We investigated the effect of different foot positions on the kick-start performance of competitive male swimmers. Six college swimmers performed kick-starts using both their preferred and non-preferred foot combinations of front and rear feet positions. They were instructed to maintain their optimal streamline position up to the 12.5-m line at the bottom of the pool, without kicking. Two video cameras were used to obtain kinematic data, and the forces exerted by both legs were obtained using two force plates and the force exerted by both hands were obtained by sensors mounted on the front edges of starting block. The block time and time to reach the 10-m mark with the preferred foot combination were significantly shorter than those with the reverse-foot combination. Moreover, the horizontal velocity at takeoff and the total horizontal impulse were significantly higher in the preferred combination. The horizontal velocity at takeoff was decreased due to a reduction in the total horizontal. From these results, it can be concluded that the reverse-foot combination decreases kick-start performance.
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