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!
Now that you have been informed about in water starts, I will confuse you more.
You do not have to dive from the blocks. You can dive from the deck if that is more comfortable, or dive from a sitting position on the deck, with your feet on the gutter. You may want to experiment with these before going to the in water start.
If you decide to use one of these starts, you should also alert the starter beforehand.
Now that you have been informed about in water starts, I will confuse you more.
You do not have to dive from the blocks. You can dive from the deck if that is more comfortable, or dive from a sitting position on the deck, with your feet on the gutter. You may want to experiment with these before going to the in water start.
If you decide to use one of these starts, you should also alert the starter beforehand.
