backstroke turns

It's four strokes from the flags to touch the wall with my hand, so for me the pattern to turn is pull left, pull right, pull left as I roll to my left to spin onto my front (while right arm recovers), pull right (while left hand stays at hip), flip, push off on back, dolphin kick. Just as with the spin turns, I prefer one side over the other but I do it both directions because I don't always use the same number of strokes per length. The only tricky part is timing the roll. If you get too close to the wall before you roll you will hit your heels on the flip (or worse yet, your head before you flip). On the other hand, if you roll too far away from the wall you can get disqualified for not having a "continuous" turning motion. Also, although you can take one pull on your front to initiate your flip (the final right arm pull in my example) you can't take more than one. This is the rule, from the USMS rule book: 101.4.3—Turns Upon completion of each length, some part of the swimmer must touch the wall. During the turn the shoulders may be turned past the vertical toward the ***, after which a continuous single arm pull or a continuous simultaneous double arm pull may be used to execute the turn. Once the body has left the position on the back, any kick or arm pull must be part of the continuous turning action. The swimmer must have returned to a position on the back upon leaving the wall. Note: The swimmer who turns past vertical and, in a continuous motion, grabs the wall before pushing off with the feet while on the back is considered to have executed a “continuous turning action.”

I'm not sure when the spin turn became the cross-over which then became the current turn (probably some time in the early 80s). The fastest turn for backstroke is basically a freestyle turn. If you take four strokes into the wall from the flags, on your fourth recovery you simply roll over so it is basically a freestyle recovery. This is followed by a regular freestyle flip turn. The key is fluidity. You need to be ready to turn (continuous motion) when you flip over on to your *** or get disqualified. Hope this helps.

Thanks, I'll keep these tips in mind while I practice, practice, practice. I'm just returning to the water after a two year break. Before I only swam freestyle for ten years and I forgot how much I enjoy the backstroke and want to find a workout where I do more of it. I don't do a lot of *** because I tore my acl and mcl and the old knee has just never been the same since the surgery. Well, I'll do it, but not very agressively. Thanks again.

Thanks...

Backstroke turn This is certainly a tricky turn, but worth the effort once you've mastered it. The trick is in getting the arm-cycle and timing of rotation into one fluid motion, imagine a very large circle, which should be uniform with little pausing or gliding. This takes practice.... but, you can do this in the middle of the pool, just to get the "feel" for what you are trying to achieve, and also this way, the wall is not intially an impedment to your progress. Now, the real speed on the back turn comes after you've pushed off the wall, through the underwater kick. Personally this has been quite the struggle, to get the timing right, but I hope this explaination can help. (This certainly was a weakness for me in the past, but has become the strongest part of my backstroke routine, so after years of frustration, this is what I've come to realize) The dolphin kick on your back is unique, and the best way I can explain it is to imagine your legs acting as a shovel, you want to scoop the water and push it away from your body. So, starting with your toes, use the feet and chins to pitch down and the water is "scooped", imagine pressing the water towards the back wall from your knees to your toes. The undualtion from the hips becomes a by-product when you "scoop" properly. Good luck, and feedback would be appreciated.