Backstroke Technique - A Tutorial

Hey all - Coach Brian Olver has some tips on how to improve your backstroke, including clips of 2008 World Championships' Ryan Lochte & Aaron Piersol. Happy stroking!

Aside from the sheer awesomeness of this race, and Ryan Lochte's undeniable sex appeal, you should note the following while watching this race:

First you will see Lochte's amazing underwater work. This is impossible for us amatuers, but take note of the rythym and pace of his dolphin kicks. Most people kick either too fast or too slow, and as a result, do not maximize their distance per kick. (Kick pace will be slightly different for everyone given numerous variables, but Lochte's is a good example.)

As they reach the surface, make note of their head position. Their heads and neck are back, pressing down and forward in order to put less weight on the hips, bringing them to the surface. As a result, the body is laying on the surface of the water, and is
better able to "hydroplane" through the water. If you can displace less water, you will travel faster; this is, in part, why sailboat travel the fastest when it is tacking (on a steep slant).

With backstroke, you can see how much of their bodies they are able to keep at the surface by noticing that their entire side is out of the water as the arm recovers, reaching high above the head.

There is a brief underwater shot on the 3rd length where you can see just how far forward and how deep they are trying to reach. This is only possible with sufficient body roll and adequate shoulder flexibility. With each pull you can see them digging
for every ounce of water to grab and pull back. Because of this effort, you'll notice a slight fishtail on both swimmers from the aerial view, shown on the 2nd length, and again after the race in slow motion. Although a strong pull would tend to cause a fishtail (like a row boat with only one paddle), the constant body rotation prevents it from reaching a point where it would slow forward progress; and that's really what it's all about - who can get to the wall the fastest.

To continue the row boat analogy, if you were only given one paddle, to minimize fishtailing, you would want to place the oar direclty along the side of the boat and pull as deep as possible. If you were to do the opposite - pull wide and shallow - hopefully you can see why the boat would fishtail (or turn). THIS is why it as important to roll the body in order to achieve a deeper pull that is closer to the body.

With all this in mind, please study the following video. I'd recommend watching it, and reading this over at least a couple times.