice back start/trun recovery's in work-out....sound silly but it helps.
'overspin', or trying too hard, can be an issue after a bad start. I like the analogy of a car accelerating. If you just floor it, you spin the tires and have poor acceleration, traction, and control. What you want to do is accelerate smoothly with class, style, and a maximum of controlled power. :)
Not only do I think you can recover but you can also take advantage of it. Face it...less than perfect starts/turns are VERY common, but how you react is the key. If you "panic" you'll waste the surge of adreniline that comes after the screw up and "over spin" and lose not only tempo but that energy boost. Stay calm/focused as best you can and rather than flail trying to recover take 1-3 strokes to build tempo back up.
Also, practice back start/trun recovery's in work-out....sound silly but it helps.
'overspin', or trying too hard, can be an issue after a bad start. I like the analogy of a car accelerating. If you just floor it, you spin the tires and have poor acceleration, traction, and control. What you want to do is accelerate smoothly with class, style, and a maximum of controlled power. :)
