Regan Smith has established herself as one of the most versatile and technically refined swimmers in elite competition, but one area of her performance that has drawn increasing attention is the evolution of her starts. From her early junior years through her rise to senior-level medals, her ability to explode off the blocks and transition smoothly into the water has become a decisive weapon. This article traces the development of her starting technique, examining the training methods, biomechanical refinements, and competitive results that have turned her starts into a model of efficiency.

Early Junior Level: Building the Foundation

As a junior swimmer training under the guidance of coach Mike Parratto at the Riptide Swim Club in Minnesota, Regan Smith focused on the fundamentals of starts that every age-group swimmer must master. At this stage, her dives were promising but lacked the precision and repeatability needed for top-tier performances. The core objectives were simple: explosive power off the blocks, a clean entry angle, and a fast reaction to the starting signal.

Coaches placed heavy emphasis on the block setup itself. Smith worked on maintaining a low center of gravity with her feet positioned shoulder-width apart, gripping the front edge of the block with her toes. Drills included “two-foot” and “one-foot” starts, as well as weighted squat jumps and box jumps to develop leg drive. Video analysis was used to correct early faults, such as lifting the head too soon or over-rotating in the air. These foundational drills helped her build a strong base, but her reaction times in junior meets were still inconsistent, often lagging behind more explosive peers during short sprints.

“In junior swimming, you’re mostly battling your own technique,” says former USA Swimming development coach Tom Johnson. “Regan’s willingness to sit through endless starts in practice was what set her apart. Most kids just want to race, but she understood that the start is where you win or lose the race in the first 15 meters.”

Another critical focus at this level was the underwater phase. Smith began practicing streamlined dolphin kicks off the wall, typically using fins to increase ankle flexibility and leg speed. Her coaches noted that even then, her underwater leg tempo was above average, but she struggled to maintain speed after the breakout. This limitation would become a primary target for improvement as she transitioned to senior competition.

Transition to Senior Level: Refinement and Specialization

Moving into her senior years, Regan Smith faced the challenge of competing against women who had already spent years honing their starts with elite national team support. Under the guidance of Bob Bowman at Arizona State University (and later continuing with the professional group), her training shifted toward more advanced techniques: customized block positioning, reactive explosion drills, and detailed underwater analysis using high-speed cameras.

One of the most significant changes was the adoption of a “track start” as her primary method. Whereas many junior swimmers use a grab start, where both feet are on the front of the block, the track start places one foot forward and one back, allowing for a stronger push-off and faster extension. Smith had used a variation of the track start earlier, but with Bowman’s input, she refined the angle of her rear foot and the tilt of her torso to maximize horizontal velocity off the blocks.

Bowman, known for developing Michael Phelps’ starts, emphasized the importance of the first pull after entry. Instead of simply entering the water and starting dolphin kicks, Smith was taught to initiate an aggressive arm pull immediately after the glide phase. This “active entry” technique helps her maintain momentum while transitioning to the underwater phase. The result was a measurable drop in her 15-meter split times, from an average of 7.8 seconds to 7.4 seconds over the course of two seasons.

Another major upgrade was the integration of starts into the context of race-specific sets. Smith’s practice routines now include starts into timed 50-meter swims from the blocks, with reaction times recorded by electronic systems. This data-driven approach allows coaches to identify small inefficiencies—such as a slight hesitation in the weight shift forward or a bent arm at the entry—and correct them before they become habits.

The transition also saw Smith adopt a more variable block setup depending on the event. For the 100-meter backstroke, where speed off the blocks is critical, she uses a higher hip angle and a more deliberate forward lean. For the 200-meter events, she reduces the explosion slightly in favor of a more controlled entry that preserves energy for the longer race. This adaptability is a hallmark of experienced senior swimmers.

Key Technical Improvements

Reaction Time

Reaction time is the most visible metric of a start’s quality, and Smith’s improvement in this area has been noteworthy. At the 2019 World Championships, her average reaction time in backstroke races was 0.72 seconds. By the 2023 Worlds, she had dropped that to 0.61 seconds—a reduction of over 10% that placed her among the top five in the world. This improvement came through start-specific drills such as sound-cued explosive hops, block practice with lights, and start-to-wall sprints with a partner.

“The key to a fast reaction is not just hearing the beep and going, but also having the mental preparation to be in the right position at the right time,” says Dr. Emily Quirk, a sports psychologist who has worked with elite swimmers. “Regan’s ability to visualize her start sequence before every race helps her bypass the typical cognitive lag that slows down less experienced athletes.”

Smith also employs a breathing technique before the start: a deep breath, then a partial exhale, which keeps her muscles relaxed but ready. This is visibly different from many of her competitors who either hold their breath or hyperventilate before the start signal.

Explosive Power

Smith’s increase in leg strength has been dramatic. She now incorporates plyometric exercises like depth jumps, hurdle hops, and kettlebell swing variations into her routine at least three times per week. Her best depth jump height increased from 18 inches at age 16 to 27 inches by age 21. This translates directly to a more powerful push-off from the block.

In addition to gym work, Smith performs resistance band starts: she attaches a band to a harness around her waist and performs block starts while pulling against the resistance. This overloads the extension phase and builds specific strength in the glutes and hamstrings. The result is faster acceleration across the first two meters of the dive.

Entry Angle

The angle at which a swimmer enters the water can mean the difference between a clean glide and a drag-inducing splash. Smith’s coaches have used underwater video to refine her entry angle from about 20 degrees relative to the water surface at age 16 to an optimal 15 degrees today. This slight adjustment reduces the splash and keeps her body on a flatter trajectory that minimizes deceleration upon impact.

To achieve this, Smith practices entry drills where she aims to slide into the water without disturbing the surface. She also uses a wedge block that allows her to adjust the angle of the front foot to match the desired trajectory. Her coach often marks the water with a target at the entry point to ensure consistency.

Underwater Phase

The underwater phase—sometimes called the fifth stroke—has become one of Smith’s greatest advantages. Her dolphin kick tempo has increased from 3.5 kicks per second to 4.2 kicks per second, and she maintains depth at about 0.7 meters below the surface, which allows her to capitalize on reduced drag. She uses a monofin during practice to overload the kick motion and improve ankle torque.

Smith’s underwater duration varies by event: in the 100-meter backstroke, she stays under for 12–13 meters; in the 200-meter butterfly, she extends to 14–15 meters. This is a strategic decision based on her oxygen consumption and the race distance. Her ability to sustain high kick tempo for longer distances is a direct result of extensive underwater kicking sets—often 25 to 50 meters underwater without breathing—in training.

A 2023 study by the University of Michigan’s swimming biomechanics lab found that Smith’s underwater kicks generate approximately 15% more thrust than the average female elite swimmer, with a peak force per kick that exceeds even some top male sprinters in relative terms. This is partly due to her natural ankle flexibility and partly to the thousands of hours she has spent on drill work.

Impact on Competition Performance

Smith’s refined starts have directly influenced her results in high-stakes races. At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, her start in the 200-meter butterfly final gave her an early lead that she never relinquished, en route to a silver medal. The reaction time of 0.62 seconds was the fastest in the field, and her first 50-meter split was 0.3 seconds ahead of her closest rival.

Similarly, at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Smith’s start in the 100-meter backstroke preliminaries resulted in a personal best time and a lane assignment for the final. Video analysis later showed that her underwater phase after the start was 0.5 seconds faster than her semifinal performance, attributable to a cleaner entry and more aggressive dolphin kicks. She went on to win the final by over half a second.

One particularly instructive example came in the 4×100-meter medley relay in 2022. Smith’s start on the backstroke leg set the team up for a gold-winning performance. Her lead over the second-place team at the first turn was 0.7 seconds, giving her teammates a comfortable cushion. Without that start advantage, the relay outcome might have been significantly closer.

Comparative Analysis with Other Top Swimmers

When compared to other elite female backstrokers such as Kaylee McKeown and Kylie Masse, Smith’s starts stand out for their consistency. McKeown, the current world record holder in the 100-meter backstroke, has a slightly faster peak reaction time (0.58 seconds) but is more prone to variability. Masse relies on a longer glide phase rather than active entry, which sometimes costs her momentum against faster underwater kickers.

Smith’s approach blends the best of both worlds: a short, explosive dive followed by immediate underwater kicking. This hybrid style is increasingly common among younger swimmers but requires exceptional core strength and coordination. A detailed comparison of track and grab starts on SwimSwam highlights why Smith’s choice of track start with active entry is biomechanically efficient.

On the male side, Smith’s underwater phase has been compared to that of Caeleb Dressel, though with lower absolute force due to the differences in muscle mass. However, her technique shares the same emphasis on a narrow, streamlined body position and high kick frequency. USA Swimming’s biomechanics resource provides additional insights into the technical principles that Smith’s coaches use.

Another interesting comparison is with former American record holder Missy Franklin, who also had a powerful start but often took longer to transition into her underwater phase. Smith’s faster transition allows her to carry more speed through the first 15 meters, which is critical in short-course meters races where turn frequency compounds the start advantage.

Future Outlook: Continued Refinement

As Smith continues her career, the starting area offers room for incremental gains rather than radical changes. Potential areas for improvement include:

  • Visual reaction training: Competitive starts are triggered by a sound, but lights could be used in practice to shave reaction time further by eliminating auditory processing delays.
  • Block foot positioning: Experimenting with micro-adjustments of the rear foot angle (2–3 degrees) could optimize the force vector.
  • Breakout timing: Refining the moment of the first stroke after the underwater phase to minimize deceleration at the surface.
  • Fatigue management: In longer events, maintaining start quality despite muscle fatigue from earlier 50-meter efforts requires specific simulation sets in practice.

Given her age and the trajectory of her previous improvements, it is reasonable to expect Smith to lower her average reaction time to the 0.58–0.59 second range within the next two seasons, which would place her among the fastest starters in history. An Olympic.org profile of Smith discusses her work ethic and attention to detail, both of which support this projection.

Conclusion

Regan Smith’s development from a promising junior to a senior-level medalist is a case study in how systematic technical refinement across the entire start sequence—reaction, explosion, entry, and underwater phase—can yield significant performance gains. Her journey involved dedicated drilling, data-driven coaching, and a willingness to adapt her technique even after achieving early success. While her natural talent is undeniable, it is the deliberate repetition and small adjustments that have turned her starts into a decisive advantage. As she continues to push the boundaries of what is possible, both her training methods and her results will serve as a benchmark for upcoming generations of swimmers aiming to master the most critical moment of any race: the start.