Tips to Improve Backstroke Swimming

 Backstroke is the only competitive stroke to be done from the back. It is very similar the Front Crawl with one major difference. The head is facing up and looking at the ceiling. In terms average speed, breaststroke is slower than backstroke. It is the most difficult stroke to master for competitive purposes, despite it being one of the easiest to learn as an amateur. Ryan Murphy Aaron Piersol and Lenny Krayzelburg have all been masters at this stroke. Their success had one thing in common: each of them kept their basic skills intact while they built their supremacy. Here are some advanced tips to increase your backstroke swimming performances.

Flat body, with the head pointed towards the ceiling

This is probably the most important and difficult task in practicing the stroke. To get the fastest backstroke speed, you should keep your whole body flat. When swimming backwards, the instinctive human reaction is to look around. If you're going to be racing, this is one of the worst things you could do. Your face should point straight upwards. Keep your face straightened by using the ceiling or the clouds. If you try and bring your ears out, your hips may sink to the water as you move down. This will increase your speed, but it won't work. Make sure your ears are underwater comfortable and you pay attention to the form. You should keep the hips as close and comfortable as possible to the surface of water. With flutter kicked similar to the one in front crawl, your hips should be slightly underwater. Throughout the process, make sure you keep your neck open.

Practice arm action and speed with backstroke swimming

The arms are used for pulling the water underneath the head so that the body moves backwards. They provide the backstroke swimmers with power. Proper shoulder rotation results in fluid arm motion through the ears for the best results. The thumb should lead the arm, while the elbow should come out of the water.
On the other side, the little fingers should enter the water first using the straight hand with palm facing inwards. Make sure the arm movement is not driven by the shoulder but the other way round. Also, the arm must pass by the ears when it moves.

After entering the water, scull you hand outwards. Then, bend your elbow so your water is at the level of your shoulders. Now rotate your palm so that it faces you and push the water through.

The form should be maintained. However, increase arm speed to help accelerate the above motion. This stroke requires the shoulder muscles to dominate more than other strokes. Strengthen your shoulder muscles in and out of water.

Flutter kick at the hips, not the knees

Instead of moving your knees forward, kick from the hips and keep your legs in line. To speed up your movements, extend your legs and push the knees as hard as you can. But for more endurance and speed, keep your legs straight. The knee should be bent slightly. The backstroke is also affected by the muscles of your lower leg. Do not forget to relax your ankles during this process. Pushing water back is the objective. Flexible ankles are vital for success. You will need to be stronger to push the water back and plant the top of your feet. Do the same while off-pool. Try to get the motion down as accurately as possible. The video provides drills and explanations.

Backstroke Swimming: Do not hold your breath

Backstroke swimming lets you keep your nose out water unlike other competitive strokes. However, this strenuous motion causes people to hold their breath without realizing it. This will not lead to better results. Harmonize your breathing with arm movements. Swimming is a simple process. Swimmers exhale once one arm passes the ears and inhale as the opposite arm does the exact same. This allows you to keep up with your breath as well as the pace of your hands.

Learn to do the flip turn and dolphin kicks

The key to success in the sport is the ability to efficiently turn the laps. The flip turn is a stroke that can be used in any of the strokes. However, this stroke uses the opposite approach. Rotate your body towards the end by turning your head to the side. Stop both arms at the knees. Do a forward flip and land your feet on the wall. For the water to be cut easily, kick forward with bent legs. Keep your head up and your arms straight. To begin the dolphin-leg kick underwater, you must remain streamlined and parallel with the water surface. This will help you stay underwater and get ahead. Turn your hands to the surface and begin to backstroke again.

This is a common way to make use of the small muscles of the Rotator Cuff, especially the subscapularis teres miner. As it helps to relax and straighten the back muscles, doctors recommend this swimming stroke to patients with back issues.