Backstroke questions

Originally posted by HeatherCW 1. When I swim back, I find I want to breathe in time with my arms. I generally breathe out every time an arm hits the water. This obviously leads to a nearly panting breathing rhythm. I am a musician in my spare time and find that breathing at a natural rhythm in my backstroke makes my arms want to line up with that rhythm (thereby getting slower). How do backstrokers breathe, anyhow? I'm not all that conscious of how I breathe when I'm doing backstroke. There's no particular reason why it has to be coordinated with your stroke. 2. What should the pull be like underwater? Probably not the way you expect it to be. While your arm goes overhead during your recovery, when you look at it underwater, you're likely to find that your forearm is really sort of grabbing to the side of your body. 3. What one thing is likely to improve my speed? (I know you haven't seen me swim backstroke, but picture a graduate of a typical 'learn to swim' program and you're pretty much accurate. :) The single most common mistake I've seen swimmers make is that of holding their head too high, causing their legs to drop. Instead, you want to lean back in the water until the water line is at your chin and the edges of your goggles, and you feel your hips rising to the surface. Your chin should be tilted slightly toward your chest. One of the things I focus on when I'm swimming backstroke is feeling air blowing across my belly button, because when that happens, I know I'm leaning back far enough. Hope this helps! Bob

Hi, OK on the breathing, you should have completely exhaled all your breath by the time you finish your pull by/past your hips and breathe on the roll to the other side. Oh yea, breathing in back --and maybe swimming is a bit odd. In through the mouth out the nose --and it's paced out the nose not one long breath out, more like 3-6 short relaxed exhales (depending on one's lung capacity I suppose). Head back. Basic secret that everyone forgets or minimizes the importance of this... Raises the hips more that the slight arch of the back. The kick is the strongest part of the stroke it's the thing that propels you forward and side to side. There is quite a bit of postings in here that can offer assistance. Here is my question. A 5K back sounds great, is it outside open swimming? How do you intend to maintain direction since most new backstrokers have this common skill in the elementary stage, mostly due to crossing the midline of the body when pulling... If it's indoors rock on!

Originally posted by Alicat Hi, Here is my question. A 5K back sounds great, is it outside open swimming? How do you intend to maintain direction since most new backstrokers have this common skill in the elementary stage, mostly due to crossing the midline of the body when pulling... If it's indoors rock on! Keep an eye on the sky, don't exhale all your air, don't clench your teeth relax the jaw and roll the shoulders enough so arms clear the water, no pile up of water on the shoulder of the recovery arm.

Here is my question. A 5K back sounds great, is it outside open swimming? How do you intend to maintain direction since most new backstrokers have this common skill in the elementary stage, mostly due to crossing the midline of the body when pulling... If it's indoors rock on! That's my question, too. I began open water swimming two years ago, and have not yet mastered swimming backstroke in open water because I get too dizzy! How do you do it? If I look at the sky (keeping my head back, which keeps my hips up) then I get dizzy . If I "spot" by looking at a landmark opposite to where I am going, then I don't get dizzy, but my hips drop and my stroke goes to **heck**. Any open water backstrokers have any solutions?

Don't forget to not arch your back. Pull your core area up and in (this will naturally raise your legs and keep them from sinking). That's what they teach us in my college program.

Also if you are a beginner, if you tuck your chin and raise the head slightly your legs and hips will come up.

It does matter to me when I breath because as i am reaching back, my face goes under water. Look at many top backstrokers, there are times when they will duck their heads. Quick says that there arre times when you shouldn't be able to tell when some one is swimmign back for free. I was once told that the most important thing about back stroke is don't hit your head.

Craig, how does your head go underwater? Are you keeping your head still? I've always been told to keep your head back, with your eyes looking up at the sky (or ceiling) and your chin slightly tucked. Your head should stay in that position while your body rolls with each stroke.

A tip I heard to get your head in the correct position is to bend your neck back until water starts coming across your face, then simply **** your head forward a small amount and that's it. I think I heard this from Bob Bruce, so I'll give him the proper credit for this tip :) edit: the word that got edited out was ***, by the way. Apparently the dirty word filter here doesn't like that word!

Originally posted by swimr4life Craig, how does your head go underwater? Are you keeping your head still? I was wondering the same thing. One of the classic backstroke drills coaches sometimes use is to have each swimmer practice the stroke with a cup of water balanced on his/her forehead. It sounds like Craig's cup would fall off. Bob