Backstroke - Skill Progression with Rohan Taylor

Important Note to the Viewer

LESSONS: 13 VIDEOS

Vertical Flutter Kick - Rohan

There’s no better way to train a narrow, consistent kick than with vertical flutter kick. And, coaches: There’s no quicker way to improve a swimmer’s kick than to film them doing this drill and SHOW THEM how they’re moving their legs and feet. The model looks like this. The legs are long, yet supple. The toes are pointed, yet the feet and ankles are flexible. The kick initiates with the hips and thighs, and not with the knees. The kick is quick, narrow, and continuous. The swimmer maintains a long bodyline, and avoids the common mistake of folding into a “bicycling” position. The kick should be so narrow and continuous that when the swimmer’s hands are held out of the water, the body remains steady, with no “bouncing.” To add a fine point to this drill, try making sharp, 90-degree turns using only the hips and kick to power your rotation. Make sure the hips are creating the power. As your timing improves, your turns will become more precise.

Backstroke with Bottle on Head

Fast backstroke is built on a foundation of good bodyline and a steady head. To find out if you’ve got the necessary foundation, there’s no better reality check than swimming backstroke with a bottle on your head. The bodyline needs to be clean and straight. Hip and shoulder rotation need to be rhythmic and precise. And the head needs to be rock steady. Everything rotates around a stable head position. Start with a water bottle that has a flat bottom. Fill it about one-third with water -- enough to make it bottom heavy, but not so much that it’ll tip over. Place the bottle just above your goggles and start swimming backstroke with a slow but steady arm rhythm and a steady, consistent kick. There are many fine points to this drill – beyond the obvious one of maintaining a steady head. First: Are you swimming flat…or are you swimming with clean rotation of the hips and shoulders? Second: Are your hands catching the water randomly…or is your catch precise and palm down? Third: Are you connecting the hip with the hand…to maximize the power of your rotation and the power of your pull? And fourth: Are you bouncing…or maintaining a steady head in all planes?

Double-Arm Backstroke - Rohan

Double-Arm Backstroke is a fairly simple drill and is often performed with no attention to detail. But when executed with awareness and focus, it will improve many aspects of your backstroke technique. One aspect is the entry point for the hands, which should be directly above your shoulders. First and foremost, Double-Arm Backstroke heightens your awareness of the catch point at the top of the stroke. Each time your hands enter the water, focus on grabbing the water immediately with both hands. Ash likes to pause just briefly at the catch, to imprint the position, and to heighten his “feel” for the connection with the water. Make a definite connection with the water to initiate the catch. Anchor the hands. Then “hold on” to the water and think about pulling your body PAST your hands. If you bend the elbows and try to anchor the elbows as well as the hands, you can enhance the effectiveness of the pull. Keep your arm movements symmetrical and precise. Try for a clean, pinky-first hand entry directly above the shoulders. Create a solid anchor with the palms and elbows. Maintain a solid pulling surface from the palms…across the wrist, and along the forearm.

Backstroke Scull with Touch-and-Go Arms

This drill is similar to the popular “Backstroke Wave” drill, but calls for a bit of extra technique and skill. The difference is that…as the recovering hand enters the water, it pauses and SCULLS in the catch position. The swimmer continues to scull, as she simultaneously lifts…lowers…and then lifts the trailing arm into the recovery. With each cycle, the swimmer is imprinting the “feel” of the catch and is learning how and where to anchor the hand. With each cycle, the swimmer must also maintain a steady kick…in order to maintain a horizontal bodyline. Try not to rush any of the steps. Be patient with the sculling hand. Lift the trailing arm until it is directly overhead and then CONTROL the movement as you lower the hand to the water and lift it again for the recovery. Maintain an even, steady pace with all your movements. To explore deeper into the drill, try to connect the CATCH of the hand to the ROTATION of the hip. If the hand finds a definite anchor point, and the hand and hip are connected, the rotation of the hip and shoulder will help you pull THROUGH with the hand. Watch for the connection between the catch point…and the rotation of the hips.

Single-Arm Backstroke Scull – Arm Up

This is third – and most technically demanding -- of the four Backstroke Scull drills in this series. It’s best to master Single-Arm Backstroke Scull and Single-Arm Backstroke Scull with Alternating Arms before trying to do the drill you see here. The primary goal of the drill is to locate and LOCK IN TO the catch position for backstroke. Notice that as the swimmer shifts from one side to the other, the hand entering the water goes no deeper than the catch position and then stops to explore that position with a sculling action. As the lead hands sculls in the catch position, the swimmer maintains a stable and balanced body position, then lifts the trailing hand…thumb first…until it’s directly overhead. While maintaining a steady kick, steady head, steady scull, and balance, the swimmer turns the lifted hand palm OUT and completes the recovery with a controlled…pinky-first…hand entry. The secondary goal of the drill is to improve the connection between hips and hands. As the swimmer is poised in a steady, balanced position…with one hand directly overhead and the other hand ready to initiate a solid catch… the swimmer loads the hips as the catch is begins. The pull and hip rotation to the other side, are completed at the same time.

Single-Arm Backstroke Scull – Alternating Arms

This drill adds body rotation…and the actual PULLING action…to the Single-Arm Backstroke Scull. The swimmer’s initial focus is getting into the ideal CATCH position for backstroke, and then EXPLORING that position with one palm…and then the other. As the swimmer initiates the transition from one side to the other, two things happen. The lead hand – the sculling hand – makes a definite connection or “catch” with the water. At the same time, the trailing hand lifts and exits the water to begin the recovery. This is a fairly advanced drill, requiring attention to several fine points to make everything flow. Notice how Ash maintains a steady head position and a steady, continuous kick throughout the drill. Notice the precise connection between the hips and hands. As the sculling hand anchors and connects with the water to begin the pull, the hips and torso remain tilted to allow for the catch. As the hands finishes the pull, the rotation of the hips allows the hand to pull all the way THROUGH to the hip.

Single-Arm Backstroke – Alternating Arms

When doing any single-arm backstroke drill, the primary focus is timing. The hip and hand are the key players. Try to make a connection between the hand entering the water and the hip rotating DOWN. When you connect these two actions, you enhance your rotational force and increase the effectiveness of every catch and pull. Great timing also involves making a smooth transition between one arm and the other arm. When you’re ready to switch arms, the stroking hand enters and the “resting” hand IMMEDIATELY lifts out of the water. The recovery and pull are smooth and unrushed…and are connected to the rotation of the hips and torso. This drill can be performed with any combination of stroke cycles. The most common patterns are 2 Left/2 Right…or 3 Left/3 Right. Whatever pattern you choose, keep the transition between the arms smooth, connecting hip and hand on each stroke.

Single-Arm Backstroke

Single-Arm Backstroke is a key drill for working on full-body rotation, steady rhythm, and steady head. When you do this drill, you get better rotation if you hold your non-working arm at your side. The goal is to show BOTH shoulders as you swim. Rotate your body until you can show both shoulders on EVERY stroke cycle. Rotate everything – torso, hips, and legs – but keep the head and eyes rock steady and fixed on the ceiling. Exaggerate the rotation, until you’re nearly on your side on each rotation. Keep a steady rhythm. Notice that our swimmers have almost no hesitation in their armstroke. The hand enters, connects with the water, and begins to pull. At the finish of the pull, the hand exits IMMEDIATELY and starts to recover. Keep the arm motion –and the body rotation -- continuous and flowing. Single-Arm Backstroke also helps you focus on another key skill – using a bent-arm pull. After the hand enters and connects with the water, the goal is to create a long, solid surface (like a paddle) that you use to push water toward your feet. If you bend the elbow, you create a solid surface from the elbow all the way through the wrist and palm. You then use that surface to push water toward the feet. Always keep the arm motion continuous – never letting the hand “get stuck” at any point.

6-Kick Extended Balance

6-Kick Extended Balance helps you develop good backstroke timing. Start by kicking on your back, with one arm extended and one arm at your side, and with the body tilted slightly. After about 6 kicks, lift the bottom hand…and switch to Extended Balance on your other side. Hold this position for several kicks, then lift the bottom hand and switch to Extended Balance on your original side. As you initiate the lift of the bottom hand, stay long and horizontal with the extended arm. Then start to push water toward your feet with the extended arm, until you end up in Extended Balance on the other side. As you switch from one side to the other, keep the head and eyes stable and steady. Let the body rotate…but not the head and eyes. Maintain a steady, consistent kick throughout each rotation

Head-Lead Kick on Your Back with Rotation

Once you can kick on your back, it’s time to add some rotation. Push off on your back with arms at your sides, and get into a tilted position, with head and eyes oriented directly UP, and with a steady flutter kick. Then…without moving your head or eyes, rotate your shoulders, hips, and feet so that you’re tilted just slightly to the OTHER side. Maintain a steady, consistent kick as you rotate from one side to the other. Keep your head and eyes absolutely steady as your rotate your body. Try to flow smoothly from one side to the other. Make sure you’re completely balanced and comfortable before you rotate to the other side. This kind of smooth, relaxed rotation – with steady head and steady kick – is a very important skill in swimming. If you zig-zag down the pool, it usually means you’re moving your head from side to side. Keep your eyes focused on the ceiling and keep your head rock steady as you rotate the rest of your body.

Backstroke Skills Introduction

When developing a competitive backstroke model, you need to establish what the strengths and weaknesses of the athlete are before applying the drills. The model needs to be about having a good connection between the catch and the hips. When there’s a good connection, you can utilize the hips to rotate the body and drive that arm through and to the FINISH of the pull. The timing of the stroke is important, as is a narrow kick that provides consistent propulsion. When you’re looking at drills, you need to assess what drill is going to allow you to work on the weakness of the athlete in relation to a strong backstroke model. Good line. Good head position. Making sure the catch is with the palm down. Making sure the hips rotate early. Making sure the kick is narrow enough – not too big – and is consistent. When doing rotation drills, you’re looking at the hip rotation and shoulder rotation. When doing single-arm drills, you’re looking at the timing of the arm rotating with the hips and shoulders. When doing the single-arm sculling drill, you’re looking at getting into that position and fixing it—creating pressure on the palm. When you introduce the rotation drills, you’re transferring from the sculling drill to rotation, and practicing the timing of getting on to it with the anchor – that’s the palm anchoring on to the water – and then rotating the hips and shoulders to pull through. It’s similar to a golf swing. If we look at a golf swing, the golfer will turn the trunk and the hips first, and then follow through with the club and that’s what creates the power. It’s the same with the swimming of backstroke and freestyle. You want to make sure the hips are creating that power. So timing is very important. But it’s also very important that you have a clear model to look at to determine what it looks like and what you’re working toward. Showing the athlete is the most vital thing, so they can create that visualization while doing the drill.

Streamline Kick on Your Back

Streamline Kick on Your Back gives you many opportunities to train not only the legs but your technique as well. Start with a beautiful, tight streamline…one hand on top of the other using a thumb lock to help bring the elbows more in line. Squeeze the biceps onto your head behind the ears. Lie back into the water to bring your hips up. One key point is to keep your hands at or under the surface of the water. This will keep your torso and hips in line, and will make it easy for coaches to spot incorrect bodyline from the surface. Keep the kick narrow, with the knees just touching the surface of the water. Keep the toes pointed and just touching the surface – enough to drag some air back down under water. Don’t make a big splash. Maintain a super streamline through the entire exercise, the goal being to slice through the smallest hole in the water at all times.