I see some age groupers getting real good results grabbing the gutter and placing feet a bit lower. They come right out and get clean entries just like the bar grabbers. Is this just a developmental thing, or can Masters benefit? I think the added buoyancy by staying low in the water at the start creates a stronger pushoff and slingshot?
my starts depend on the facilities available. some grab bars are too high or their style just doesn't feel right, at which point I turn to the gutter for help, and the same thing applies for the gutter. Personally, I don't really feel like I get a better start with one or the other in general - obviously, in specific situations one is better than the other.
Consider this: using the blocks/grab bar, I find myself deeper in the water off the start (usually ~3 feet), and thus the amplitude of my forward projectile motion has a pretty low valley to start. A gutter start finds me much closer to the surface (1-2 feet) and gives me a much flatter amplitude to start. I would think that since the fastest distance between point a and b is a straight line, that for me, the gutter start will almost always be the best bet.
my starts depend on the facilities available. some grab bars are too high or their style just doesn't feel right, at which point I turn to the gutter for help, and the same thing applies for the gutter. Personally, I don't really feel like I get a better start with one or the other in general - obviously, in specific situations one is better than the other.
Consider this: using the blocks/grab bar, I find myself deeper in the water off the start (usually ~3 feet), and thus the amplitude of my forward projectile motion has a pretty low valley to start. A gutter start finds me much closer to the surface (1-2 feet) and gives me a much flatter amplitude to start. I would think that since the fastest distance between point a and b is a straight line, that for me, the gutter start will almost always be the best bet.
