Backstroke - Basics with Steve Haufler

**Backstroke Teaching Progression
Step #2
Teach Backstroke Kick**


To teach backstroke kick, I start on land with the swimmer on a mat, and with one or two pull buoys under her head, and with arms by the side.

I ask her to engage her core, and then kick with straight legs, from the hips, and with the toes long and feet slightly turned in and pointed. 

The knees will bend at the beginning of the upward kick and straighten at the end, under the water. The feet will be a relaxed point.

Next, we go to the edge of the pool, with hips right on the edge, and move the legs.

I can still move the legs from the hips by holding only her ankles. I do this so I can help the feet press down and then flip up.

I push the legs down straight and then let the knees bend as she starts to kick up.

I want the swimmer to feel like they’re boiling water and pushing water AWAY from them, not just making a splash.

For most swimmers the upward kick is easy and natural, but they often need to be coached to kick down. 

This is why I have them emphasize the downbeat and press the bottom of each foot against my underwater hand.

We want long legs, loose ankles, and an emphasis on pressing down with a straight leg.

On the upward kick I want them to feel they are pushing water away from them—creating jet propulsion—the Jacuzzi effect.

To teach backstroke kick and backstroke kick with rotation while in the water, I use a 4-step process. I don’t use all of these positions and drills with all swimmers. It depends on their skill level and age, as well as their specific technique needs.

Step # 1 is to use a board.  The swimmer’s hands should be close together, which makes the shoulders roll in and puts them in the “canoe” position.

It’s important to keep the arms straight. Have them extend the board over the legs. The legs should be near the board but you don’t want her to kick the board up with her knees.

The swimmer should press down with a straight leg and then, as the upward kick begins, the knee bends and the feet and lower leg push water back. The legs straighten while the knees are still under water.

In step # 2, the swimmer kicks without a board, in the “canoe” position with hands near the top of the legs.

Sometimes this position is difficult to maintain for young or inexperienced swimmers.  If so, we try step #3 --  kick with sculling.  It helps to assist them through the motion while they float on their back.  

In step #4, I teach backstroke kick with rotation.  I stand directly behind the swimmer’s head and hold it gently from underneath.

My hand is flat and I simply roll the right side up from the backside of the shoulder… pause… then roll the right side down from the top of the shoulder.

By standing here and guiding the swimmer’s rotation, I make sure she doesn’t pause while flat on the water.

At this point, especially with novice swimmers, it’s OK to progress to teaching the backstroke arms.

However, let me give you three more drills for the more advanced swimmer.

The first drill is called “vertical washing-machine.”   I hold the swimmer’s head gently as they kick in a vertical position. Then, I have them initiate a rotation from side to side, with a slight pause as the shoulder passes under the chin. 

There should be space -- a few inches -- between the bottom of the chin and the top of the shoulder.

I let the swimmer lean back into the water and begin kicking and rotating in a similar fashion down the pool.

Another drill is called Side Glide. The body is tilted to one side and the extended arm and shoulder are tilted down into the water. The palm is facing the side of the pool. 

The other arm is straight along the side of the leg.  The arm is out of the water because the entire side is tilted up.

I help position the swimmer, making sure the head is straight and not tilted to one side. It is important that the swimmer is able to engage her core so that the body maintains a line.

She practices on both sides.

A third drill is Kick in Streamline. She practices on land and then takes it to the water.

I don’t want young swimmers to position the streamlined arms way behind their head.

This causes the body to be out of alignment and can create an arch in the back.

I prefer a streamline where the arms cover the ears or are just a little behind the ears. The hands are in a hand-over-hand position with a firm thumb lock.  The arms need to be snug against the head with no space between head and arms.

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Step #2 Teach Backstroke Kick