By the end you will see why I think backstroke is the easiest swimming stroke to learn and yet the most exhausting and difficult to master for a lot of people.

The First part is a demonstration of me doing a 50 meters backstroke at full speed.

00:00 1 Demo

The next part of the video is very important to reduce the risk of getting injured and to learn to swim faster.

00:55 2 Do not do this!:

Straight arm

No rotation

Crossing hands

Bending the knees or hips

Wrong synchronization



02:58 3 Easy to learn; hard to master:

If you want to swim under 30 seconds you need to do these four things right besides swimming backstroke correctly.


a) As you saw me do, you need to swim at least half of it underwater, doing dolphin kicks. Don’t worry we will go over some exercises to help you swim underwater dolphin kicks on the next section.

b) You’ll also need to have a great break out, meaning the transition between dolphin kicks and backstroke.

c) You’ll need a fast flip turn.

d) You’ll need a good backstroke start.


03:44 4 Breaking :30

a) What is a good dolphin kick?

Good dolphin kicks are actually faster than backstroke swimming. They require a lot of practice and core strength. But keep these 3 things in mind to make your journey easier:

I) Use a nose plug or your upper lip to keep you from exhaling all your air and from water getting into your nose.

II) Keep your big toes touching at all times. If that is a problem, you can get a stretch band and wrap it around your ankles to practice.

III) Kick forwards and backwards with almost the same intensity.

Remember that in a race it is allowed to do dolphins kicks for 15 meters after each turn or after the start. There is usually a different color disk to help you identify where the 15 meters is.

b) What is a good breakout?

A good breakout is when you don’t waist any time transitioning from underwaters to backstroke. Remember that when you do the first stroke your other arm must remain in the streamline position. Keep in mind that to do a good breakout you need to transition close to the surface and don’t have to come up at a sharp angle.

c) What is a good flipturn?

This flip turn is hard to get it right because you need to know exactly how many strokes you do from the flags to before you turn. Remember that the rules allow for the last stroke to be a freestyle stroke. Also you may continue kicking if you are too far apart from the wall. Don’t slow down before the turn and push deep so you can do your dolphin kicks.

d) What is a good backstroke start?

The backstroke starts have been changing these last years. Now the FINA rules allow for a wedge that helps swimmers push higher and farther, essentially doing backwards dive. The optimal initial position is slightly different for everyone as you can see here. But nowadays everyone starts with almost their whole body outside the water, except for their feet. This is faster because by being up like this you only have to focus on pushing backwards and not up and back like before the wedge. Arch your back and try to enter with your whole body in a small circle.

06:25 5 Do these:

These 17 exercises are some of my favorite backstroke exercises that will help you swim faster no matter what your level of swimming is. We will divide them in water drills and dryland exercises.


10:44 6 Giveaway:

If all of this kind of makes sense but seems complicated. And if you really want to improve your swimming technique, I am sure we can help you in person in one of our swimming camps. Your age is not an important factor in our swimming camps because technique is for everyone. So, If you are interested please go to this link to find out more about the camps:

Skillswimming.com/swimmingcamp/


To participate in the giveaway you’ll need to do the same thing we did last time. Share this video on your swim team chat, take a screen shot and send it to us via WhatsApp to this number.

Talk to you there! Swim fast!


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Thanks for watching!
Swim fast!

#Backstroke #Swimming