The Key Takeaways with Adrian’s Start:
Nathan Adrian swims like a shark. Great athletes are often compared to animals. In Adrian’s case, the characteristics of a shark perfectly describe his essence, especially with his start.
Compare Adrian’s start with other swim strokes. Notice how he pulls his arms up under his body and forward into push-off position. When you fly through the air, your arms and legs should stay close together when they move, rather than starting way behind your center.
Most swimmers learn to pull their body in a straight line forward off the block. Adrian uses a determined pull that starts with one arm earlier than the other. He has an extremely side on entry and his body twists in the air to create speed.
If you watch his leg kick, you will see the power behind his kick and how far his legs kick out to create a wide effleurage to generate speed to cross the threshold of the next leg in a low body position.
Take a look at his head position. He keeps his head very low between his arms, which is what the best sprinters across all strokes do. Adrian’s ability to fly forward is purely through the effleurage, keeping his hands lower than the head, creating speed in his arms.
Why You Should Watch This Video 10x Before You Go to Practice Today
This is a swim workout done by the American swimmer, Nathan Adrian to train for an upcoming race, which involves similar race conditions. This workout should be a representation of the type of aerobic conditioning and explosive training you need to get faster and stronger. The layout of the swim is designed to simulate a 35-meter conditioning set followed by one 200-meter race.
In the first 16-20 seconds of this workout, you’ll find yourself thinking that you’re not going fast enough. But you have to trust me and just listen to the stroke count. Once you reach the 25-second mark, you’ll swim another 25 meters with the same stroke count. Then, you’ll swim the 100 meters as one big set. That way, you can focus on that explosive start instead of having to worry about your technique.
At the end of the workout, you’ll swim another 200 meters with the same stroke count. As you can see, only in the last 50 meters will you find yourself swimming with a slower stroke count. But you have to remember that you’ll be able to catch up on the end because you’re fast off the blocks.
Further Reading:
What Does it Take to Make Olympic Swimming Team?
Nathan Adrian is a U.S. Olympic swimmer who specializes in backstroke. He also owns the American record for the 100m backstroke. Recently, Nathan destroyed the competition at the national championships, which was held in Irvine, California, in the spring.
In the video below, you can see how he starts the race. His reaction time is faster than anyone else and with the first strokes, he’s already past his competitors. He’s so fast that he crosses the finish line well before the other swimmers.