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Backstroke

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Backstroke Empty Backstroke

Post by Mike A Sat Sep 02, 2017 8:57 pm

I think someone mentioned backstroke a while ago. I only really do backstroke as a cool-down stroke (it's good for this because it stretches a lot of front-crawl muscles in the opposite direction). However, I was watching some of Chloe Sutton's videos on backstroke recently and decided to apply some of her tips. Wow! Turns out I'd been doing the catch and pull quite wrong. Her tips of "keep the hand quite close to the surface" and "imagine you're throwing a ball towards your feet" have reduced my armstrokes per length by about 4 strokes instantly. Not only that, but this kind of action seems to increase the connection with the core and kick. Suddenly my backstroke is starting to feel a bit more joined-up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPyLoflxaZ4&t=629s
Mike A
Mike A

Posts : 125
Join date : 2016-12-05

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Post by SA Wed Sep 06, 2017 8:43 am

For me a good armpull in backstroke feels like you are lying your arm on top of the shoulders of a friend and that friend is a bit taller. Like posing for a picture.
Now push that friend into the ground. Requires a lot of core control to keep tracking straight while doing this.

SA

Posts : 374
Join date : 2016-12-10

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Post by Mike A Thu Sep 07, 2017 6:14 pm

Yep, that's a good analogy too. As to keeping straight... lane rope essential, as far as I'm concerned! ;-)
Mike A
Mike A

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Post by Don Wright Wed Sep 13, 2017 11:43 am

Thank you Mike for pointing us to that very helpful back crawl clip by Chloe - my only grumble is about the horrible echo-ey acoustics (not helped by a bit of hearing impairment).  I really liked what she said about body rotation "not a smooth rolling action - but a vigorous turn of the shoulders to pop them quickly out of the water during each arm recovery, with the hips following on a bit slower." That action I think, introduces an upper body rolling core action - a sort of "twisting" wave action, started at the shoulders with the core following on in a smooth rolling action, but a wee bit out-of-phase (well she did say her hip action followed on a bit more slowly after the quick shoulder action!).  So IMO the quick shoulder action initiates an undulation along the core - an effect I notice with one of my freestyle "variants" - in which I forget the legs, and concentrate on a vigorous shoulder action as each recovered arm makes water entry - "digging the shoulder quickly a bit deeper" - think that really sends a "twisting" wave action, initially from the shoulders then onto the core and down the rest of the body (so the legs do a casual relaxed wave!).  I have tried the quick "impulse" from the shoulders/core (a somewhat upwards, then almost sideways action) as each recovered arm enters the water in back crawl.  I tried to arrange my slow kicking, so that the topmost lower leg was kicking up/sideways as the arm on that side pulled/pushed - but somehow, I found it more difficult to do on my left side to get the topmost lower leg kicking in the planned direction.

Don Wright

Posts : 223
Join date : 2017-07-11
Age : 87
Location : Telford, Shropshire

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