By Olivier Poirier-Leroy on SwimSwam
Getting off the blocks fast helps set the tone for the rest of your races. Here’s why you shouldn’t sleep on your starts.
Fast times and gold medal finishes on race day come down to a long list of factors.
And a fast, clean start is right up there, particularly for sprinters.
At the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, Rowdy Gaines—the world record holder and sentimental favorite for gold—knew that a fast start was critical in his pursuit to win gold in the 100m freestyle.
The starter for the event, Francisco Silvestri, had a reputation for signaling the start very fast.
In Los Angeles, this was the case. Gaines got into his “set” position quickly, while several other swimmers were still descending their hands to the blocks when the starter’s signal went off.
Gaines exploded off the block and to an early lead, which grew over the course of the race. He touched first, securing the Olympic gold medal that had been denied to him by the 1980 Olympics boycott.
That fast start wasn’t an accident—it was the result of lots of practice and situational awareness.
Ultimately:
The start sets the tone.
The start is a chance to establish momentum.
And just like your technique, turns, and conditioning, it should be practiced regularly and deliberately.
As Gaines notes:
“The start is never going to be perfect. It is one of those things that you have to practice over and over.”Tips for Faster Starts
Wanna add a little rocket fuel to your flights off the blocks? Here are some tips to get you going.
Practice starts regularly.
Doing more starts sharpens the blade, so to speak. You get a chance to work entry angles, hand position, knee bend in the start position, kick strategies underwater, and so on.
Repetition and practice breeds familiarity, helping to eliminate hesitation and overthinking on race day.
Swimmers often have a hard time clearing the blocks on race day simply because the skills haven’t been worked on enough in training.
Strong foot at the rear.
Start technique varies from swimmer to swimmer, but one of the key characteristics of a fast start is putting your strong leg in the rear and on the wedge.
The rear foot is responsible for horizontal velocity, which correlates strongly with a high-speed block phase and start (Burkhardt et al., 2023).
Train for power.
A fast start requires power. Explosive strength in the legs and upper body generates the force to launch off the blocks and carry high-speed velocity through the water.
A 2021 study by Keiner et al. published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research showed that bench press and squat 1RM explained 50–65% of the performance variance in how fast a group of swimmers got off the blocks.
“The goal of a start is to develop as much power as possible off the blocks, and hold the speed you develop in the air into the hole and up through the breakout,” said Bill Pilczuk, the world champion in the 50m freestyle at the 1998 Perth World Championships.
Use visualization and pre-race routines.
When plotting out a new and improved start, include everything from the ready room to mounting blocks and launching yourself into the air.
The start “is a symphony beginning with the walk toward the block—or even the ready room—to when you remove your warm-ups to when you finally reach free swimming speed,” said Monty Hopkins, head coach at Milford Area Swim Team and Thomas More University.
Build out a pre-race routine and regularly perform mental rehearsals so that things are automatic on race day.
Customize based on your strengths.
There’s a lot that goes into a boom-boom start. Foot stance, wedge position, arm recovery during the flight phase, underwater distance. Each aspect should match your physical strengths, skills, and body type.
Starts look a little different for every swimmer, so if it works for you, use it!
The Bottom Line
Great starts aren’t an accident. They are built through training, power development, and tailoring each phase to your skill set.
Whether you’re chasing that elusive Olympic gold medal under a California sun or flirting with some new best times, the start is your launchpad to faster swimming.
ABOUT OLIVIER POIRIER-LEROY
Olivier Poirier-Leroy is a former national-level swimmer, author, swim coach, and certified personal trainer. He’s the author of YourSwimBook, a ten-month logbook for competitive swimmers.
He’s also the author of the best-selling mental training workbook for competitive swimmers, Conquer the Pool: The Swimmer’s Ultimate Guide to a High-Performance Mindset.
It combines sport psychology research, worksheets, anecdotes, and examples of Olympians past and present to give swimmers everything they need to conquer the mental side of the sport.
Ready to take your mindset to the next level in the pool?
Click here to learn more about Conquer the Pool.
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