If backstrokers can’t nail their timing, they will always struggle to swim fast.
Swimmers have to rotate to set up the stroke effectively.
The timing matters.
They stay on one side as long as possible to maintain propulsion on that side, and then quickly switch to the other side to set up the stroke.
They rotate as the recovering arm enters the water to get into position as fast as possible.
Check out these two swimmers.
You can see differences in how much they’re rotating, the position of their heads, and how they’re executing their pull.
What doesn’t change is that rotation happens upon entry so they can get into position to create propulsion, and then they stay in that position so they can continue to create propulsion.
Some skills are flexible, others aren’t.
Swimmers need to learn the ones that are necessary for fast backstroke.
Follow @andrewksheaff for more on the key skills in swimming, and how to improve them.