Comments on: How to Swim the Backstroke

on 5/19/2008 As your arm enters the water you should your hand should be cupped elbow bends slightly and you push towards your bottom! Windmill arms have no power!

on 5/19/2008 As your arm enters the water you should your hand should be cupped elbow bends slightly and you push towards your bottom! Windmill arms have no power!

on 5/19/2008 As your arm enters the water you should your hand should be cupped elbow bends slightly and you push towards your bottom! Windmill arms have no power!

on 10/1/2007 wow!!!! i do reports for my swim teacher and she is amazed she told me to keep on using ehow!!!

on 10/20/2006 I watched a video lately done by Richard Quick who has won several backstroke titles at NCAA Div 1 championships, along with Milt Nelms with whom I have worked with on stroke technique last year. Contrary to what the article, they said that the head should be slightly negative (tilted forward) and the body should not be completely straight. The idea that they stressed was pressing the chest into the water, and by doing this the upper body is supported while the hips are brough up making your legs lighter in the water. Milt Nelms is famous for his swimming illustrations, and his drawing up backstroke is more that of a slight curve that a straight line. So the chin should be tilted slightly forward, and the back slightly rounded.

on 6/30/2006 When swimming backstroke you do not want your arms to cross an imaginary line made by your shoulders. To help relieve you of this problem, I found that it helped to take two kick boards and put them at both sides of my head and if I hit the kickboards I knew that I was crossing over.

on 3/16/2006 Make sure that you lean into every stroke you make. This took my 100m backstroke time from minute 13 seconds to a little under 1 minute.

on 1/24/2006 Make sure that your arms are straight when they enter the water. If your elbows are bent, you will "put on the brakes" by swinging behind your head.

on 10/1/2007 I hold a state record in the backstrok. The only three things you have to know when swimming backstroke are:
1) The faster your arms move the faster your body moves.
2) More rotation = More pull distance. 3) The straighter your body is, the smaller hole in the water you go through.
I know this is about swimming backstroke, but if you are racing it, you need to turn fast. Come in as fast as possible and get into a tight ball. Once you get off the wall, stay on your back for about 10-15 yards and dolphin kick as hard as you can. I find that the best distance to flip at is the same distance of my shoulders to the wall when I'm kicking with my arms out straight. So, go try it. It may take a while, but with a lot of work anyone can do it.

on 11/22/2005 When swimming the backstroke it is best to look straight up at the ceiling as far back as possible. You should push as hard as you can when your arm is under water, and kick with your legs at water level. If your legs sink, then so will your hips and back, then you will have more drag. You want to be swimming through the smallest hole in all strokes.

on 11/22/2005 When watching people swim the backstroke, I notice a lot of them are swimming wrong, and to be honest I did the same thing for years! It is vital that you tilt your chin back, and keep that head back. In doing so, your hips will rise and your feet will rise as well. If this is not done, you will be swimming your backstroke at a slant, rather than horizontally, creating more drag and resistance on your body! Remember, we want to relieve as much drag and resistance as possible, and this is the easiest way to do so.

on 11/22/2005 A good idea when pushing off for this stroke is to push off the wall hard on your back and then, with your mouth closed, dolphin kick while underwater for a little bit. This gives you better speed at the beginning.

on 11/22/2005 I swam competitively for 10 years. Now my daughter is swimming in a rec league. I have a problem with the coaches telling her to keep her head back. Not only does this create more water drag, but you can't tell where you are going. Instead, keep the chin tucked and still. Look off to one side of the lane and keep your eyes on the lane line to stay in a straight line. If you rotate your shoulders effectively and reach a straight arm on entry, this will arch the back enough to keep the hips up, which is the only reason I can see why coaches tell kids to put their head back (it helps keep the hips up, but is not the correct solution).

on 11/22/2005 It opens up the back and helps prevent the rounded shoulders you can get from freestyle and other strokes. Don't be afraid to lean back while stroking, this will improve buoyancy. If you're having trouble going straight, try focusing on a particular thing in the sky (cloud) or swim close to the lane rope.

on 11/22/2005 When doing the backstroke, it's important to rotate your shoulders and get a nice deep pull. Always keep your head looking straight up.