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.
I have a six beat backstroke kick, and four are on my sides - two kicks on one side, two straight up as I roll to the other side, then two on the other side. Then back again. At least I think I am doing it that way . . .
I'll be happy to see more replies to this old thread. It's hard for me to keep a consistent kick pattern in backstroke. The original post was concerned about 2-beat kick, but whether it's 2-beat or 6-beat, I think the main thing is, when do you initiate the first (accentuated) kick in the cycle? Any reply appreciated! :)
This is a great question.
I feel like I get a leverage from my kick when on my stomach. I get nothing but pain when on my back. Is it a timing issue?
Could it be akin to the difference in dolphining prone vs. supine?
"kick continuously" is good advice
emphasize the downsweep
(when your foot kicks towards the bottom)
point your toes
don't splash too much on the upsweep
watch these vids
www.youtube.com/watchwww.youtube.com/watchwww.youtube.com/watch
here's mine
www.youtube.com/watch
perfect your SDK:
technique, streamline, speed, breath holding, splitting and mental toughness
I could never figure out backstroke kick timing until someone suggested doing just the kick for a few lengths and emphasizing every third kick (left right LEFT right left RIGHT...) to see what happened. Then I realized how the kick contributed to body rotation and was able to time it with the arm stroke. Kicking backwards seems to be an important part of the rotation.
Backstroke requires a steady kick which flutters from side to side.
It's not a 2 beat or 4 beat. It's more like an ongoing 6 or 8 beat
The key to good backstroke is torso rotation, and a steady flutter kick.
The water should appear to boiling, but the feet stay just under the surface.
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
Don't think too much about the timing this is when you will get into problems. Everything is connected and it will naturally fall into place. I would make sure that the arms come out cleanly. As each arm comes over, the upper arm and shoulder clears the water (no water build up). In the up motion of the kick the toes should naturally point and flex in. I believe the calf muscle should be very relaxed when kicking and not forcing a point.
The above replies are all very informative, thanks! Thanks quicksilver for the great picture! :D
I tried backstroke again today. I can't keep kicking quickly and frequently. Though my kick is strictly 6-beat, it's actually almost near a 2-beat kick, because only the first kick is a real kick, the following 2 kicks are sort of the "residual bounces" of the first one brought by inertia. This seems to be working ok for me since I have no speed demand, just learning to swim backstroke. Whenever I start kicking more frequently I lost the rhythm and slows down. If I don't kick too much, but keep legs straight, I glide more smoothly on the water :) I wonder if there are others doing similarly?
