For all the backstrokers out there, how many of you swim with the thought of keeping your face at or even slightly below the surface of the water?
For me, I was reminded today that I need to focus on keeping my face just below the surface of the water. The body rotation allows the water to break on every stroke for a breath.
When I try to keep my face at the water surface, I find that I do a chicken neck move. This causes me to raise my head higher and higher out of the water, dropping my hips and legs.
The only remedy that seems to work in my case is keeping my face slightly below the water surface.
Has anyone else done this or swim this way all the time?
Wookiee: You are considerably faster in the back events than I (probably in the other strokes as well) so this is not advise, just an observation to add to the anecdotal data you are collecting.
I have noticed that when I am swimming backstroke fast, the water will sometimes wash over my face. This is typically not a hindrance to breathing, just an observation. The occasional gentle wash of water over my face actually seems to be an indication that I have a good stroke going. On the other hand, when I start to fatigue, or if I really struggle to go AFAP, sometimes my entire face will drop below the water line. This can be accompanied by my entire torso bobbing up and down. I am pretty sure that this is a sign that my stroke has deteriorated and indeed, if this happens in a race I rarely end up with a fast time. I take the clock as an important guide.
Karl,
Thank You for the thoughts. I will take note of my times with keeping the face just at the surface, with water going over it and when I notice that I have it slightly below the surface.
Thanks again.
John
Wookiee: You are considerably faster in the back events than I (probably in the other strokes as well) so this is not advise, just an observation to add to the anecdotal data you are collecting.
I have noticed that when I am swimming backstroke fast, the water will sometimes wash over my face. This is typically not a hindrance to breathing, just an observation. The occasional gentle wash of water over my face actually seems to be an indication that I have a good stroke going. On the other hand, when I start to fatigue, or if I really struggle to go AFAP, sometimes my entire face will drop below the water line. This can be accompanied by my entire torso bobbing up and down. I am pretty sure that this is a sign that my stroke has deteriorated and indeed, if this happens in a race I rarely end up with a fast time. I take the clock as an important guide.
Karl,
Thank You for the thoughts. I will take note of my times with keeping the face just at the surface, with water going over it and when I notice that I have it slightly below the surface.
Thanks again.
John
