New swimmer.....basically just learned back stroke 2-3 months ago. I cannot figure out the timing of my stroke, I feel like my hands get stuck at my hips? When exactly should my one arm be starting recovery phase? In other words, should my arms always be 180 degrees from each other?
Larrydk,
Without video, it is just a shot in the dark at diagnosing technical problems. A couple of comments though:
Sometimes swimmers doing backstroke think the best way to get their feet closer to the surface is to push their chest upward and/or pushing their chin upward - usually to the extreme. These motions result in an arched back which will actually cause the feet and legs to sink. The resulting "out of alignment" makes correct rotation next to impossible and tends to results in straight arm pulling patterns without much balance.
To keep your feet/legs closer to the surface, I find it helps to tuck your chin and think about pushing your hips upward (just a little - they should not break the surface). In this position, you should be able to rotate easier which should give you a chance to keep an arm at the top of the stroke a little longer which will help balance. Streamline kicking works for you because your arms are overhead which moves your center of gravity from your hips towards your chest, so it is important that an arm spends as much time at the top of the stroke as possible.
orca1946's description of the pulling pattern is the one I use. I also tell swimmers to think about throwing sidearm (if they are good throwers) because this can help with the shoulder, elbow, and hand positioning.
Lack of ankle flexibility is not critical to what you are working on right now. When you get alignment, rotation, and pulling patterns improved, you will want to go faster which is when ankle flex will become important.
Good Luck.
Windrath
Larrydk,
Without video, it is just a shot in the dark at diagnosing technical problems. A couple of comments though:
Sometimes swimmers doing backstroke think the best way to get their feet closer to the surface is to push their chest upward and/or pushing their chin upward - usually to the extreme. These motions result in an arched back which will actually cause the feet and legs to sink. The resulting "out of alignment" makes correct rotation next to impossible and tends to results in straight arm pulling patterns without much balance.
To keep your feet/legs closer to the surface, I find it helps to tuck your chin and think about pushing your hips upward (just a little - they should not break the surface). In this position, you should be able to rotate easier which should give you a chance to keep an arm at the top of the stroke a little longer which will help balance. Streamline kicking works for you because your arms are overhead which moves your center of gravity from your hips towards your chest, so it is important that an arm spends as much time at the top of the stroke as possible.
orca1946's description of the pulling pattern is the one I use. I also tell swimmers to think about throwing sidearm (if they are good throwers) because this can help with the shoulder, elbow, and hand positioning.
Lack of ankle flexibility is not critical to what you are working on right now. When you get alignment, rotation, and pulling patterns improved, you will want to go faster which is when ankle flex will become important.
Good Luck.
Windrath
