Backstroke Body Position Drills

Ball Float

The purpose of ball float is to help you learn to feel the support of your lungs in the water. It's the easiest way to float in the water and get comfortable. It requires no skill to execute well.

To perform ball float, take a deep breath, fall forward, hug your knees to your chest, and relax. You may or may not float exactly on the surface of the water. You should find a position of stability and balance, however.

Inner Tube Float

Inner tube float helps you find comfort and stability in the water with your feet at the surface.

To perform this drill, lie on your back in the water with your arms by your side and your knees bent, with your shins floating at the surface. Your hips will be lower in the water. Your goal is to float in this position as easily as possible.

You can bend your knees and hips as much as you need to float effectively. You may find that it's easier to maintain a comfortable position with your knees close or your knees farther away. Just get as comfortable as necessary. It's OK to use your hands to provide some stability.

X Float

The X float helps you develop your backstroke body position.

To perform this drill, lie on your back in the water with your arms and legs spread wide in the shape of an X. Don't move while doing this drill. Your goal is to be stable in the water. As much as possible, try to create a horizontal position in the water.

Don't worry about the actual position you create. Just try to improve it. The process of striving for progress is what develops body position skills. Pay attention to what you must do to improve your body position.

I Float

The I float helps you develop your backstroke body position.

To perform this drill, lie on your back in the water in the shape of an I, with your arms straight overhead and legs close together. Don't move while performing this drill. Your goal is to be stable in the water.

Don't aim for a perfect body line but rather an improved body line. If you can make progress, that means you're learning how to more effectively manage your body position. This progress will transfer to your backstroke.

Elevator Swim

Elevator swim is designed to help you find your best head position.

To perform this drill, start with a very high head position and gradually lower it until you achieve a very low head position while swimming a 25 backstroke. (You can also start low and end high.) Pay attention to how your body position changes throughout the 25 and where in the process it feels best. Use the head position that feels best while swimming regular backstroke.

Side Pull

Side pull exaggerates the rotational position of your body during your pull. You'll be fully on your side, and you won't rotate at all during your pull.

To perform side pull, simply pull straight back without rotating at all. Your goal is to feel what it's like to pull without rotating your body so you can get a sense of the strength created when your body rotates. After each pull, recover your arm under the water and execute another pull without rotating.

Delay Backstroke

Delay backstroke helps you learn to delay your body rotation.

To perform this drill, execute a single arm pull without rotating, rotate to your other side, and recover your opposite arm. After your arm pulls, keep it at your hip, wait until your other arm pulls, and then recover your first arm. The purpose is to exaggerate the delay of your rotation to help you feel the delay.

Head-Up Backstroke

Head-up backstroke drill helps you feel how the rotation of your shoulders is tied to your arm recoveries and how you can use your arm recoveries to facilitate quick shifts in your body rotation.

To perform head-up backstroke, lift your head slightly out of the water and look toward your feet. This brings your shoulders up out of the water slightly, which can help you rotate them more aggressively. Focus on swinging your arms through your arm recoveries over the water and into the water. Be sure to tie that recovery to the rotation of your shoulders.