On the starting block?

Question

What are your methods?
Do you have one leg infront of the other (track start) or together (grab start)?
Do you jump out and do a quick lean back before reaching the water?

Anyway, what's your technique?

Oh I meant to ask, what's the most efficient way of diving? And I personally do a grab start... Is track better?

Answer 1

there was a study on this a few months ago, and a track start is a little slower, but gives you the most power by far. it looks slow, but start as a track start, and slightly "load" your arms.... i used this at high school state, and it worked wonders for me. its an awesome feeling, so practice it, perfect it, and try it in a meet.

Answer 2

The track start is more powerful and it's what we teach our kids from the beginning. Having a lead leg and a trailing leg creates power from two different planes. It also provides more balance which allows the swimmer ot be more powerful as the muscles are not being utilized as much for stability.

Piking is for our more advanced swimmers and divers who have the body type and weight and form to actually benefit from piking. We like our swimmers to develop a killer dive without a pike before they even think about piking off the block. Most of my 13s and up are allowed to pike but there are some whose dives were not as efficient. Unless you really get good at throwing that force forward into the motion than a pike doesn't do much except make you look cool (right...).

I personally was not taught to do the track start as a child and didn't learn it until I was a teenager. I benefitted from the staggered stance though and my dives improved.

Good luck with your season!!!

Answer 3

At first you should simply curl your toes over the end of the block sholder width apart and grab the front of the block lightly with your hands. Bend your knees abit, roll forwards as much as you can without topling in. When you hear the gun/whistle/shout/beep. Push your hands out and forwards aiming for the water 2m in frnt of you and push off with your legs.
If you are doing front crawl you can do a track start. This is the same as the simple method above but have one foot a foot behind the edge of the block. Make sure you do not over roll when pushing off.
A pike dive (with the "jerk" in the air) is harder and looks abit stupid if you get it wrong. Give it a try in training but its not that effective unless you are very practiced at it.

Always aim a little bit further forwards in the water with your arms to the point you hit the water. Always get down and settled as quickly as you can, don't wait for take your marks. NEVER swing your arms back on the blocks, unless you are doing the second/third/forth leg of a relay race.

Answer 4

i would use the track start, when you dive look up and then throw your arms into a point then do a butterfly kick

Answer 5

Both legs in front. More force when jumping off.