Back Crawl

The Back Crawl is another essential swimming stroke that every swimmer should learn. Unlike physically intensive swimming strokes, the back crawl can be much less physically demanding, which can to help you focus on technique and coordination rather than relying heavily on brute strength.

Back Crawl Arms

Body Position: Aim for a flat and horizontal position in the water. Your body should be as streamlined as possible to reduce resistance when swimming. Keep your head in line with your spine and look straight up at the sky. Avoid looking down or lifting your head too high. Maintaining a neutral head position helps reduce neck strain and improves overall body alignment, making your swim more efficient.

The back crawl arm movement consists of three main stages: The Entry, The Pull, and The Recovery. It's important to understand these before you begin.

The Entry

Start with your arm lifted out of the water, leading with your thumb. Ensure that your arm is straight and that the movement comes from your shoulder.
As your arm enters the water, rotate it so that your pinky finger enters the water first, with your hand facing outwards.
Continue to rotate your arm so that your palm is facing the bottom of the pool. This marks the end of the entry phase.

The Pull

Once your arm is fully extended, begin to pull it through the water. Your arm should be straight and close to the surface of the water.
Next, move your hand outwards and downwards until it is in line with your chest and shoulders, with your elbow bent.
Rotate your hand once more so your palm is facing towards your feet and push through the water. This pulling motion is what moves you forward.

The Recovery

After the pull, your arm should be fully extended by your thigh.
Start the recovery by rotating your shoulders, which lifts your arm out of the water.
As your arm lifts, begin to rotate your arm and hand again so that your thumb leads the way.
Swing your arm backwards in the air to start another stroke

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Practicing Back Crawl

Practice out of the Water: Practice the movement of your arms by lying flat on your back, on a surface where both arms can rotate fully around. Slowly go through the entry, pull, and recovery phases, paying attention to the movement of your elbows and shoulders.

Begin with One Arm: Once you're in the water, it's often easier to start with one arm at a time. Push off from the wall of the pool on your back, then use only one arm to practice the strokes. Visualize the movements you practiced on dry land. Keep doing this until you feel comfortable with the stroke.

Put it Together: Once you've got the hang of the movements with each arm individually, it's time to combine them. The movement should be alternated, with one arm starting the entry phase as the other begins recovery. Your arms should move like a windmill, with one always opposite the other.

Maintain a Steady Pace: With both arms working together, focus on maintaining a steady, rhythmic pace. Each arm should be moving continuously, in a smooth, cyclical motion. Remember, one arm always picks up where the other leaves off.

Arm Movement: The arm movement in back crawl is alternating, meaning one arm is always moving while the other is stationary. Remember to break down the movement into the entry, the pull, and the recovery. Imagine your arms are a windmill, with one always opposite the other. Keep your arms straight and close to the surface of the water during the recovery phase. Avoid excessive bending at the elbow. By extending your arm forward with a slight bend, you can maximize your stroke length and improve overall efficiency.

Breathing: In back crawl, you don't have to worry about coordinating your breath with your strokes, as your face is above the water. Remember to just breathe naturally.

Timing: The timing in back crawl is crucial. The leg kick and arm movement should be synchronized to make the stroke efficient.

Common Mistakes in Back Crawl

Maintaining Head Position

Swimmers often struggle with maintaining a neutral head position, which can lead to excessive strain on the neck and inefficient swimming.
Keep your head in line with your spine and look straight up at the sky. Avoid looking down or lifting your head too high. Maintaining a neutral head position helps reduce neck strain and improves overall body alignment, making your swim more efficient.

Head Position Drill - Water Bottle Balance

In this drill, you will place a water bottle or a similar object on your forehead while swimming the back crawl. The objective is to keep the bottle balanced and prevent it from falling. By doing so, you will develop a better sense of maintaining a neutral head position and proper body alignment. This drill encourages you to keep your head in line with your spine and gaze straight up at the sky or ceiling. By maintaining a neutral head position, you reduce strain on your neck and improve overall body alignment, leading to more efficient swimming.

Insufficient Body Rotation

Insufficient body rotation can result in limited arm reach and inefficient propulsion through the water.
Focus on rotating your shoulders and hips as you swim. Initiate the rotation from your core, allowing your body to roll from side to side with each stroke. This increased body rotation enables a greater range of motion, leading to a more powerful and efficient arm pull.

Body Rotation Drill - Side Kick

The side kick drill focuses on improving body rotation and hip stability, both of which are essential for efficient backstroke swimming. Start by lying on your side in the water with one arm extended above your head and the other resting along your body. While maintaining a steady kick, rotate your body from side to side. This drill helps you develop the rotational movement of your shoulders and hips, promoting a more powerful and effective arm pull. It also improves your overall body stability in the water, enhancing your backstroke technique.

Over-bending Arms

Swimmers often bend their arms too much during the recovery phase, which can lead to a shorter stroke and reduced efficiency.
Maintain a straight arm and keep it close to the surface of the water during the recovery phase. Avoid excessive bending at the elbow. By extending your arm forward with a slight bend, you can maximize your stroke length and improve overall efficiency.

Arm Movement Drill - Single-Arm Backstroke

Swimming the back crawl with only one arm at a time helps you focus on the arm movement and improve your arm extension and recovery technique. Begin by swimming the backstroke, keeping one arm resting on your side while the other arm performs the full stroke. Concentrate on maintaining a straight arm during the recovery phase and fully extending it upon entry into the water. This drill allows you to refine your arm movement, ensuring a longer stroke and reduced energy wastage.

Incorrect Hand Entry and Exit

Incorrect hand entry and exit can cause increased drag and reduced propulsion.
Enter the water with your fingertips or hand leading, angled at about 45 degrees. This allows for a smooth entry, minimizing drag. During the exit, brush your thumb along the side of your thigh as your hand exits the water. This technique helps reduce resistance and maximizes propulsion.

Hand Entry and Exit Drill - Catch-up Backstroke

The catch-up backstroke drill is aimed at improving the technique of hand entry and exit, which plays a significant role in reducing drag and maximizing propulsion. Start with both arms extended above your head. Pull with one arm while the other remains extended until the pulling arm completes the stroke and returns to the starting position. Then, initiate the pull with the opposite arm. This drill emphasizes proper hand entry and exit, helping you refine your technique for a smooth entry and clean exit, resulting in improved efficiency and reduced drag during your backstroke.

Inefficient Kicking

Swimmers may have an inefficient or uncoordinated leg kick, which can result in poor propulsion and body position. While doing the complete backstroke, make sure you are kicking the entire time as you may be focusing too much on your arms.
Focus on maintaining a consistent, fluid kicking motion with your legs. Keep your legs fairly straight and close together, with a slight bend at the knees. Avoid excessive knee bending or wide kicks. Practice kicking on your back while holding a kickboard to help develop proper technique and improve leg coordination.

Leg Kick Drill - Backstroke Kick with Kickboard

The backstroke kick drill with a kickboard focuses on developing a strong and consistent leg kick, which is crucial for propulsion and maintaining a streamlined body position. While lying on your back, hold a kickboard above your head or at your chest. Concentrate on maintaining a consistent and fluid kicking motion, keeping your legs relatively straight and close together. This drill enhances leg strength, improves flexibility, and refines your kicking technique, leading to a more powerful and efficient backstroke kick.

Difficultly with Timing and Coordination

Swimmers may struggle to synchronize their arm and leg movements, resulting in an inefficient and tiring stroke.
Practice the catch-up drill. With this drill, one arm remains extended above your head while the other arm completes a full stroke. This helps improve your timing and coordination, ensuring a smoother and more efficient back crawl. Gradually increase your speed and focus on maintaining a balanced stroke rhythm.

Timing and Coordination Drill - Alternating Arm Backstroke

The alternating arm backstroke drill helps you improve the timing and coordination of your arm and leg movements, resulting in a smoother and more efficient stroke. Swim the back crawl as usual but pause briefly at the end of each arm stroke before initiating the next stroke with the opposite arm. This drill forces you to focus on coordinating your arm and leg movements, promoting better synchronization and overall stroke efficiency.

Irregular Breathing

Swimmers may hold their breath or have an irregular breathing pattern, leading to fatigue and poor performance.
Focus on maintaining a consistent and relaxed breathing pattern. Exhale continuously and smoothly through your nose and mouth as your face is in the water, and inhale quickly and deeply to the side as your arm exits the water. Breathing should be synchronized with your arm movements. This steady oxygen supply will help you swim more efficiently and reduce fatigue.

Breathing Drill - 3-3-3 Backstroke

The 3-3-3 backstroke drill aims to establish a consistent and relaxed breathing pattern while swimming. During this drill, you take three strokes while exhaling and then three strokes while inhaling. By maintaining a rhythmic breathing pattern, exhaling as your arm enters the water and inhaling as it exits, you can establish a steady oxygen supply. This drill helps you swim more efficiently, reducing fatigue and enhancing your overall performance in backstroke swimming.

Front Crawl Sidestroke