The good news is that improving your backstroke technique can be straightforward. It mostly revolves around a few key mechanics, and surprisingly, backstroke has a lot in common with freestyle.
This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about backstroke, from how to position your body to executing proper turns. Whether you’re just getting the hang of freestyle or you’re a SwimSafer Stage 3 student gearing up for your next assessment, these pointers will help you out.
Backstroke is unique among competitive swimming strokes and it’s one of the four official strokes recognized by World Aquatics and is also the second stroke in individual medley races.
In Singapore, backstroke is essential for anyone wanting to progress beyond SwimSafer Stage 3 as outlined in Sport Singapore’s national water safety program.
Here at Swimwerks, we believe it’s best to learn backstroke right after you can swim 25 meters of freestyle. This way, the body awareness you’ve developed will make the transition smoother, allowing you to make quicker progress in both strokes.
Keep your head in a neutral position and avoid any movements. Your ears should be just beneath the water’s surface, with your eyes looking straight up. Try not to tuck your chin down to see your feet. If your chin drops, your hips will sag immediately, creating extra drag that no arm movement can fix.
You need to actively press your hips up toward the surface. If your core is relaxed, your hips may sag, which is a common cause for many beginners to feel like they’re swimming uphill. Engage your abdominal muscles lightly, as if you’re prepping for a gentle poke in the stomach.
Research in the Journal of Human Kinetics highlights that elite backstroke swimmers maintain a body angle that is less than 5 degrees below horizontal. Newbies often swim at an angle of 15 to 20 degrees, which increases frontal drag significantly.
When you enter the water with your hand, aim for approximately 11 o’clock for your left arm and 1 o’clock for your right arm, entering pinky first with your palm facing outward and arm straight. Try not to cross the centerline.
With your elbow bent at roughly 90 degrees, sweep your hand down and outward to grab the water effectively.
Pull your hand towards your hip in a curved motion, finishing with your palm pressed toward your thigh. This last push is key for getting most of your propulsion.
As your arm lifts out of the water, keep it straight and again enter pinky first. Your palm should face inward as your arm rises, then rotate outward just before it enters the water again. A bent elbow during this phase reduces the necessary rotation to keep your stroke effective.
Both arms should move in opposition. When your right arm begins its entry, your left arm should be midway through its pull, creating a continuous and uninterrupted cycling motion.
Kick should start from the hip rather than the knee. Your legs should stay relatively straight with a slight natural bend. Kicking from the knee can create a bicycle-pedal style motion that pulls your legs above the surface, causing drag. Keep the kick compact, around 30 to 40 centimeters in range, ensuring that your toes just break the surface with a small splash.
Most recreational swimmers use a 6-beat kick cycle, meaning six kicks per complete arm cycle. Beginners might begin with a 2-beat kick to build coordination before progressing. Those sprinting backstroke might even use an 8-beat kick for maximum power over short distances.
| Mistake | Fix |
| Chin tucked to chest | Head neutral, ears submerged |
| Arm crossing centreline | Entry at 11 and 1 o’clock |
| Knee-driven kick | Initiate from the hip |
| Holding breath | 60-degree side-to-side rotation |
Simply float on your back with your arms at your sides and no kicking. Hold this position for about 10 seconds. If you find yourself sinking, it’s likely an indication that your head position or core engagement needs a little adjustment.
Swim using one arm while keeping the other at your side for 25 metres, then switch sides. This drill is excellent for pinpointing weaknesses in your catch and finish phases, which may go unnoticed when both arms are in action.
Stand in the deep end of the pool with your arms crossed over your chest. The key is to kick hard enough to keep your head above water. If your knees drive your kicks too deep, you’ll sink immediately. This drill helps you self-correct more effectively than verbal cues.
Many swimmers with a good grasp of freestyle can pick up the basics in just 3 to 5 lessons, while comfortable swimming over 25 metres usually takes 8 to 12 sessions.
The stroke mechanics are similar. Most beginners find the back-facing position confusing at first. However, once your body position is correct, many find backstroke easier because you don’t need to time your breathing.
You can learn the basic pattern through drills and video review, but having a coach early on is a solid idea. Errors like crossover entry are hard to notice from your own perspective.
Theory can only take you so far! Why not take a lesson with a certified Swimwerks coach? You’ll receive personalized feedback on your body position, arm entry, and kicking techniques at various ActiveSG pools or condo pools around Singapore. Check out swimwerks.com.sg for available slots.
Ariel Myat is the SEO Executive at Swimwerks Singapore, where she manages SEO and content strategy. With several years of experience in digital marketing across Southeast Asia, she has worked across SEO, paid media, and content for businesses in multiple industries. At Swimwerks, she focuses on creating content that helps people in Singapore can actually find the information they need when looking for swimming lessons for their kids and adults. Swimwerks is one of Singapore’s trusted swimming schools, with over 6 years of experience, more than 1,000 students coached, and a presence across 30 locations island-wide, from ActiveSG pools to condominiums across Singapore.
