Mechanics of the Start

小臭贝

This week’s Speedo Tip of the Week is an excerpt from the May-June 2003 issue of Splash, in which Andrew Baer, a coach at Stingrays Swimming in Marietta Georgia, offers some advice on the start.

Baer’s Tip:
“The key to the start is to get off the blocks quickly, and with the proper technique, to maximize your speed and length of each start,” Baer said.

In teaching his swimmers starts, Baer works on reaction drills to help them get off the blocks faster, as well as the mechanics of the actual start.

Baer conducts the reaction drills on dry land, and after his kids have the hang of it over the course of several days or a week, he moves them to the start itself.

“Teaching your muscles to react quickly and practicing the proper technique are the key elements to a fast start,” he said. “Remembering that you can never emphasize the streamline enough is important as well.”

Baer teaches his swimmers to concentrate on the following points while learning the start. The concepts are the same whether swimmers are using a conventional grab start or a track start:


At the sound of the horn, use your arms to shift your weight forward. Explode outward and upward, lifting your head and arms in unison.

Establish a streamline position with your arms quickly, and drop your chin between your arms.

Hold a tight streamline upon entry. “Your goal is to have your entire body travel through the small hole that your hands and arms create,” he said. Continue to hold that tight streamline throughout the dive.

Begin your kick. You can use a dolphin kick for either freestyle or butterfly, but for the start, remember to use a smaller, faster dolphin kick. “Remember,” Baer said, “you are moving faster than race pace, and the purpose of the streamline and kick are to maintain this speed (for as long as possible) up to 15 meters.”

As you begin to lose your speed from the dive, switch to your traditional dolphin kick for butterfly, or flutter kick for freestyle.

Be sure to begin your first arm stroke below the surface of the water. You want to have your hand(s) pass by your hip on the first stroke as your head breaks the surface of the water.

Never breathe on your first stroke, except on back and breaststroke.

For breaststroke, you will be doing an underwater pullout. “The streamline position is even more critical in this dive,” Baer said. “Be sure to finish your kick and know how deep you are, so that you will surface upon the completion of your pullout.”