In their search for that "personal best" sometimes swimmers find ways to lose time in their races. There are three ways that you can lose time after the start, even before you take that first stroke.
The first way is to have a great start only to follow by doing nothing and what I mean is that you just glide into that first stroke. This kills what momentum you gained off the start. let me repeat that. This kills what momentum you gained off the start. We should follow every start with a minimum of 3 fast, strong and explosive kicks into that first stroke. Simply put if you don't YOU WILL lose time. Again you need to commit to this and work it during practice all the time.
The second way is that swimmers sometimes fail to realize that those underwater kicks not only need to be strong and explosive but they need to be directed towards the surface so you do not run out of air. if the kicks are not directed towards the surface swimmers tend to lose air pop to the surface, stop kicking, lose momentum thus losing more time.
The third area is kicking into that breakout stroke. Swimmers often stop kicking as they go into those first few strokes and then start the kick again. This is like riding your bike and hitting the brakes at full speed and then trying to get up to speed again. This takes a lot of extra energy. "Kick into that first stroke with speed and power----hitting the surface like a great white shark hitting it's prey. It's not only faster but it scares the daylights out of your opposition."
Again there are many areas within your race where you are looking for a "personal best" that will go a long way in determining that final time. There is no magic involve just hard work and repetition.
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