The Backstroke Lane

... the more shallow horizontal pull works very well provided you've got the arm strength to throw water towards your feet from that position. ... YOWzaa... that comment is VERY true. I tried the EHF and straight pull last evening with kick and with pull buoy to eliminate kick. There are a few sore muscle spots across my shoulder/pec front and shoulder blade today that I haven't experienced in years. I'm going to have to keep working on this for awhile.

There are a few sore muscle spots across my shoulder/pec front and shoulder blade today that I haven't experienced in years. I'm going to have to keep working on this for awhile. Sounds as if you're getting the correct traction on each pull. Not sure if this suggestion helps, but being good at pull-ups and chins-ups can develop strength which translates quite well for swimming specific muscles.

If I read the rules correctly your feet must be totally submerged for starts now. No more standing upright as your toes must not be curled over the gutter before or after the start. That's not quite right. You feet do not need to be completely submerged, but it is true that you cannot curl your toes over the gutter. For most US pools they amount to much the same thing -- feet must be submerged -- but for "FINA walls" (which do not have a gutter) you can have your feet out of the water quite a bit. No more stand-up starts, unfortunately.

If I read the rules correctly your feet must be totally submerged for starts now. No more standing upright as your toes must not be curled over the gutter before or after the start. Dumb question but a change since I swam and wanted to confirm.

This is my first visit to this thread. I had a lot of reading to do to catch up. I have a few suggestions that I have learned over the years (I'm 70 for FINA meets and a backstroker). 1. In some pools, I find it better to start holding the gutter. However, at some meets, the touch pad extend up 18 in and you have to use the starting block. 2. I always had a hard time going straight and usually hugged the lane line as a guide. One year my coach had us do lots and lots of drills: six kicks on side/switch to other side and "L" drill where you hold your arm straight up forming an L with your body for a count of 3. When I went to nationals that year in an outdoor pool, I remember being amazed that I went straight. I believe the drills made a huge difference. 3. As a kid, I did not backstroke except on IM. I was always dead by the breaststroke. I didn't learn until I was coaching that I had been holding my breath and gulping air. Now I consciously breath in on one arm, out on the other. I have asthma so exhaling is always a problem. 4. Kicking. When I coach I had trouble getting swimmers not to bend their knees. This past weekend at SwimFest I learned to tell them to imaginge kicking a ball. You bring your leg back, you don't bend your knee. It works like a charm to correct the kick. 5. In a Richard Quick video, he advocated turning your hips before your hand enters the water. This requires a quick snap of the hips. It solves two problems. One, your hand will enter with more force. Two, you can't over-reach if you are on your side. I don't know why I haven't read this thread before. I found it very interesting and helpful. I am still trying to decide how much, if at all, I should dolphin off the walls.

I am still trying to decide how much, if at all, I should dolphin off the walls. First off: Welcome! :D Second off: You should try to do this up to the 15 meter mark every time. YouTube - ‪Fast Underwater Swimming by LiL'B‬‏

First off: Welcome! :D Second off: You should try to do this up to the 15 meter mark every time. YouTube - ‪Fast Underwater Swimming by LiL'B‬‏ That was amazing! So, Michael, how 'bout you try that at your next meet and take the DQ, too?! :D P.S. Betsy, it was great meeting you at SwimFest! As a coach, you might be interested in my recent post on "The Breaststroke Lane". I included a link to the video and notes from Dr. G's power testing.

'saw this in another thread: news.bbc.co.uk/.../2175526.stm The last sentence might be taken as a challenge by some (not me) in this lane.

In any case, the Channel has been crossed backstroke at least twice. Would be interesting to know how they navigated. :rolleyes:

'saw this in another thread: news.bbc.co.uk/.../2175526.stm The last sentence might be taken as a challenge by some (not me) in this lane. Here's the last sentence, from 2002: No one has ever swum the Channel using the backstroke. Apparently, that was wrong. According to the records page of the Channel Swimming Association, Haydn Welsh swam the Channel backstroke in 13 hours, 42 minutes, sometime in 1992. Apparently by 2002, his swim was somehow forgotten. In the meantime, Tina Neill swam an all-backstroke crossing in 2005. At the time, Swimming World believed it to be the first backstroke crossing ever. Neill Crosses English Channel Swimming Backstroke --September 14, 2005 ENGLAND, August 9. TINA Neill, 39, of St. Paul, Minnesota, became the first person to successfully complete a solo crossing of the English Channel using only the backstroke. She walked into the surf, backward, at 2:50 am at Samphire Hoe Beach just outside Dover and landed on Wissant Beach, France, again walking out backward, at 4:12 pm for a total time of 13 hours and 22 minutes ... The June 2006 newsletter of the Channel Swimming Association clarified, Just for the record: Haydn Welch has asked us to confirm that whilst Tina Neill was the first lady to swim the Channel backstroke in 2005, he was in fact the first swimmer. Haydn made the first recorded successful backstroke swim on the 6th Sept 1993. I cannot explain why the records page of the Channel Swimming Association says Welch swam in 1992, but the newsletter says 1993. In any case, the Channel has been crossed backstroke at least twice.