I can float on my back while kicking and scull the water or keep my hands on my hips and my face barely gets wet. However, when I try to backstroke my face submerges during the hand entry phrase and floats back up. This requires me to blow out my nose to avoid inhaling water. I've seen people at my local pool perform the backstroke and their face remains out of the water the whole time. Even when I try to backstroke at a slow pace my face submerges at some point. Is there a reason I can't backstroke without my face getting covered with water particularly during the hand entry phase?
You've definitely received some great tips from all of the forumites here.
The first question I would have is whether your face submerges all the time, or does it seem to be on just one side? There are two possibilities as why you are not able to keep your head above the water during your hand entry phase:
One possibility is that the issue might be coming from the kicking/core strength. Your kicking might be sporadic or your core may be weak overall. This is why the question as to whether your face is under water all the time or more on one side is important. A weaker kick and core will cause you to sink during the recovery and entry phase of the stroke. This is the most likely possibility, judging from what you have described.
Another possibility is that you might be dragging yourself underwater if the catch and pull is too deep. After the hand enters the water, you need to reach the hand and arm back, and catch just enough to maintain your body and head position stable, instead of bobbing up and down, or from side to side. If you have too deep of a catch, you could end up sinking underwater.
There are quite a few drills that are specifically geared towards correcting either a weak kick/core or a catch that is too deep. Ultimately, I recommend that you work with a qualified coach to fine-tune your stroke, since it is difficult to make judgements regarding what you need to work on without being able to get a full assessment of your stroke. Good luck!
You've definitely received some great tips from all of the forumites here.
The first question I would have is whether your face submerges all the time, or does it seem to be on just one side? There are two possibilities as why you are not able to keep your head above the water during your hand entry phase:
One possibility is that the issue might be coming from the kicking/core strength. Your kicking might be sporadic or your core may be weak overall. This is why the question as to whether your face is under water all the time or more on one side is important. A weaker kick and core will cause you to sink during the recovery and entry phase of the stroke. This is the most likely possibility, judging from what you have described.
Another possibility is that you might be dragging yourself underwater if the catch and pull is too deep. After the hand enters the water, you need to reach the hand and arm back, and catch just enough to maintain your body and head position stable, instead of bobbing up and down, or from side to side. If you have too deep of a catch, you could end up sinking underwater.
There are quite a few drills that are specifically geared towards correcting either a weak kick/core or a catch that is too deep. Ultimately, I recommend that you work with a qualified coach to fine-tune your stroke, since it is difficult to make judgements regarding what you need to work on without being able to get a full assessment of your stroke. Good luck!
