Backstroke - Drills

Using a continuous kick is a staple in great backstroke swimming.

Why do it:
Avoiding any delay or pause in backstroke kick will help swimmers understand there really are NO dead spots in backstroke, with the arms OR legs.

How to do it:
1 - Start with standard streamline kick on your back.  Make sure the body line is parallel to the surface.
2 - Move from streamline kick to position-11 kick.  This puts the arms into a more backstroke like position.
3 - Slowly start to add the arm motion, but keeping the focus on the continuous kick.

How to do it really well (the fine points):
Sometimes swimmers need a little reminder, like tying a string around your finger to remember something.  Try using a band that goes around your thighs to not only remind the swimmer to keep kicking, but to also remind them to keep the kick narrow... And consistent.

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Backstroke - Building a Continuous Kick