Swim Drill Of The Week: Double Arm Backstroke

Welcome to the “Swim Drill of the Week”. Swimming World will be bringing you a drill, concept, or tip that you can implement with your team on a regular basis. While certain weeks may be more appropriate for specific levels of swimming (club, high school, college, or masters), Drill Of The Week excerpts are meant to be flexible for your needs and inclusive for all levels of swimming.

This week’s drill is Double Arm Backstroke, one of swimmers favorite, and most misunderstood, drills. When swimmers hear double arm backstroke, the first thing likely to pop in their mind is warm down. And while double arm backstroke is a relaxing way to end your workout, the drill in this context serves a more specific purpose: namely, to work on bent elbow catch.

To perform the drill, swimmers will take two simultaneous strokes, entering and exiting the water with both arms in unison. The focus on the drill is on the entry and what happens thereafter. Swimmers want to concentrate on having a shallow, bent elbow catch that pushes water straight down to their feet. Keep a close eye to make sure your swimmers aren’t using a straight arm or slipping on their pull. When done correctly, swimmers should be able to feel the propulsion from each stroke driving them forward in the water.

When moving back into their normal stroke, make sure they are keeping that bent elbow position as they add rotation and work on developing a slightly deeper catch. Maintaining that bent elbow sets up a powerful and efficient pull and allows you to move into a quick, relaxed recovery before starting your next stroke. Tempo is key to backstroke, so the more you can work on developing a natural tempo for your stroke with an efficient pull, the better off you will be. 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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