| Backstroke
or Back Crawl - Basic Description
Swimming on your back, pulling with an alternate, overarm recovery
and a pull-push arm stroke and with an alternating leg kick.
Basic Problems
Body Position
Arm Action
Kicking
Q & A
1. Body Position:
This is exactly how it should look. The hands, head, hips and
feet should all be on a horizontal line. What I tell my students
is, "If you sit down, you go down." I tell them to stretch
from the tips of their fingers to the tips of their toes. Instructors
that tell their students to push their tummy up will get an arched
back and dropped head and feet which will not allow the student
to do a proper back crawl.
2. Arm Action:
The arms remain opposite each other at all times. When one enters
the water, the other is coming out of the water. This does not
mean they have to go fast, just that they remain opposite. The
arms recover straight up from the hip and enter pinky first straight
ahead of the shoulder. That's the easy part. Once the hand enters
the water, the hand starts to pull and the elbow drops toward
the pool bottom. Once the elbow has dropped the whole arm is used
to pull the water. As the arm passes the shoulder, the elbow should
still be pointing at the pool bottom and be bent 90°, and then
the whole arm (not just the hand) pushes the water past the hips
to a full arm extension. A slight shoulder roll is encouraged
to make the arm action a little easier.
The most common problem with the back crawl arm action is that
the elbow drops toward the feet and not the pool bottom. This
allows the whole arm to 'slide' through the water without pulling
any water and there is no propulsion!
3. Kicking:
The back crawl kick is a very simple one. You point your toes
and alternately push the top of your feet toward the surface.
No other action is required! The slight roll of your body with
the arm action will allow the feet to get into place naturally,
and then a small push up with the toes. Any more energy used than
that will create problems with your stroke that will take more
energy to correct. Keep it simple and natural.
Q&A
?Why am I having trouble learning to float on my back?
This is the most asked question in learning to back crawl. The
reason is that it is unnatural and therefore uncomfortable. The
first thing we teach everyone is how to do a front float. The
best thing we could teach everyone is how to do a back float.
A back float is a self-rescue technique! If every child learned
how to back float there might be fewer drownings. Why? Because
you can breathe, and relax and call for help. The key to a back
float is body position. Relax, let the water support you and stretch
out. Be as tall as you can, and as flat as you can. I show the
student a flutterboard. "See how the board floats on it's
front. Then I flip it over. See how the board floats on it's back.
Do you see the board trying to sit down?" Someone once said
"Float like a flutterboard, Sink like a stone."
?I can float on my back, but I can't stand up again?
There are two ways to stand up from a back float. The first is
to roll onto your stomach and stand up. The second is to swing
your hands back behind you to pull up a chair (there's no chair
it's the action). Push your seat into the chair, while bringing
you knees up toward your chin and your heels to your seat. Now
your head should be moving forward and your feet should be underneath
you. Push your feet down and stand up.
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