Starts & Turns Vejen September 3 rd, 2016
Start Position Rear leg: angle 90 degrees in knee Foot full on wedge with toes touching the horizontal platform. Wedge distance depending on the 90 degree take-off position from the next slide (rear leg should still be touching the wedge, fully streteched) Back arched Head looking down the pool wall Elbows pointing backward, elbows slightly bend Tension on core, arms and legs Toes of front foot curling over the horizontal platform Fist-size in between feet Shoulders above or slightly in front of hands (side-view), with center of gravity in line with shin/knee
Block time (after signal) After signal, simultaneously: Pull/push with hands (short & sharp), aiming a little downward Push hard with rear leg When starting moving, simultaneously: Lower front knee (bending) Bring head up -> bring upper body up (via back) Hands leave block Front knee lowers to horizontal (with 90 degrees angle in knee) at the same time rear leg has finished and front leg starts pushing from that angle for flat take-off angle. When pushing off, last impulsive extension of back finishes for horizontal flight from rear leg toe till point of finger tips (+/- 25 degree take-off angle from toe to hip)
Flight / Air time Keep your body in line with the direction of the speed (from hands till toes) Head just below the arms (don t put your head out of streamline on the backside)
Entry and First kick Keep your body in line with the speed direction for first part of entry, you are travelling around 4 m/s Dive in one hole: bring legs in line when bending towards horizontal position. Try to avoid extra drag (bubbles) Depending of entry speed/travel speed and potential kicking speed, start kicking just before you are at your potential kicking speed. The depth of Ranomi is 1,30m, but depending on kicking speed / length underwater, you should adjust depth.
Men/Women differences A lot of tall sprinting men have less room on the starting block: hips are up high and have to lower more in order to be flat. They often choose to start pushing earlier with front leg and have steeper take-off and entry angles.
Common mistakes Foot high on wedge Steep take-off angles (and entry angles) Lower back positions Bending off too soon after entry Kicking too soon underwater
Backstroke start position Wedge high out of water (4 cm) / feet high on wall 90 degree angle in knee Bottom just above the water surface Back slightly arched Head in line with spine 90 degree angle in arms Hands as high as possible Build tension on you body (arms, core, legs/feet) Feet just within hip wideness
Backstroke Block/Pad Time After signal, bring head/back backwards Start pushing off hands, supporting rotation Start pushing off with legs after hands have finished pushing (possible bring hips a little bit towards wall) Brings arms slight bent (in elbows), in a straight line over the shoulders (head facing other side of the pool) Bring arms in line with speed/arched body when finishing push-off -> near horizontal push-off angle
Backstroke Entry and First kick Bring arms/head in line with speed/body Less speed at entry, but still follow line of speed. Less deep with backstroke because of entryangle/speed angle Dive-in one hole (keep legs high) Try to get horizontal quite soon Leg-drop initiates the downbeat of first kick
Backstroke: common mistakes Steep take-off angles (pushing off too soon) To deep after entry
Flip turn: prepare Attack the wall Keep head in line with spine Submerge or not!
Flip turn: turn/rotate (1) Distance from wall (eventually feet behind hips on wall for horizontal push-off for shorter underwater or slightly above hips in side-view for deeper underwater, 90-100 degrees angle in knee). Start rotating with putting head towards bottom of the pool as hand speed is the highest / highest pressure in second phase of arm pull. Short and sharp downbeat when head goes downward lifting hips out of water Turn BIG: lift feet out of the water (fast) by bending knee and keep a big angle in your hips, try to rotate as an whole!
Flip turn: turn/rotate (2) Keep hands pointing towards other side of the pool (turn around/over your hands). They can help by pressing downward to support rotation. Keep a big angle in you hip, leaving upperlegs on and over the water surface. Bring speed in you legs over the water / Open up your hips to stay big in your turn Keep head in line with your straight spine Rotate straight
Flip turn: push-off and First kick Stop rotating with upper body when pushing knee/feet towards the wall when placing feet at the wall. At the same time slightly rotate into one direction with body, with upper body slightly further rotated than lower body placing feet at 20-30 degrees at the wall. Straight push-off angle from feet > hip > arms Almost start kicking directly after push-off (you will lose speed fast after push-off and with positioning for first kick) Follow the line of speed of push-off (rotating to belly)
Flip turn: common mistakes Rotating too small (late exit of legs and passive legs/hip during rotation) Late push-off Late timing of first kick
Fall-back Turn: prepare Finish slightly from underneath (shallow entry) Keep body in line with the touch, which is high at the water surface (with breaststroke, even the support arm could be above the surface, with the other shoulder slight lower). At the touch, bring head out of streamline because of moving into new direction Keep speed/momentum in the glide
Fall-back Turn: turn/rotate Bring heals towards bottom at touch Bring head further into new direction at touch Keep straight support arm at wall Directly after touch, try to bring guiding hand/arm from wall towards hip / other side Keep leading shoulder low (too fall on your side) Rotate using your whole core / as a whole, working at upper body rotation as well as lower body Tug your knees under your body (not to chest!)
Fall-back Turn: turn/rotate When straight (side view), flick support hand off wall, keeping it above the surface and support rotation bringing the hand towards / close passing your head Let your other hand help you rotate for second part of rotation by bringing the palm of your hand towards horizontal position (facing water surface)
Fall-back Turn: push-off and First kick Stay on your side, but rotate upper body slightly further than the 180 degrees rotation Start pushing your knees/feet towards the wall before you are fully rotated to horizontal position Push off on your side and catch momentum to turn to your bellyside As with freestyle/backstroke: start almost kicking directly Depending on underwater length -> distance / speed (50-100-200 fly) and quality of kick (speed),determine push-off angle / depth
Fall-back Turn: common mistakes Touch from above, sending energy downward Bending of support arm at touch Waiting too long with direction hand/arm of rotation head/upperbody Waiting too long with push-off Deep push-off angles