Backstroke Hand Entry

Front Crawl Backstroke Breaststroke Butterfly Tumble Turns Training Aids Backstroke - Arms Backstroke - Legs

As with front crawl, to keep a backstroke stroke long the aim should be to reach as far down the pool as you can before starting to pull. If your arms were the arms of a clock they should enter the water at around five to one. The problem is, unlike front crawl you can’t actually see what you’re doing. Often, in trying to reach as far as possible, people actually reach right over the top of their head thus shortening the stroke and planting the arm in a very weak position. All I can suggest is to ask somebody to watch you. If you are, you could try to aim to enter the arms at ten to two and you’ll probably end up in the correct place (make sure your shoulders still brush against your ears as the arm goes back though – if they don’t you’re too wide).