Drills for Backstroke Recoveries

小臭贝

This week’s Speedo Tip of the Week was submitted by Jonathan Watson of the New Wave Swim Team in North Carolina. He offers a little advice on how to improve backstroke recoveries.

Watson's Tip:

For a little variety, as well as some better success with backstroke recoveries that aren't going too well, try this:

Take some string and cut it into lengths that will stretch the length of your pool. We swim short course most of the time, so ours are cut about 27 yards long. We anchored each end of the string to a stanchion at each end of the pool and pulled the string taut. The string was elevated about two feet over the surface of the pool, although for even more variety in the drills we could raise and lower the string.

There was one strand of string in each lane on one side of the lane so swimmers could still circle swim, but in one direction they had drills to perform. Since the stanchions were already available at the pool, the total budget for this was under $2! I think I even splurged for it.

Drills that we tried included:

1. Form an “A-OK” sign around the string and kick on side. If the string is just right, swimmers will have to keep elbow straight on recovery arm to reach it.

2. PTL Drill ("Praise the Lord"). Hope I don't get in trouble for this name. Put your hands in a prayer position around both sides of string and kick on back. Good with fins!

3. Single arm drills. The benefit of the string is helpful in maintaining a straight-arm recovery without a lot of overreaching. The kids could see approximately where the entry needed to take place.

4. Six kicks and switch. Kick six kicks on the right side while the left hand is held up to the rope. Then rotate sides and reverse with right hand up on the rope.

I'm sure all the great minds out there can think up even more.