should I feel gliding in backstroke?

[ny1301]

I have been studying TI for 3 months. I was a self-taught breast stroke swimmer before TI.

Though I started TI with backstroke and spent most time on it, I can not feel any gliding during swim, and this seems making breathing difficult. On the other hand, with breast stroke or free style, I can delightly watch tiles below me gliding backwards (and enjoy it) while I am relatively 'still' at my longest length, and feel water support when I want to breath.

I think in breast stroke or butter fly, I can push my chest in the water, and wait for water to push my head back to surface, but in back stroke, I don't know what I can do. I already have water around my google, cannot go deeper to get the 'push back'. The situation is I have to keep kicking so that my nose can always be above water. I cannot feel the peaceful period of gliding I feel in other strokes... any thoughts? thanks!

[ny1301]

I spent 90% of time on backstroke, but seems my free style is better than back stroke now! I must have missed something. another question: at what period do you start inhale and exhale? I guess I should exhale when I life the recovery arm, and inhale when stroke?

[daveblt]

From what you describe it seems you are having a problem with balance and relaxing back in the water and there is no glide because you are continuously using your arms to stay a float.I would suggest that you first go back to basic balance on the back and sweet spot to get a feel of what it's like to lie in the water without struggle .Always lean back and press in ,look up but relax the head and neck Once you can master these drills the arm stroke switch will seem easier .If you are worried about water going in your nose then it seems you have not yet worked out the proper breathing rhythm .Personally I just inhale when there's air but at times in the stroke when I find that water is about to rush over my face is when I exhale which is also a good time to keep any water from entering my nose or mouth .


Dave

[ny1301]

thanks Dave!

I think you are right that I am not totally ballanced, but I did a lot of drills just floating and kicking while my arms rest at hips. It was all alright until I started to raise an arm ... It could be caused by the other problem you mentioned: breathing rhythm. I feel nervous when I am starting to lift my arm for fear of water coming up my face, so I always lift my arm in a hurry... I may need to try more of "lift arm and pause" drill.

[daveblt]

When you are about to lift your arm is also probably when you also lift your head a bit to keep your face from going under the water.Then your legs sink. You have to get over that fear by relaxing back and with enough practice learn to anticipate when the water is about to naturally splash on to or to go over your face and just exhale and blow it off with out even thinking about it.When you get to that point backstroke will seem nice and relaxing .


Dave

[ny1301]

learn to anticipate when the water is about to naturally splash on to or to go over your face and just exhale and blow it off with out even thinking about it

Great! this is my goal. I can purposely submerge my face from time to time to establish the confidence and ease.

I think my legs did sink a little because of fear when I life my arm. I remember originally I was doing better when I was not very concerned with lifting arm.

Thanks again for your advice!

[ny1301]

Dave, you are absoultely right!

I tried those tips at last weekend, and I can control my breath now! And because of that, I can even more relax myself, and swim much faster and kind of tire free!

thank you, thank you, and thank you again!

However, I still want to find the gliding experience ... maybe I should slow the recovery hand a little bit.

[daveblt]

Originally Posted by ny1301

Dave, you are absoultely right!

I tried those tips at last weekend, and I can control my breath now! And because of that, I can even more relax myself, and swim much faster and kind of tire free!

thank you, thank you, and thank you again!

However, I still want to find the gliding experience ... maybe I should slow the recovery hand a little bit.

No harm in slowing it down a bit to give you a little extra time to think and relax .You can try to time it with a little overlap where the pulling arm starts to pull when the recovery arm is about 30 degrees over the water .


Dave

[dwdvagamundo]

NY1301--

The kick in backstroke is a continous three-beat kick so there is no "still" period when you're truly gliding as in breast or two-beat kick free. But if you slow your arms down and bend your elbow in a sort of reverse high elbow, you can feel that your head is gliding through the water.

[madvet]

I believe that gliding is an essential part of every stroke no matter what speed. If you watch the Olympic sprinters, even at the 50 meter distances there is a microsecond of glide as the hand spears forward (to use freestyle as an example..

Backstroke does provide some extra challenges.

As I understand backstroke, there is less overlap than there is in freestyle. Say, you have just completed the push with the right arm. You don't engage the left arm until the right arm has gone through the recovery only 30 to 45 degrees up from pushed all the way back (see the switch drills in the book or the backstroke DVD). This is in contrast to freestyle where the opposite arm engages after the recovering arm is nearly 90 degrees).

So there is a glide, but it is relatively short. Practicing the switch drills and gradually eliminating the pauses (as Brian VDK talks about in his blog for freestyle overswitch) should help you to "feel the glide" and engage your pulls with the right timing.