How else can this information be used?

How this information can be used

Regardless of the type of dive start used, the ultimate goal is the same: the swimmer must react to the starting signal and leave the blocks rapidly, at an appropriate take-off angle and with as much forward velocity as can be generated. (Lyttle, & Benjanuvatra, 2013)

Conflicting results have been found when researching the most effective swimming dive.

Lyttle and Benjanuvatra (2013) state, “Previous studies comparing dive start techniques have usually produced conflicting results”. Some have suggested that the Grab start is superior to the track start and other studies have found no difference between the grab and track starts. A third group of studies have concluded that the track start is superior to the grab start.

However Blanksby et al (2002) state, “Most studies have found the grab start to be superior to the conventional start”

Vilas-Boas et al (1975) conducted a research to compare two variants of the track-start technique for ventral swimming races with the more often performed grab start. Finding pointed out that, despite several biomechanical differences all of them seem equally valuable, because all the differences noticed above water, vanished once the water glide took place.

A study done by Blanksby et al (2002) compares the grab, track and handle starts in a swimming race. Videography was used to analyse these starts before and after a practice period. The performance criterion measure was time to 10 metres. Swimmer performed two of each dive at pre and post-practice sessions, with the fastest dive chosen to use for the test. Reaction movement, block and flight times, flight distance, and their centre of mass and the set position were each measured.

	Grab	Handle	Track
Pre-intervention	Mean (SD)	Mean (SD)	Mean (SD)
10m time	4.64	4.67	4.67
Reaction time(RT)	0.21	0.22	.023
Movement time (MT)	0.65	0.63	0.64
Block time (BT)	0.86	0.83	0.88
Flight time (FT)	0.32	0.24	0.30
Flight distance (FD)	3.23	3.01	2.73
CM position	-0.29	-0.05	-0.58
Post-intervention
10m time	4.52	4.46	4.57
Reaction time (RT)	0.20	0.19	0.19
Movement time (MT)	0.63	0.50	0.66
Block time (BT)	0.82	0.69	0.85
Flight time (FT)	0.30	0.24	0.29
Flight distance (FD)	3.27	2.99	3.28
CM position	0.26	0.15	-0.68

(Blanksby, Nicholson, & Elliot, 2002)

There was no specific difference in time to 10 m for swimmers using a grab start, handle start or track start before or after the practice sessions. However the time to the 10 m time did improve in the track and grab start following the practice sessions. (Blanksby, Nicholson, & Elliot, 2002)

Conclusion

Competitive swimming is a very mathematical sport and ultimately winning comes down to a matter of one millionth of a second. Swimming is a highly prodigious sport in the Olympic games, a lot of time, effort and money is used at perfecting every aspect of a race, with upmost importance being placed on the dive as it can win or loose a race. Many factors can contribute to producing the optimal trajectory of a swimming dive. The main principles for all three dives are block time (reaction time), flight time water time, all including several variables. Other aspects that should be considered are the equipment (the block), the swimmers body contortions, and the specific dive chosen. However ultimately like in many other sports there is no ideal swimming dive that can be used for everyone: individual testing is needed to determine each swimmers optimum technique.