Tip of the Week: Maintaining Momentum While Surfacing

January 11, 2010

Ever wonder what the best way is to maintain your momentum when you come to the surface from a start (or push-off the wall)?  In every good start (even in a triathlon open water swim), you will be underwater, kicking, with arms held in a streamline position overhead.  When you come to the surface, it is important that you are at an angle to the water, with the head higher than the feet.  This will cause you to push up and over the surface, so when you start swimming you will automatically be going as fast as you were while streamlining. 

If you come to the surface at level (head and legs at same depth), your body takes on more resistance to the water.  You actually stop when you breach the surface, losing all of the speed you gained at the start.  Then you have to start swimming as fast as possible to try and get that speed back.  This can cause you to lose a body length (or more) on your competitors who started even with you and just surfaced correctly.

View previous swimming tips.