In swimming events such as the 50 meters, the start plays a decisive role compared to longer races..

In swimmers' starts, the most significant variables correlated with performance are:

1. Take-off time
2. Flight time
3. Maximum horizontal take-off speed
4. Horizontal force.

Current types of departures are:

Grab start: feet and hands on the edge of the block and the pelvis high..

Track start: one foot on the front of the block and the other on the back.

This Track start has two variants:

1. Rear track start: with the athlete unbalanced backwards.
2. Front track: with the athlete leaning forward.

In the 2000s, the most used start was the grab start. Now, on the other hand, most swimmers prefer the track start, especially since there are blocks with the aileron adjustable in relation to the height of the swimmer..

The front track start allows a high speed in leaving the starting block, but it is less powerful than the rear track start which is slower but develops a greater speed by being able to take advantage of the better grip of the block to push more effectively..

The choice of the start is strongly correlated to the characteristics of the individual athlete.