The Butt-Flop Drill

My go-to drill for improving backstroke starts is something that I call the butt flop. The purpose of a butt flop is to get swimmers used to getting their hips over the surface of the water and creating a strong body arc that channels their power off the wall and into the first length.

How To Set It Up

Set up for this drill is the same as for a normal backstroke start. Plant your feet on the wall, grasp the backstroke bar or start rails and keep your back straight. Make sure your knees are in between your arms and your arms are super wide. Then, pull up to the take-your-mark position.

Next, pull your hips up above the water line, then push up and away from the wall. Don’t worry about your arms—just focus on getting your hips above the water—and then push off and flop into the water butt first.

The hips clearing the surface is the key to this drill, as elite backstrokers virtually always push off and up from the wall so that they can arc and perform a fast and sleek modified back dive to propel them down the lane. These swimmers make their bodies into a rainbow shape and that’s good for speed.

In 2014, backstroke wedges were approved for use in competition, and these wedges provide a platform to help you push up and out. This drill also helps reinforce that up, out, arc movement to make your backstrokes starts faster.