Improving Propulsion for Your Starts and Turns
Recently we had a good Starts and Turns Camp in Coronado with swimmers from 11 to 18 years of age. For two days, we worked on trying to identify the very best start technique for each swimmer. Our goal was to reach the gold standard for starts, using a technique similar to the one used by Olympians Caeleb Dressel and Brad Tandy. Not all of these swimmers were able to achieve anything close to the start. Therefore, in teaching starts it’s important to focus on the technique that works best for each swimmer.
For example, three of the swimmers’ biggest problem in start technique was an upward trajectory from the starting block. In order to resolve that particular issue, we needed to teach them to keep their heads down on the start, even though that sacrificed an important coupling motion; the head lift.
In the end, we worked on all 10 points for an excellent start technique. We also taught them about the fundamentals of great turns, including the approach, flip itself, the underwaters and the breakouts.
Every swimmer improved their starts and turns tremendously, and we look forward to their continued practice of these newly learned techniques.
Yours in swimming,
Gary Sr