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Clinic 02

What the Backstroke
clinic fixes

Backstroke is the stroke you can't watch yourself do, which is exactly why faults become so deeply embedded — there is no mirror, no obvious feedback, and the same small errors repeat for years.

This clinic uses poolside coaching and video to make the invisible visible. Once you can see what your body is doing, the corrections come quickly, and a stroke that felt stuck for years starts to move again.

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From £99 per clinic

What we work on

Inside the
Backstroke clinic

Every minute is spent on the technical detail that makes the biggest difference — with precise, individual poolside feedback throughout.

Body rotation and balance

Driving the stroke from the hips rather than the shoulders, and holding a stable, streamlined line — the foundation everything else is built on.

High-elbow recovery

A clean arm path above the water that eliminates the cross-body fault and sets up a consistent, repeatable catch.

Catch and underwater pull

Entry angle, catch depth and the pull path that produces propulsion instead of lifting the body and bouncing you off the surface.

Head position and stillness

A steady head is the anchor of good backstroke. We fix the head movement that throws the whole stroke off line.

Kick efficiency and timing

Knee depth, ankle flexibility and how kick timing links with the arm cycle to hold speed between pulls.

Backstroke turns

Reading the flags, the rotation before the flip, foot placement and the underwater breakout that gets you moving again fast.

Common faults we fix

The habits costing
you time

  • Over-reaching the entry and putting the brakes on each stroke
  • Sinking hips that drag the legs low through the water
  • A bent-arm, low recovery that crosses the centre line
  • A head that bobs or turns and steers you off a straight line
  • Holding the breath and tensing through the neck and shoulders
See it done right

Guest coaches &
guest swimmers

Live demonstrations at every clinic

Because backstroke is so hard to self-correct, the guest element matters here: a guest swimmer demonstrates a balanced, on-line stroke from the side and from underwater, while a guest coach points out exactly what to copy — the closest thing to watching yourself do it right. Across our clinics we bring in guest coaches and guest swimmers for live and slow-motion demonstrations, so you don't just hear the correction — you watch it, then try it with feedback the same session.

Is this for me?

Who the Backstroke
clinic suits

Club swimmers

Backstroke is often the most under-coached stroke in a squad. Targeted clinic time produces fast, race-legal gains before competition.

IM swimmers

Backstroke is the leg most medley swimmers leak time on. Tighten it and the whole IM improves.

Masters swimmers

Reset years of self-taught backstroke habits with expert eyes and video — the corrections you can't make on your own.

Questions

Backstroke clinic
FAQs

Why is backstroke so hard to improve on my own?

Because you can't see it. Without video or a coach watching, faults like a crossing recovery or a moving head go uncorrected for years. The clinic's whole purpose is to give you that outside view.

Will we cover the backstroke start and turn?

Yes. The backstroke start from the gutter, flag counting and the turn are built into the clinic, because they're where a lot of race time is won or lost. We go deeper still in the dedicated starts and turns clinic.

Do I need to be a competitive swimmer?

No. The clinic suits club swimmers, masters and adult improvers alike — the focus is technique, not fitness level or racing ambition.

Clinic waiting list

Backstroke clinics are
coming soon.

We're putting the first clinics together now. Join the waiting list to be first to hear when dates open — with priority booking before they go public.