Body position is the foundation for all swimming strokes. When correcting strokes, look at the body position because it affects all the other components of a stroke (legs, breathing, arms, and coordination). In order for a stroke to be efficient, the body must minimize the amount of drag (The water resistance that slows down your motion) by being streamlined. Being streamlined reduces the work put in to move through the water and is key to swimming efficiently.
Efficient swimmers use less effort, can swim farther, and faster because they understand the concept of streamlining. A tip for streamlining can be to try “swimming skinny” and push less water. The following body position needed for a backstroke will describe how the body should be streamlined while swimming.
In a back layout position, the body lies on the back with the arms beside the body and the hips are at the surface of the water, producing a flat body position. The legs are together. Practice pushing off the wall and maintaining this back layout position in a relaxed manner.
By Jason Britton and Alex Lee
Jason is a full-time Lifeguard/Instructor here at MacEwan University Sport and Wellness. He has over 19 years of aquatic and coaching experience and is one of the main organizers of SwimRun Edmonton.
Alex is a certified Swim for Life and Lifesaving Instructor with the Lifesaving Society. He is a Junior Griffins Aquatic Camp Counselor and has developed the water safety education programming used in the Jr. Griffins Aquatics Camps.
