What is it?

a.k.a Back crawl is a swimming style

with the swimmer lying on the water
flat on their back while the arms are
stretched above their head and the
legs stretched. The backstroke is one
among only four strokes that are
regulated for competition
purposes.
 History

Backstroke swimming developed as an offshoot of

front crawl, with swimmers copying the overarm
technique on their backs. The backstroke began to
appear in the early 20th century as an independent
style.

Since then, it has undergone major changes up to

where it stands now. One of the earliest changes
came in 1932 when Australian swimmers realized
that bending their arms in the underwater stroke
proved to be faster than having their arms stretched.
The technique was then quickly adopted as the
standard style for competitive backstroke swimming.
Title Holders
David Berkoff (USA) & Daichi
Suzuki (JPN).

The pair introduced underwater

dolphins kicking to the masses,
swimming over half of the 100m
backstroke
under the surface of the eater at the
1988 Seoul Olympics.
Lenny Krayzelburg (USA).

During the late 1990’s, it was

Lenny Krayzelburg who was the
dominant backstroke swimmer
on the international stage. He
set numerous world records,
including four Olympic gold
medals, and was USA
Swimming’s athlete of the year
from 1997-2000.
Krisztina Egerszegi (HUN). ITHE FIRST
WOMAN TO WIN FIVE GOLD MEDALS IN
INDIVIDUAL SWIMMING EVENTS.

She won a gold and silver in the two

backstroke events at the 1988 Olympics
when only 14 years old. In 1992, she
returned to win three individual gold
medals, in the 100 metre backstroke, the
200 metre backstroke, and the 400
metre individual medley
Backstroke Movements
Body movement
➔ The backstroke is swum in a
horizontal position on the back.
Although the
body does roll side to side,
following the body movements
➔ While body moves side to
side, the head should remain in
neutral position,
face up
Arm movement
➔ The arms perform
alternating and opposite
movements
◆ One arm pulls
backwards in the water
◆ Other arm recovers
from the water
Leg movement
➔ Flutter kick: leg kicks in an alternating
up-down manner
◆ a six-beat kicking pattern is used
almost universally, with each foot
kicking three times per stroke cycle,
for a total of six kicks

➔ The flutter kick provides

some propulsion in addition to
the propulsion
generated by the arms. It also
helps to stabilize the body in
relation to the
arm movements
 Turning
As you approach the wall rotate your
body to the front and stop both
arms the the thigh
Perform a forward somersault
underwater and plant your feet on
the wall with your knees open.
Kick off with your legs as you
squeeze your arms to your ears and
make a "point" with your hands. Stay
in a tight streamline until you
resurface. Keep up a streamline kick
until you break the surface, then
start your stroke again
Learning tips on how to swim the backstroke

1. Practice flutter kick on your back while holding onto the edge of a
pool
2. Practice balance by floating on your back and the sides and using the
flutter kick to move forward
3. Practice the underwater and above water arm movements separately with
each arm
4. Practice both arm movements simultaneously
Spot pool ladders

- Swim in a lane on one of the sides

of the pool. The ladders are located
on the side walls, near the end of the
pool. If swimming in one of the
side lanes, you should be able to see
the ladder in the corner of your
eye.
How to avoid bumping into the wall
Observe pool ceiling
Observe the ceiling of the pool
for any marker lines that can
detect the end of the pool.
Spot backstroke flags
Backstroke flags are located 15 ft (5
meters) from the end of the pool.
Once you’ve passed the flag, you
can begin to slow down because
you’re nearing the edge of the pool
Keep one arm extended forward
- As you approach the wall, you can
stop the arm movements and keep
doing the flutter kick, while keeping
one arm extended above the head
until it touches the wall.
Glancing forward overhead
- Floating on you back, tilt your
head backwards, with the back
of the
head sinking in the water, until
your face is turned up and
forward
instead of just up, allowing you
to glance forward. However this
shouldn’t be done all the time as
it can cause strain on the neck.