Comments on How to Swim the Elementary Backstroke

I like to teach kids using soldier, monkey, rocket. Soldier, whole body is straight, monkey is when they bring their feet up and their arms- sometimes I tell them to tickle their armpits-and they think it's funny too! Then airplane/rocket is bring the arms out like an airplane and immediately back down into a soldier position while at the same time they whip their legs around back to soldier position as well. The biggest problem I've seen with this however is the children begin to think of the stroke as 3 separate movements and will pause between each one- making it look more like a funny backfloat than a stroke.

I like to teach kids using soldier, monkey, rocket. Soldier, whole body is straight, monkey is when they bring their feet up and their arms- sometimes I tell them to tickle their armpits-and they think it's funny too! Then airplane/rocket is bring the arms out like an airplane and immediately back down into a soldier position while at the same time they whip their legs around back to soldier position as well. The biggest problem I've seen with this however is the children begin to think of the stroke as 3 separate movements and will pause between each one- making it look more like a funny backfloat than a stroke.

Try bringing your hands all the way over your head for a more graceful variation of this stroke. Just continue moving your hands up the sides of your body past your armpits and on over your head before pulling them back to your sides.

Performing the whip kick on your back is not the same as a whip kick on your front. Whereas on your front, you bring your knees up to your chest to keep your feet in the water the whole time, you do not do this during whip kick on your back. Instead, you should only bend at the knee, not the hips, to avoid having your knees coming out of the water. Imagine tracing a straight line from your shoulder, through your hips, and to your knees. Do not let that line bend! During the elementary backstroke, only bend your knees back, so that your ankles reach your bottom, without bending at the hip and bringing your knees to your chest.

Try bringing your hands all the way over your head for a more graceful variation of this stroke. Just continue moving your hands up the sides of your body past your armpits and on over your head before pulling them back to your sides.

This stroke is very relaxing. Just imagine a frog on his back and use the movements of frog legs to propel you through the water. Your arms will bend at the elbows simultaneously with your knees as you move through the water.

A fluid stroke is the key. You'll be amazed how long you can keep going (and how fast you can go!) if you maintain an even fluid stroke. Believe it or not, once you master it, this stroke will improve your strength and your stamina.