Once the player is in the ready position on the wall and they hear the buzzer sound, they will push off the wall. Having their legs curled behind the player and their feet set on the wall allows for the maximum amount of force the player can create to push themselves forward. It is most effective to push a little bit upwards so that the first part of the forward movement is partially above the water. The player’s arm that was on the wall behind them will do a freestyle stroke motion above the water to either prepare the player to continue their freestyle strokes or do a dive while swimming and enter a tight streamline.
This method of leaving the wall should be used at the start of every point when the player is racing for the puck. All players on the team can use this method of pushing off the wall, but it is most important for the player(s) initially going for the puck.
When doing the stroke motion with the hand that was on the wall, beware of the teammates on either side. Make sure to not hit them in the head as you bring your arm forward, especially if using the stick hand.
The player begins in a good starting position, pushes off the wall hard, does one stroke above the water and dives to swim to the puck underwater.
LEAVING THE WALL