WHICH SWIMMING DIVE START (GRAB START OR TRACK START) PRODUCES THE GREATEST ACCELERATION TO INCREASE A SWIMMERS SPEED?
The Answer
It is difficult to determine what dive start produces the greatest acceleration. A limitation of comparing what variation of dive is better is that swimmers choose the dive start that is more comfortable and efficient for them. More body mass allows more force to accumulate. However, the more mass a swimmer has, the more inertia they have to overcome. Therefore, lighter swimmers may not be able to create the same amount of force as the heavier swimmers but still accelerate their bodies through the water quicker due to less inertia they have to overcome. When testing the variations of dives, the investigators should ensure that the same person performs both techniques and has the same familiarity between both variations.
Swimmers store potential energy to allow more acceleration in the dives. The more momentum and force a swimmer can perform the more effective the dive will be. The track start allows swimmers to generate more force than the grab start, allowing more transmitting forces into elastic energy and propulsion. The grab start has lower ranges of motion which can restrict swimmers elastic energy recoil pattern and the impact of acceleration in the dive. The grab start has less stability as the centre of gravity midline is more forward than the track start. This can result in overbalancing the dive and increasing chances of false starting. An advantage of the grab start is that it allows for quicker dive execution, increasing time efficiency crucial in sprint racing. However, the grab start may not produce as much force as track start which in turn can affect how fast they accelerate into the water.
Biomechanically, the track start with the back plate is more efficient than the grab start. This is due to the track start’s centre of gravity is placed more in middle of the block. This can allow the swimmer to shift the body mass back and forth on the block. This allows swimmers to apply as little or as much force and potential energy required in executing the dive. The track start allows more potential energy and strain energy to be stored, which can allow for more force execution. Though, this technique may have a slower kinetic chain build up, if executed correctly, it can become a crucial mechanism in generating the most acceleration between the dives. The FINA new blocks with back plates allows performance of the skill to be faster. This can be due to the increases of horizontal velocity and forces that are used in the efficiency of the dive execution.
It is difficult to determine what dive start produces the greatest acceleration. A limitation of comparing what variation of dive is better is that swimmers choose the dive start that is more comfortable and efficient for them. More body mass allows more force to accumulate. However, the more mass a swimmer has, the more inertia they have to overcome. Therefore, lighter swimmers may not be able to create the same amount of force as the heavier swimmers but still accelerate their bodies through the water quicker due to less inertia they have to overcome. When testing the variations of dives, the investigators should ensure that the same person performs both techniques and has the same familiarity between both variations.
Swimmers store potential energy to allow more acceleration in the dives. The more momentum and force a swimmer can perform the more effective the dive will be. The track start allows swimmers to generate more force than the grab start, allowing more transmitting forces into elastic energy and propulsion. The grab start has lower ranges of motion which can restrict swimmers elastic energy recoil pattern and the impact of acceleration in the dive. The grab start has less stability as the centre of gravity midline is more forward than the track start. This can result in overbalancing the dive and increasing chances of false starting. An advantage of the grab start is that it allows for quicker dive execution, increasing time efficiency crucial in sprint racing. However, the grab start may not produce as much force as track start which in turn can affect how fast they accelerate into the water.
Biomechanically, the track start with the back plate is more efficient than the grab start. This is due to the track start’s centre of gravity is placed more in middle of the block. This can allow the swimmer to shift the body mass back and forth on the block. This allows swimmers to apply as little or as much force and potential energy required in executing the dive. The track start allows more potential energy and strain energy to be stored, which can allow for more force execution. Though, this technique may have a slower kinetic chain build up, if executed correctly, it can become a crucial mechanism in generating the most acceleration between the dives. The FINA new blocks with back plates allows performance of the skill to be faster. This can be due to the increases of horizontal velocity and forces that are used in the efficiency of the dive execution.
This video shows the comparison between to two dives. This may assist you in understanding the answer which posed above.