Ok - I realize that as I hit 65+, I am a little more shakey on the blocks. Fellow swimmers tell me that my starts are fairly good (I suspect they take age into consideration!); but I noticed that the guy in the lane next to me at a recent meet (who was a bit younger) started in the water and was even with me at about 20 yards into a 500.
I was wondering if anyone has a sense of what the advantage really is for "older" swimmers in terms of blocks v. in-water starts. Especially for those of us who prefer 200's and above!
Parents
Former Member
I agree with Allen on the approximate advantages of a block start.
For a longer swim, if you are worried about your start, a block start may be a disadvantage. You have the stress (block) vs confidence (push) factor as well as an energy factor. A block start takes a lot more energy than a push, and that energy might be better saved for the back half of the race.
If you aren't worried about adding 2 seconds to your time, and would enjoy the race more from a push, start from a push.
When starting from the wall, how does one go about letting the referee/timekeepers, etc. know that you are starting down there? Do you have to tell them ahead of time, or when they announce your heat just jump in and wave and say "hey, I'm starting from the wall"??
Best bet, ask the starter before the meet starts.
You can probably hop in after the person in your lane finishes. At a fast run meet during heats of 50s, expect this to be a bit of a cluster. Dive overs are common, where the next person starts while the last person waits in the water until the race has started to climb out, which means there would be two people on the wall. Of course, heats of 50s are always a bit of a cluster.
I agree with Allen on the approximate advantages of a block start.
For a longer swim, if you are worried about your start, a block start may be a disadvantage. You have the stress (block) vs confidence (push) factor as well as an energy factor. A block start takes a lot more energy than a push, and that energy might be better saved for the back half of the race.
If you aren't worried about adding 2 seconds to your time, and would enjoy the race more from a push, start from a push.
When starting from the wall, how does one go about letting the referee/timekeepers, etc. know that you are starting down there? Do you have to tell them ahead of time, or when they announce your heat just jump in and wave and say "hey, I'm starting from the wall"??
Best bet, ask the starter before the meet starts.
You can probably hop in after the person in your lane finishes. At a fast run meet during heats of 50s, expect this to be a bit of a cluster. Dive overs are common, where the next person starts while the last person waits in the water until the race has started to climb out, which means there would be two people on the wall. Of course, heats of 50s are always a bit of a cluster.
