Aqua Sphere Set Of The Week: Developing Backstroke Tempo

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

Welcome to Swimming World’s Set Of The Week sponsored by Aqua Sphere!

This week’s set is a backstroke set that focuses on consistent high tempo. Take a look at the set below and the description that follows:

2 Rounds:

2 x 150 backstroke on 2:00

→ 100 long axis combo (4 back, 3 free)/50 swim, set kick count off walls

4 x 100 backstroke on 1:30

→ descend 1 – 4, hold dolphin kicks through all 4 x 100’s

4 x 50 backstroke on :50

→ 25 as 2-2-2 drill/25 build to fast finish

4 x 25’s sprint on :30

→ work tempo, focus on breakout and finish

100 easy

This set starts each round with 2 x 150’s to set your swimmers’ tempo and body line. Starting with a 100 long axis combo, swimmers will rotate between 4 strokes of backstroke and 3 strokes of freestyle. During this drill swimmers should be focused on staying long in the water and rotating from the power of their core and legs, as opposed to forcing themselves over with their arms. Ending with a 50 swim, swimmers should set their kick count off the walls and settle into their stroke, focusing on core stability and length through their entire body.

Next is 4 x 100 backstroke descend on 1:30. Swimmers should hold their dolphin kick count off the walls for all 4 x 100’s and find a descend by adding power to their stroke and legs off of the walls. This shouldn’t be too dramatic of a descend, but rather one that focuses on maintaining the integrity of the stroke while getting slightly faster with each 100.

Following the 4 x 100’s, swimmers will do 4 x 50’s as a 25 of 2-2-2 drill followed by a 25 build. The drill on the first 25 should help them reset and maintain their stroke after the 100 descends. On the build 25, swimmers should maintain the high tempo from the drill, driving their stroke from their legs and stability of their core into a great finish each time. Finally, each round ends with 4 x 25’s all out, focusing on a clean breakout and high tempo through the finish. Take a 100 easy before repeating the set again.

At 2,200 yards, this is a quality yardage set that will help your swimmers develop a consistently strong, high tempo backstroke. Working on these basic fundamentals of backstroke during practice should translate into stronger back-halfs in the 100 and 200 backstroke for your athletes. Happy swimming!

All swimming and dryland training and instruction should be performed under the supervision of a qualified coach or instructor, and in circumstances that ensure the safety of participants.

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