Arms will be stretched out above your head, pressing over the ears with the upper arm, straighten the elbows and interlock. As the arm pulls through to completion, the overall path should follow the shape of the letter s. Pease goes through drills one arm at a time to keep the focus singular. Your aim is to reduce the number of strokes across the pool. The arm should be lifted out by the movement of the shoulders not. That is why i will give you my favorite drill in the next video. The entry is the same as the straight arm pull, with the little finger entering first, the palm facing out and the arm close to the shoulder line. Deep, steady breathing is important even though the backstroke allows you to breathe whenever you want. Listed below are the essential elements of backstroke.
Drills for backstroke swimming learning to float well on the back is the first step in being comfortable with the backstroke. Specific drills must be included in the training program to enhance the rotational capabilities of the competitive backstroker. Lets now go through the arm motions for one arms complete backstroke swimming cycle. I think your line of pull should be as direct as possible and that most of the sweep action that you see is really the hand. Butterfly drills for beginners swimming and exercise in.
Focus your awareness on your bodys position in the water and your hip and shoulder rotation to. Learn the newest techniques for swimming championship backstroke 25 innovative drills that isolate each critical element of the stroke includes a technical breakdown of the physics of the pull pattern for the stroke with matt kredich, university of tennessee head coach. It is also difficult, like trying to lift yourself out of the pool with straight arms. An introduction to backstroke turns eatsleepswimcoach. The simplest and most advanced backstroke drill ever. Backstroke drills double arm pulling and leg kick try swimming with both arms at the same time it develops the bent arm action as well as a shallow push through to your hips. Repeat this pattern with deep breaths to keep your breath steady. Kredich specifies the focus of each drill and how it technically connects to the full stroke. The back crawl or backstroke has a similar speed to butterfly and is the only regulated style by fina that is swum on the back.
Every six kicks, you pull with one arm as youre swimming down the pool. Backstroke pull push water back palm always faces back fingertips point to the side away from the body palms shouldnt angle downup bend the elbow to get the whole arm into it hand stays shallow. Stay on the surface, and keep the rhythm of pull, breathe, dive kick in a continuous fashion. She does these drills on both sides, and then its time to try backstroke arm action in the water. Survival backstroke technique full description and and how. Backstroke drills also know as practices for improving. The straight arm pull easier to learn and used in more recreational swimming. Swim the backstroke breathing normally for one complete stroke and then not breathing at all during the next stroke. A good policy is to breathe in as one arm leaves the water, then breathe out as the other leaves the water. Arm action the hands initially sweep and catch in a downward and outward pattern. Kick backstroke with dolphin legs to develop and improve abdominal strength. Second great drill for the backstroke is also known as the single arm backstroke.
To heighten the awareness of the action, have participants repeat this drill. In this swim academy guide we will focus perfecting your arm action technique for also, dont forget to subscribe to the youtube. Now try alternating arm action, monitoring your clock arms in the mirror in. A relaxed straight arm recovery is encouraged with the pinkie finger entering the water first, followed by an accelerated rotation of the hand which finishes facing down. Together, these drills help coaches teach swimmers all aspects of a fast backstroke arm action. Use a smooth, continuous action, switch both arms at the same time. Whichever arm is pulling, cross that same foot over in front of the other.
This article to learn swimming breaststroke shows you how to practice the arm stroke in the water. The essential elements of backstroke gold class swimming. While it is important to begin and finish the stroke with straight, well aligned arms, using a high and firm bent elbow position, during the middle of the stroke, allows the swimmer to access more power, and move. Swim the backstroke with one arm only, breathing in during the recovery phase and breathing out during the pull. For example, he often has swimmers do 25 strokes with the left arm, then 25 with the right arm. There are two great drills that you can do for the arms. A good way to practice the arms for the breaststroke is to isolate the arm movement and just focus on the arm repetitions itself. The amount of propulsion generated from the kick will depend on the size of the feet, ankle mobility and strength of the legs. If you invest your time and money swimming on a team or sending your child to swim on a team the videos contained in the fitter and faster swim video on. The paired arm action in the propulsive phase can be compared to the backstroke action, but the hands do not extend far beyond the shoulders in survival backstroke. Drills for backstroke swimming learning to float well on the back is the first. Its the simplest and most advanced backstroke drill ever. Do singlearm backstroke drills to strengthen your arm action for the backstroke.
Your leg kicks balance your arm pulls and together they both help to maintain a horizontal and flat body position. He includes four drills for teaching swimmers great arm pull. Keep one arm out in front of you at all times, while using the other arm to pull. The lift and return, as in freestyle, must be a controlled movement. Swimmers should maintain a continuous kicking action with a smooth arm action. So lets get to grip with some backstroke basics and drills. Swimming backstroke drills backstroke drills dolphin leg kick. Common faults in backstroke world wide swim school. So lets get to grips with some backstroke basics and drills.
The hand entry into the water is controlled with the palm facing out and the little finger first to reducing resistance as it enters the. Pease recommends doing a drill that goes three strokes with the right arm. This is simply when one arm is moving towards the catch and the other is. Lead with your thumb as your arm comes out of the water. Good spinal alignment and core tension not only improve comfort on the back, but can also contribute to an effective backstroke. Drills for correcting common errors by dick hannula 2008. Mastering this catch and push phase in backstroke is essential for efficient propulsion. Swimming backstroke all you need to know explained. I have her start the recovery by bringing the thumb side of the hand out of the water first. One is practicing the arms with a regular freestyle kick, you can do it.
Backstroke arms a beginners guide to two different techniques. Backstroke drills for beginners swimming and exercise in. What i should do and what every swimmer wants to do is grab a lot of water and. When i teach backstroke arms, i start with singlearm backstroke so i can guide the recovery and set up the pull. As youre pulling with one arm, your shoulder comes out of the water first, your arm begins to break the surface of the water, thumb comes out, hand rotates, pinky enters the water. When swimming backstroke your arms can be seen opposite each other but there is a period in this cycle when both arms are in the water at the same time. Kredich shows the power a backstroker can get from proper arm action. Drills for correcting common errors by dick hannula 2008 prev.
Once you are comfortable doing one arm at a time, start alternating. The double arm drill helps with hand entry position. Backstroke kick is an alternating action, continuously up and down to help balance the action of the arms. An introduction to backstroke turns september 10, 2019 october 4, 2019 by admin, posted in swimming drills, swimming training the backstroke turn can be problematic to coach, as for some, this can cause some trepidation, as the swimmer cannot see the wall into which they are turning. Backstroke technique alternating circular arm action over and under the water with a straight arm recovery, brushing your ears and elbows locked straight. To isolate and emphasize the shoulder rotation action of the backstroke. For back crawl and elementary backstroke, participants extend their arms above.
In order to feel comfortable with your stroke, pease recommends concentrating on each arm individually for starters. Backstroke arms a beginners guide to two different. This article is part of our series of swimming drills to learn the breaststroke as you can see in the video below, we use a pull buoy to learn the arm stroke movements the pull buoy gives your legs additional buoyancy so that you dont have to kick and can focus on the arm stroke. Repeating this exercise lets you correct the movement, become aware of it, and then make it automatic so that it eventually no longer.
Keep one arm relaxed at your side and use the other arm to do the backstroke arm action. Backstroke basics and drills swim england masters swimming. Backstroke is not an easy stroke to swim right, but there are drill that can make it easier. Improving your backstroke technique swimming tips and advice. This version of backstroke arm action is used more by competitive swimmers. The leg action starts with a bend at the knee joint to drop the lower legs leg recovery to set up the propulsive phase. In this video, coach ian pope explains why these 8 drills are so important for a developing or competitive backstroke swimmer. Here are some useful drills for learning how to control your breathing.