We’ll build a bit on the previous drill and start to learn more about the timing of your backstroke.

Start on your back, drop one arm to your side and rotate the opposite shoulder slightly out of the water.

In this exercise, you’re actually going to be switching from one side to the other.  Don’t worry about your pull just yet.  The balanced body and the timing of the stroke is so important, we always take care of that BEFORE we start worrying about applying force.

When you get to your side, lift the arm slightly as in the previous drill, then put it back down.  Only this time, the next time you bring your arm up… pause it slightly in the same position you rehearsed, and then… take the hand all the way to above your head.

The extended arm will stay motionless UNTIL the recovering arm starts to move again.

Initiate the recovery, put it back down, initiate the recovery, pause, recover and pull at the same time.

After a while of practice, you can start to take out the pause, but you have to make sure the recovery starts before the pull.

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Wave back - switch arms