BACKSTROKE

• BACKSTROKE IS JUST THE OPPOSITE OF FREESTYLE. IN FREESTYLE, YOUR HEAD

IS IN THE WATER. IN BACKSTROKE, THE SWIMMER FLOATS ON HIS BACK IN THE
WATER, HEAD ON THE SURFACE, FACING UPWARD.
• JUST LIKE FREESTYLE, KICKING SHOULD BE CONTINUOUS WHILE YOU ARE
PULLING YOUR HAND.
BEFORE DOING THE ACTIVITIES, REMEMBER THE FF.

1. CONTINUOUS KICKING MUST REMAIN WITHIN THE BODY WIDTH AND ORIGINATES
FROM THE HIP.
2. SLIGHTLY BEND YOUR KNEE WHEN YOU KICK TO AVOID INJURY
3. KNEE IS BENT SLIGHTLY TO PROVIDE POWER IN THE UPBEAT PHASE OF THE KICK,
FINISHING AS THE TOES MOVE UP TO THE SURFACE OF THE WATER.
4. BENDING YOUR KNEES TOO MUCH CREATES HUGE DRAG PROBLEM
5. ANKLES SHOULD BE RELAXED WHEN KICKING.
6. AT THE RECOVERY PHASE, THE ARM SHOULD BE NEAR YOUR EAR.
 BACKSTROKE FLOAT

1.POSITION YOURSELF THE SAME WAY AS THE BACK FLOAT.

2. THIS TIME, INSTEAD OF SPREADING YOUR ARM OUT WIDE, CLIP YOUR ARMS
WITH EARS JUST LIKE IN THE FREESTYLE.
3.KEEP YOUR FEET TOGETHER.
4. LAY BACK ON THE WATER
5. THEN KEEP YOUR CHIN ABOVE THE SURFACE
6. RAISE YOUR HIPS KEEPING YOUR STOMACH OUT.
 BACKSTROKE KICK

1. SIT ON THE EDGE OF THE POOL

2. PLACE YOUR LEGS IN THE WATER
3. POINTING YOUR TOES, ALTERNATELY KICK YOUR FEET UP AND DOWN
4. IMAGINE THERE IS A BALL ON TOP OF YOUR TOES AND KICK IT UPWARD
5. SLIGHTLY BEND YOUR KNEES WHEN YOU KICK UPWARD
6. DO NOT KICK YOUR FEET IN A CYCLING MOTION
 BACKSTROKE KICK WITH KICKBOARD

• TO WORK ON YOUR KICKING TECHNIQUE, PRACTICE FIRST WITH THE KICKBOARD. DO THIS FOR FOUR
SETS. DO 10 BUBBLES WHEN YOU GET TO THE END OF THE POOL.

1. HOLDING THE KICKBOARD WITH BOTH HANDS, ARMS CLIPPED BEHIND YOUR EARS, AND PERFORM
THE BACKSTROKE FLOAT.
2. BEND YOUR KNEES SLIGHTLY AS YOUR POINTED FOOT MOVES TOWARDS THE BOTTOM OF THE
POOL.
3. THEN STRAIGHTEN YOUR LEG AS YOUR POINTED FOOT MOVES TOWARD THE SURFACE OF THE
WATER.
4. KICK FROM THE HIP RATHER THAN YOUR KNEE TO MAXIMIZE YOUR POWER AND STRENGTH.
 BACKSTROKE STREAMLINE KICK

1. PERFORM THE BACKSTROKE FLOAT

2. HIPS UP AND STOMACH OUT
3. CLIP YOUR ARM BEHIND YOUR EARS
4. WHEN YOUR FEET ARE ON THE SURFACE OF THE WATER, START KICKING.
 BACKSTROKE ARMING

• IN THIS STROKE, WHEN ONE ARM IS PULLING THE OTHER SHOULD RECOVER. THE
SHOULDER OF THE PULLED ARM SHOULD ROTATE. ONE ARM UP, ONE ARM DOWN.
 DRY LAND DRILL (IMAGINE YOU ARE IN THE
WATER)
1. BACK STROKE FLOAT POSITION
2. PULL DOWN ONE HAND TOWARDS YOUR LEG WHILE THE OTHER HAND REMAINS ON THE SURFACE
3. KEEP YOUR ARM CLOSE TO YOUR BODY WHEN YOU PULL
4. BEND YOUR ELBOW WHEN YOU PULL
5. AS YOU PULL YOUR HAND DOWN, PULL THE WATER PAST YOUR HIP
6. WHEN YOUR ARM IS PAST YOUR HIP, RAISE IT ABOVE THE WATER WITH YOUR PINKIE FIRST THEN PLACE IT BACK
TO THE WATER
7. AS SOON AS THE PULLED HAND IS RAISED ABOVE THE WATER, PULL DOWN YOUR OTHER HAND BEFORE THE
FORMER MOVES TO ITS RECOVERY PHASE. THE OTHER HAND STARTS PULLING BEFORE THE SHOULDER OF THE
PULLED ARMS STOPS ROTATING TO ITS RECOVERY
8. AS SOON AS YOUR PINKIE ENTERS THE WATER, YOU NEED TO START THE PULL OF THE OTHER HAND
 BACKSTROKE ARM WITH KICKBOARD

1. HOLD THE KICKBOARD AND LAY BACK TO THE WATER

2. AS SOON AS YOUR LEGS ARE IN THE SURFACE, START KICKING
3. AFTER THE FIRST 10 KICKS, PERFORM THE ARMING.
4. WHEN THE PULLED ARM IS MOVING BACK TO THE WATER OR TO ITS RECOVERY
PHASE, HOLD THE KICKBOARD THEN PULL YOUR OTHER HAND.
 BACKSTROKE SWIM

1. DO THAT BACKSTROKE FLOAT

2. WHEN YOUR LEGS ARE ALREADY IN THE SURFACE, START KICKING
3. AFTER 10 KICKS, PERFORM THE ARMING YOU PRACTICED ON DRY LAND
4. WITH ONE ARM PULL DOWN, ROTATE THE SHOULDER, RAISED YOUR PULLED
ARM UP THEN PULL DOWN YOUR OTHER ARM.
5. WHEN THE PULLED ARM GETS INTO THE WATER AGAIN WITH ITS PINKIE
FINGER, PULL AGAIN.
ACTIVITY # 5

DIRECTIONS: COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS WITH THE APPROPRIATE WORDS.

1. THERE ARE FOUR DISTINCT PARTS OF BACKSTROKE: THE _____, THE ______, THE _____ AND THE
_______. THE ____ IS ESSENTIAL AS IT ALLOWS THE POWER OF EACH KICK TO MOVE _____.
2. THE ______ HELPS YOU PROPEL YOUR BODY FORWARD AND GLIDE AS YOU DO THE BREASTSTROKE
PULL.
3. ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT DURING A BREASTSTROKE KICK, YOUR FEET SHOULD NOT BE _____
ABOVE THE WATER.
4. KEEP YOUR _______ IN FRONT OF YOU THE WHOLE TIME
5. THE ________ CREATES THE MAJORITY OF THE FULL VELOCITY OF YOUR KICK WHILE THE _______
RESETS YOUR LEGS IN PREPARATION FOR THE NEXT KICK.