Backstroke
The only competitive stroke swum on the back, using alternating overhead arm pulls and a steady flutter kick.
Overview
Backstroke is swum face-up, so breathing is unrestricted, and the arms alternate in a windmill pattern over the water. A flutter kick keeps the body high and level while the head stays still, looking upward.
A steady body roll toward each pulling arm and a stable head position keep backstroke straight and efficient.
How to do it
- 1Float on your back in a long, streamlined position.
- 2Reach one arm back and enter the water little-finger first.
- 3Pull that arm through the water while the other recovers over the surface.
- 4Roll your body gently toward the pulling arm.
- 5Keep a steady flutter kick and hold your head still throughout.
Key points
- Keep the head still and the eyes looking straight up.
- Roll the body toward each arm as it pulls.
- Enter the water little-finger first with a straight arm.
Where it’s used
Sports that use backstroke:
Related techniques
Freestyle Stroke
The fastest swimming stroke, using alternating overhead arm pulls, a flutter kick and rhythmic side breathing.
Breaststroke
A swimming stroke with a simultaneous arm sweep, a whip-like frog kick and a glide, performed on the front.
Flip Turn
A fast turn in freestyle where the swimmer somersaults at the wall, pushes off on their back and rotates to continue swimming.
Explore across the knowledge base
Follow the threads that connect Backstroke to the rest of SocialSportHub.
Movement patterns
- PullDrawing a load or your own body toward the torso — horizontal rows and vertical pull-ups — building the lats, mid-back and biceps and balancing the push.
- GlideGlide is continuous, low-resistance locomotion in which the body holds a streamlined shape so that momentum generated by a preceding propulsive action carries it smoothly across a surface or through a medium.
Disciplines
- BackstrokeBackstroke is swum face-up with an alternating arm pull and flutter kick — the one competitive stroke where you breathe freely because your face stays out of the water.
- Individual medleyThe individual medley (IM) combines all four strokes in a set order — butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, then freestyle — testing all-round swimming across a single event.
- FreestyleFreestyle is the fastest swimming stroke, swum face-down with an alternating arm pull and flutter kick — the stroke most people picture when they think of swimming.
- ButterflyButterfly is swum with a simultaneous over-water arm recovery and an undulating dolphin kick — the most physically demanding stroke, built on rhythm and core-driven body movement.
- BreaststrokeBreaststroke uses a simultaneous, symmetric arm sweep and a whip-like frog kick, with a distinct glide between strokes — technical, rhythmic and the slowest of the four strokes.
Skills
- Front crawlThe fastest swimming stroke, using alternating arm pulls and a flutter kick while face-down.
- BreaststrokeA swimming stroke using a symmetrical arm sweep and a frog-like kick, with the head lifting to breathe.
- ThrowingThe skill of propelling the ball accurately and with control using the arm.
- Returning serveThe skill of reading and playing back an opponent’s serve to stay in the rally.
- BlockingThe skill of using the hands or body to stop or slow an opponent’s attack.