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Starts
If swimming feels like you're flying through the water, the start is your takeoff. Unlike an airplane, though, you are not allowed to use a runway. All swimming starts begin from a full stop. From this dead stop you will have to create all the momentum you will ever get in an instant. Swimmers commonly think of the start as an explosion or the release of a coiled spring, and in short distance events where a good start is the difference between winning and losing, that's exactly what it's like. So let's get inside the head of a competitive swimmer and see what a world-class start is like from the inside.
Takeoff Before we get into the mechanics of the start, let's look at the starter, the official that starts every race. Part of the starter's duties is to announce the event right before calling the swimmers to their marks. Considering the large number of heats that the starter has to announce, call to their marks, and start, it's a rare individual indeed that does not fall into a cadence. World-class swimmers will watch for this rhythm, observe it, and plan their starts accordingly. Starters the world over are taught to bring the swimmers to their marks then wait for every swimmer to stop moving before starting the race. A full heat of swimmers who are experienced enough to watch for the starter's cadence will come to their marks quickly so as to not interrupt the starter's rhythm. A swimmer who does not, will throw everyone off. This can be to a sprinter's advantage however, if they are confident they will not be caught off guard by the starter's broken-cadence start. A starter who feels manipulated by a swimmer will be extra vigilant as well, so if you want to try this tactic, be very sure your start is flawless. A starter will either use a starter's pistol, which will require replacing spent cartridges and constant oiling in order to function in the damp environment of a pool, or a button that starts an automatic timing system. To substitute for the starter pistol's flash, automatic timing systems come equipped with a strobe light that flashes at the same time as the starters beep. Either way, it is the flash, and not the sound of the starter's device that starts the race. Some swimmers have watched the finger of the starter to get a jump on the competition, but since both gun and button can be partially engaged without starting the race this strategy has led to more than a few false starts. A false start occurs when a starter feels that either a swimmer has started a race without coming to a complete stop, or they feel that a swimmer has started early. A swimmer may not have actually started early. They may have just timed their start expertly, but reality is not important here, the starter's opinion is. If the starter feels that a false start has taken place, they will call the swimmers back by repeatedly shooting the pistol or holding down the starting button which will emit a repeated beeping. If the swimmers don't notice the false-start signal, a rope is usually engaged. This rope, called the false-start rope, is strung across the pool at roughly the half-way mark. When a false start occurs, it is dropped into the pool to notify swimmers that their race has been recalled. Assuming there is no false start, the starter will bring you to the pool with the following announcement, "Swimmers, this is 50 yards freestyle, two lengths of the pool." At this point you are on the block, feeling lose, and breathing deeply to suffuse your body with oxygen since you will not be breathing at all during this event. Remember the starter's cadence you've studied up to now and start replaying it in your mind. You are standing two feet back from the front of the block and ready to be called to your marks. The starter calls you to, "take your marks." You step forward into your starting position, feet shoulder-width apart. If you prefer a foot back position you leave your off foot back, with the toes even with the back of your front foot's heel. Your front foot has its toes curled over the front edge of the starting block. If you prefer a double foot style, both feet are brought to the front of the starting block with their toes curled over the edge of the block. Bring your head down to your knees and touch the front of the starting block with the balls of your hands. As the cadence timing you observed earlier brings to a close bring your back and bottom muscles taught without moving at all on the outside and watch for the flash. Release. All the tension you've built up to this point is released in an explosion of effort. From your doubled-over position, explode straight out over the pool, reaching for the other side. Push with your feet against the front of the starting block with the toes you had curled over the edge, made all the more powerful from your arms flying out fast in front of your body. Newtonian physics makes the effort you put into raising your arms forward without bending your elbows drive your feet harder against the starting block than you could with your legs and back alone. For a short moment you are flying. Fill yourself from the navel to the neck with the only air you will get for the next 18 seconds. This is a sprint after all and breathing will only make you slower. As you feel your airspeed begin to slow, bend slightly at the waist and get ready to enter the water. Feel your fingertips enter the water and tuck your head so your chin touches your chest. Just after entering the water with your head, arch your back. Your hips and feet follow your chest through the smallest hole you can make with your body into the water, avoiding unwanted surface tension drag. Hold your streamline until you begin to match the speed of your stroke, and start swimming. The momentum derived from your explosion off the starting blocks is maintained through streamlining and as little contact with the surface of the water as possible. You should feel like you've lead the swimmers off the blocks and anticipated the starter perfectly. Upon entering the water, no resistance or shaking of the water should be felt. |
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