﻿{"id":631127,"date":"2026-01-17T05:53:05","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T12:53:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=631127"},"modified":"2026-01-17T05:53:05","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T12:53:05","slug":"how-do-the-best-swimmers-get-off-the-block-fast-keys-to-a-speedy-start","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/how-do-the-best-swimmers-get-off-the-block-fast-keys-to-a-speedy-start\/","title":{"rendered":"How Do the Best Swimmers Get Off the Block Fast? Keys to a Speedy Start (Video)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>How Do the Best Swimmers Get Off the Block Fast? Keys to a Speedy Start<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A fraction of a second can change everything. If you\u2019ve been swimming long enough, you\u2019ve heard it time and time again. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most often, we apply this mentality in the water, looking to hone in on any technical improvement to our stroke. It\u2019s a worthy cause, likely to lead to major improvements. There&#8217;s another area of the race that provides an advantage but garners less attention: how fast we enter the water.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The difference between a great start and a bad one is only fractions of a second. That\u2019s not a lot, especially in comparison to major time drops that can come from stroke changes. But in a sport where every hundredth counts, a quick entry provides a key advantage. How fast you enter the water could win or lose the race, especially in shorter races.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So how can you improve your start? We took a look at some of the swimming world\u2019s fastest athletes off the block to determine the secrets behind their starts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Leveraging the Lower Body<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the key aspects of a great start is generating power with your legs, which is crucial to leaping out past opponents. From a young age, swimmers are taught to emphasize both their back leg and their front leg in their start, pushing off forcefully from an athletic position to go as far as possible. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After studying many of the fastest swimmers off the block, a common theme emerged: these swimmers almost always were the most \u201cexplosive.\u201d The athletes often soared farther out than their opponents on their start. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A prime example of this explosiveness can be found in <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Torri Huske<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=4hTNZtBgPvk\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the fastest off of the block in the 50 free at U.S Nationals this year<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Huske was the quickest off the block, with a reaction time of just 0.62. But also watch Huske\u2019s trajectory. The Stanford star uses the force created by her push from both legs to soar above the water. Because of her ability to maximize her time moving forward in the air, in comparison to her competitors, Huske isn\u2019t just the quickest to hit the water, she also gets the farthest.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brazilian sprinter <strong>Gui Caribe<\/strong> is another great example of power mixed with speed. Caribe\u2019s incredibly strong propulsion from his lower body leads to a stellar reaction, allowing him to beat the field into the water. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/EJiJP_o4Sfc?si=zfS6fdRvKFauy1m3&amp;t=121\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Watch as he builds an early lead in the 100 free at Worlds<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These swimmers show us that power and reaction time aren\u2019t mutually exclusive when it comes to the start. By utilizing both, swimmers can give themselves an early advantage in any race.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Still Like A Statue<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Athleticism and strength are key to the ability to start quickly. But these factors aren\u2019t everything. To get off the block faster than the competition, the starting motion must be as smooth and technically sound as possible. Reaching the water in a tight streamline with the entire body moving forward is the ultimate goal, and any minor flaws can result in a slower start.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the most prevalent errors that can be seen in athletes who start slower, is often a tendency to lean too far back before the start. Some swimmers like to lean back heavily before their start, attempting to generate more explosiveness by \u201cwinding up\u201d before leaving the block. However, too much of this motion can lead to extra time under tension, actually causing a slower start. You also create more distance to travel, having to dive from a farther back position.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ie4Mk8HvDAE\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The men\u2019s 50 freestyle at World Championships was a great example of this<\/span><\/a>. <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We can start by looking at <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Cam <\/b><strong>McEvoy<\/strong> in Lane Four, the fastest off the block and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/world-championships-day-7-cam-mcevoy-sizzles-to-second-50m-free-crown-in-21-14-ahead-of-ben-proud-21-26-and-jack-alexy-21-46\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the eventual winner of the race<\/a>. McEvoy starts from a crouched position, hands just above the starting block. Then, when asked to take his mark, McEvoy\u2019s grip tightens while body remains pointed forward. There isn\u2019t much additional movement aside from grabbing the block. Meanwhile, take a look at his competitors next to him in Lanes Five and Six, <strong>Jack Alexy<\/strong> and <strong>Egor Kornev<\/strong>, respectively. They adopt an approach that works for them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Legendary Swedish sprinter\u00a0<strong>Sarah Sjostrom <\/strong>is also fantastic at this method. Watch her <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/mYIL0iGRDZI?si=mIgOb-LkQn-9ovmX&amp;t=58\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">50 butterfly world title from two years ago<\/span><\/a> as she<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> simply bends down at the \u201ctake your mark\u201d signal, leaning heavily forwards at the beep without any shift backwards. This allows her to rocket off the blocks, the second fastest in the heat (behind, of course, Huske).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By reducing the amount you \u201cwind up\u201d before a start, you can save energy, and most importantly time, before entering the water.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Shooting Into Streamline<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Entering the water as fast as possible relies heavily on the strength and technique of the lower body, but it isn\u2019t everything. A swimmer\u2019s ability to reach streamline efficiently with their arms ensures speed, through reducing additional movement that could slow a start down.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Getting the arms off the block quickly is obviously crucial to a quick start. But upon watching some of the best, and worst starts across professional swimming this year, there was a common theme. It was more likely for additional arm movement to cost a swimmer valuable milliseconds, than for a swimmer to gain time off of a quick arm movement.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Huske, once again, exemplifies this. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/OxRUp7cI8vM?si=xs7Ipkmc_jFOSSI5&amp;t=157\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Huske\u2019s start from her 50 free at world championships showed perfect, smooth arm movement, as she glided into the water. <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0All of the motion with her arms was purposeful and aerodynamic, allowing her to reach the pool in 0.62 of a second, fastest in the heat. Huske\u2019s start contrasts greatly with <strong>Milou Van Wijk\u2019s<\/strong> start in Lane Five, tied for the slowest of the heat. Van Wijk brings her arms up, pauses slightly in the air, and then thrusts them into streamline, pausing her arm movement while mid-air. This slows her reaction, due to the arm movement not being a fluid motion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The additional movement doesn\u2019t always just cost speed; sometimes it can force additional strokes. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/ZYkaSDCjM5U?si=bXpafK5xsf-Z9m4t&amp;t=47\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The men\u2019s 50 breast at Worlds this year showcases this<\/span><\/a>. <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The heat\u2019s fastest start belonged to neutral athlete <strong>Kirill Prigoda<\/strong>, whose smooth arm motion off the block helps him glide into the water quickly. It leads to the fastest start of any swimmer in the field, getting off in 0.6 of a second. On the other hand, German swimmer <strong>Melvin Imoudu<\/strong> pauses his arms briefly in a bent position before bringing them into streamline. This slows his process, leading to a reaction time of 0.73. But if you watch closely, it also forces him to take an additional stroke in comparison to Prigoda, a big difference in a 50. The additional arm movement doesn\u2019t just affect speed of the block, it can be detrimental to stroke efficiency as well.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The most straightforward, technically sound arm movements are the ones that will lead to success in the water.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How Do the Best Swimmers Get Off the Block Fast? Keys to a Speedy Start A fraction of a second can change everything. If you\u2019ve been swimming long enough, you\u2019ve<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146625,"featured_media":628900,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-631127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commentary"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\r\n<title>How Do the Best Swimmers Get Off the Block Fast? Keys to Starts<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The smallest improvements in power and streamline off the block can make an enormous difference in sprint swimming.\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/how-do-the-best-swimmers-get-off-the-block-fast-keys-to-a-speedy-start\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Do the Best Swimmers Get Off the Block Fast? Keys to a Speedy Start (Video)\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The smallest improvements in power and streamline off the block can make an enormous difference in sprint swimming.\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/how-do-the-best-swimmers-get-off-the-block-fast-keys-to-a-speedy-start\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Swimming World\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SwimmingWorld\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-17T12:53:05+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/McEvoy_9904-scaled.jpg\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Adam Denn\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@swimmingworld\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@swimmingworld\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Adam Denn\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/how-do-the-best-swimmers-get-off-the-block-fast-keys-to-a-speedy-start\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/how-do-the-best-swimmers-get-off-the-block-fast-keys-to-a-speedy-start\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Adam Denn\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/c1a7904f11969e6b25ae1d2b31f86f0a\"},\"headline\":\"How Do the Best Swimmers Get Off the Block Fast? Keys to a Speedy Start (Video)\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-17T12:53:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-17T12:53:05+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/how-do-the-best-swimmers-get-off-the-block-fast-keys-to-a-speedy-start\/\"},\"wordCount\":1187,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/how-do-the-best-swimmers-get-off-the-block-fast-keys-to-a-speedy-start\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/McEvoy_9904-scaled.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Commentary\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/how-do-the-best-swimmers-get-off-the-block-fast-keys-to-a-speedy-start\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/how-do-the-best-swimmers-get-off-the-block-fast-keys-to-a-speedy-start\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/how-do-the-best-swimmers-get-off-the-block-fast-keys-to-a-speedy-start\/\",\"name\":\"How Do the Best Swimmers Get Off the Block Fast? Keys to Starts\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/how-do-the-best-swimmers-get-off-the-block-fast-keys-to-a-speedy-start\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/how-do-the-best-swimmers-get-off-the-block-fast-keys-to-a-speedy-start\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/McEvoy_9904-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-17T12:53:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-17T12:53:05+00:00\",\"description\":\"The smallest improvements in power and streamline off the block can make an enormous difference in sprint swimming.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/how-do-the-best-swimmers-get-off-the-block-fast-keys-to-a-speedy-start\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/how-do-the-best-swimmers-get-off-the-block-fast-keys-to-a-speedy-start\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/how-do-the-best-swimmers-get-off-the-block-fast-keys-to-a-speedy-start\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/McEvoy_9904-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/McEvoy_9904-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707,\"caption\":\"WOW FACTOR: Cam McEvoy in sizzling form at the Australia v World Team Duel Meet. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/how-do-the-best-swimmers-get-off-the-block-fast-keys-to-a-speedy-start\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How Do the Best Swimmers Get Off the Block Fast? Keys to a Speedy Start (Video)\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/\",\"name\":\"Swimming World\",\"description\":\"The Global Leader in Aquatic News\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Swimming World\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/SWorld_BLKBKG-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/SWorld_BLKBKG-1.jpg\",\"width\":1799,\"height\":900,\"caption\":\"Swimming World\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SwimmingWorld\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/swimmingworld\",\"https:\/\/instagram.com\/swimmingworldmag\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SwimmingWorldSPI\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/c1a7904f11969e6b25ae1d2b31f86f0a\",\"name\":\"Adam Denn\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f56105487a9ea9f23b0f1c42834085bb?s=96&d=blank&r=pg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f56105487a9ea9f23b0f1c42834085bb?s=96&d=blank&r=pg\",\"caption\":\"Adam Denn\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/author\/adam-denn\/\"}]}<\/script>\r\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How Do the Best Swimmers Get Off the Block Fast? Keys to Starts","description":"The smallest improvements in power and streamline off the block can make an enormous difference in sprint swimming.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/how-do-the-best-swimmers-get-off-the-block-fast-keys-to-a-speedy-start\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How Do the Best Swimmers Get Off the Block Fast? Keys to a Speedy Start (Video)","og_description":"The smallest improvements in power and streamline off the block can make an enormous difference in sprint swimming.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/how-do-the-best-swimmers-get-off-the-block-fast-keys-to-a-speedy-start\/","og_site_name":"Swimming World","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SwimmingWorld","article_published_time":"2026-01-17T12:53:05+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1707,"url":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/McEvoy_9904-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Adam Denn","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@swimmingworld","twitter_site":"@swimmingworld","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Adam Denn","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/how-do-the-best-swimmers-get-off-the-block-fast-keys-to-a-speedy-start\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/how-do-the-best-swimmers-get-off-the-block-fast-keys-to-a-speedy-start\/"},"author":{"name":"Adam Denn","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/c1a7904f11969e6b25ae1d2b31f86f0a"},"headline":"How Do the Best Swimmers Get Off the Block Fast? Keys to a Speedy Start (Video)","datePublished":"2026-01-17T12:53:05+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-17T12:53:05+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/how-do-the-best-swimmers-get-off-the-block-fast-keys-to-a-speedy-start\/"},"wordCount":1187,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/how-do-the-best-swimmers-get-off-the-block-fast-keys-to-a-speedy-start\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/McEvoy_9904-scaled.jpg","articleSection":["Commentary"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/how-do-the-best-swimmers-get-off-the-block-fast-keys-to-a-speedy-start\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/how-do-the-best-swimmers-get-off-the-block-fast-keys-to-a-speedy-start\/","url":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/how-do-the-best-swimmers-get-off-the-block-fast-keys-to-a-speedy-start\/","name":"How Do the Best Swimmers Get Off the Block Fast? Keys to Starts","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/how-do-the-best-swimmers-get-off-the-block-fast-keys-to-a-speedy-start\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/how-do-the-best-swimmers-get-off-the-block-fast-keys-to-a-speedy-start\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/McEvoy_9904-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2026-01-17T12:53:05+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-17T12:53:05+00:00","description":"The smallest improvements in power and streamline off the block can make an enormous difference in sprint swimming.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/how-do-the-best-swimmers-get-off-the-block-fast-keys-to-a-speedy-start\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/how-do-the-best-swimmers-get-off-the-block-fast-keys-to-a-speedy-start\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/how-do-the-best-swimmers-get-off-the-block-fast-keys-to-a-speedy-start\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/McEvoy_9904-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/McEvoy_9904-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1707,"caption":"WOW FACTOR: Cam McEvoy in sizzling form at the Australia v World Team Duel Meet. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/how-do-the-best-swimmers-get-off-the-block-fast-keys-to-a-speedy-start\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How Do the Best Swimmers Get Off the Block Fast? Keys to a Speedy Start (Video)"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/","name":"Swimming World","description":"The Global Leader in Aquatic News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#organization","name":"Swimming World","url":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/SWorld_BLKBKG-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/SWorld_BLKBKG-1.jpg","width":1799,"height":900,"caption":"Swimming World"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SwimmingWorld","https:\/\/x.com\/swimmingworld","https:\/\/instagram.com\/swimmingworldmag\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SwimmingWorldSPI"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/c1a7904f11969e6b25ae1d2b31f86f0a","name":"Adam Denn","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f56105487a9ea9f23b0f1c42834085bb?s=96&d=blank&r=pg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f56105487a9ea9f23b0f1c42834085bb?s=96&d=blank&r=pg","caption":"Adam Denn"},"url":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/author\/adam-denn\/"}]}},"cc_featured_image_caption":{"caption_text":"Cam McEvoy -- Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia)","source_text":"","source_url":""},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/McEvoy_9904-scaled.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p56Jja-2Ebt","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/631127","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/146625"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=631127"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/631127\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":634789,"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/631127\/revisions\/634789"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/628900"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=631127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=631127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=631127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}