I find it much harder to reduce the stroke per length in backstroke than in free. In free, you can glide a long distance in each stroke, but not so in backstroke. What should I work on, the pull, or the kick, or the coordination of the hand and leg? Appreciate any comments.
Chris, have you ever done that drill with a pull buoy and a band around your feet?
Alsdo, would you say that the "flattening" out of your stroke at incresing speeds would be about the same as freestyle? I'm not an accomplished backstroker, i think I entered it for fun years ago but have nly toyed with it since..but i do see a lot of similarities with freestyle?
I have not, and it has been a long time since I've worn a band and/or pull buoy in backstroke b/c I worry about shoulder stress. Although I wouldn't say the legs cause or initiate rotation, I think the kick does help stabilize & control it. I suspect I would have problems with over-rotation if I couldn't kick.
For me personally, I don't flatten out in backstroke as much as in freestyle (keeping in mind that I don't sprint freestyle very much). Maybe others do, I am not sure...it would be hard, I would think, b/c you just don't have as good an angle -- as much leverage for the pull -- on your back as you do on your front.
I do think underwater video is important to dissect the pull/roll of the great backstrokers. I've seen some that looked reasonably flat on top of the water, but when you look underwater the pull is surprisingly deep and the rotation greater than expected. Irie is unusual in how far his shoulders appear to come out of the water (compare him to the others in his heat). Most of that is real but part of it is, I think, that he just doesn't splash very much.
Chris, have you ever done that drill with a pull buoy and a band around your feet?
Alsdo, would you say that the "flattening" out of your stroke at incresing speeds would be about the same as freestyle? I'm not an accomplished backstroker, i think I entered it for fun years ago but have nly toyed with it since..but i do see a lot of similarities with freestyle?
I have not, and it has been a long time since I've worn a band and/or pull buoy in backstroke b/c I worry about shoulder stress. Although I wouldn't say the legs cause or initiate rotation, I think the kick does help stabilize & control it. I suspect I would have problems with over-rotation if I couldn't kick.
For me personally, I don't flatten out in backstroke as much as in freestyle (keeping in mind that I don't sprint freestyle very much). Maybe others do, I am not sure...it would be hard, I would think, b/c you just don't have as good an angle -- as much leverage for the pull -- on your back as you do on your front.
I do think underwater video is important to dissect the pull/roll of the great backstrokers. I've seen some that looked reasonably flat on top of the water, but when you look underwater the pull is surprisingly deep and the rotation greater than expected. Irie is unusual in how far his shoulders appear to come out of the water (compare him to the others in his heat). Most of that is real but part of it is, I think, that he just doesn't splash very much.
