Now that I've finally managed to get my 2-beat freestyle kick timing more or less corrected (left leg kicking down on right hand entry, etc.), I'm wondering if the same principle applies to the backstroke kick?
Most backstroke kicking advice I've seen seems to be of the "just kick continuously" variety.
Does it make sense to work on kicking up with the opposite foot at hand entry in backstroke?
Thanks for any suggestions.
Parents
Former Member
Having been a backstroker all of my life until recently, I think the kick is one of continuous kicking. But after analyzing my kick over the years, I found that I absolutely did two kicks on the left, two center, and two on the right. The beauty of this pattern is it aids the body rotation because as one is completing the armstroke portion and pushing downward to get into the next pull phase, the hips automatically rotate the body to the other side and, thus, it streamlines the body. I found this more natural in backstroke than freestyle.
I would suggest trying not to "bounce" too much with this aided rotation and keep the head still during the entire swimming portion. We used to put quarters on our foreheads to get used to rotating our bodies but not turning our heads. A little extreme, but it sure helped.
And you didn't ask about this, but I thought I'd throw it in anyway. We all know that in backstroke you can only see where you've been and not where you're going until you see those flags. Early on, I trained myself to only focus on the stationary rope portion of the flags and not the flags because if in an open pool and the wind is blowing, the flag portion moves and can deceive you as to when to commit to the turn.
Cheers!
Donna
Having been a backstroker all of my life until recently, I think the kick is one of continuous kicking. But after analyzing my kick over the years, I found that I absolutely did two kicks on the left, two center, and two on the right. The beauty of this pattern is it aids the body rotation because as one is completing the armstroke portion and pushing downward to get into the next pull phase, the hips automatically rotate the body to the other side and, thus, it streamlines the body. I found this more natural in backstroke than freestyle.
I would suggest trying not to "bounce" too much with this aided rotation and keep the head still during the entire swimming portion. We used to put quarters on our foreheads to get used to rotating our bodies but not turning our heads. A little extreme, but it sure helped.
And you didn't ask about this, but I thought I'd throw it in anyway. We all know that in backstroke you can only see where you've been and not where you're going until you see those flags. Early on, I trained myself to only focus on the stationary rope portion of the flags and not the flags because if in an open pool and the wind is blowing, the flag portion moves and can deceive you as to when to commit to the turn.
Cheers!
Donna
