An effective starting jump in swimming

Vertical Jump ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xv0DKqe5XQ )

Benefits: Progression in the starting jump from the squat exercise with both legs.

Starting position: Feet shoulder-width apart, hands placed at torso height (prayer position), in front of the body.

Spine in a neutral position. Abdominal muscles are tense.

Movement: First a half-squat is performed, the depth depends on mobility and flexibility. When performing a vertical jump biomechanically adapted to the initial jump in swimming, the arms move with the elbows upwards, behind the body, and slightly wider. The hip, knee, and ankle are stretched. The body is fully stretched in the air. We land lightly on both feet, the knees are slightly bent when landing.

A squat jump, unlike a vertical jump (Vertical jump exercise), is performed continuously without a break between jumps. When landing, the body continues to lower into a squat. This is an excellent exercise for developing power endurance and also increases the metabolic demands of the lower body muscles and the cardiorespiratory system.

An effective starting jump in swimming carries 30% of the speed you achieve in swimming. If you are a competitor, you attach great importance to maximally practicing this important element in competitive swimming. The advantage you gain at the start is irreplaceable for your opponent if you have approximately similar speed characteristics in swimming.

If you swim, and especially if you are a competitor, the way you perform this exercise is very important. If you want to maximize the force of kinetic energy that rockets you forward and you, under the strong pressure of explosive leg power, start the race like a torpedo, then you must establish the most efficient biomechanical movements. The weight of the body moves up and forward in the shoulders, while at the same time, the legs catapult you, so the jump into the water is significantly longer, stronger, and more speed-efficient.

If you perform this jump biomechanically in the usual way, the starting jump will look like you threw a sack of potatoes into the water. The kinetic energy will go in the wrong direction, mainly towards the bottom of the pool, and will not be used in the right way.

A regular high jump is ideal for a basketball player, but not for a swimmer who essentially jumps as far as possible in distance rather than height.

The starting jump requires transferring body weight in the right way while simultaneously generating strong explosive, elastic leg power, mainly from the quadriceps and glutes. There is only one way that is most effective for performing this jump.

It is the same story to achieve explosive, elastic force in the legs that will launch you like a rocket into the pool. There is only one way that is most effective for achieving maximum elastic explosive force in the legs and the entire body. I have already written about this extensively in previous articles.

This is how a coach's explanation should look in short when he presents training to competitive swimmers and explains why training this exercise is important for them.

This is the most vivid and simple description of the purpose of functional training and its application in professional sports.