The doubles start in luge: how top and bottom rider rock together using handles and straps, what the federation and literature say, where training begins.
The honest answer: The doubles start is at its core the singles start, only with two riders and a connection between them. The top rider, the upper one, is fastened to the sled with a strap at the hips and grips the start handles. The bottom rider holds on to the straps attached to his partner's arms. Both sit at the start, rock back and forth together and catapult themselves onto the track [1]. Then, as in singles, a few paddle strokes with the spikes on the gloves follow [2].
Why the start counts: it is the only part of the run in which the athlete determines the acceleration of the sled himself. As a rule of thumb a tenth of a second lead at the start becomes about three tenths by the finish [1].
And here is the part almost nobody tells you up front: there is no study that measures the doubles start or compares techniques. We only have federation descriptions and a clinical article on the health of sliding athletes. It describes the six phases of the luge start: block, compression, pull, extension, push-off and paddling, and says that in doubles the bottom rider pulls on straps instead of handles, attached to the top rider's suit behind the arms [2]. That is all we can support. We therefore describe no sequence with force or time figures to copy.
Realistically: this is a pro skill that presupposes a well-rehearsed team. You learn it with a partner, a coach and your club's track.
The top rider holds the start handles, the bottom rider the straps on his partner's suit [1][2]. Both know what the other does before they move. You clarify that when standing with the coach.
Milestone: Both explain the other's role in their own words.
You rock back and forth in unison, as Luge Canada describes it [1]. At first you practise this without force, only for the rhythm.
Milestone: Ten joint rocking movements in the same rhythm without one pulling.
Learn the order: block, compression, pull, extension, push-off, paddling [2]. In doubles this runs for both at the same time, but with different grips.
Milestone: You can name the six phases in order and agree on the transitions.
The first real start comes over a short distance and with a coach. The paddle strokes follow only when the rhythm sits. In singles it is three to six strokes, depending on the track [2].
Milestone: A clean start in which both stay in rhythm and the sled runs straight.
Have the start filmed. Does the rhythm fit? Does the sled lie calmly? One hint: in doubles the top rider sits high, sees over the corner walls and can perceive his position differently than in singles [3].
Milestone: You have a sequence that you can repeat ten times.
Practise the rhythm first only with words: a fixed command that both speak at the same time before you move. The rhythm arises in the head before it arises in the body. That is coaching practice. That the start is the part you actively influence is shown by the rule of thumb from Luge Canada: a tenth at the start becomes three tenths at the finish [1].
The top rider holds the start handles and is fastened to the sled with a hip strap, the bottom rider holds on to the straps on his partner's arms. Both rock back and forth together and then start [1].
For aerodynamic reasons the taller person usually sits on top [3]. The sled is measured for the bottom rider because he has the contact with the sled [2].
As a rule of thumb a tenth of a second lead at the start becomes about three tenths by the finish [1].
Top speeds are, according to a review, about 135 to 150 kilometres per hour for men and 130 to 145 for women [4].
No. You learn the doubles start with a partner, a coach and your club's track.
Doubles Coordination in Luge: How Two Bodies Steer Together