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Backstroke
Coaching Clinic
The stroke you can't see yourself swim.
Next clinic: Dates to be announced
- Ages 9–16
- Club swimmers
- 1 hour
- Max 8
- £30
Next clinic
Backstroke dates aren't set yet. When they are, they go on sale on this page.
What we cover
- Rotation and balanceDrive from the hips, hold the line.
- RecoveryA clean arm path, no crossover.
- Catch and pullPropulsion, not bounce.
- Head positionStill head, straight line.
- Kick timingHold speed between pulls.
- TurnsFlags, flip and breakout.
How the hour runs
- Warm-upIn the water at 5:30pm.
- Main focusOne theme, drilled properly.
- Dives and turnsBuilt into every session.
- FeedbackWatched every length.
Built for club swimmers
- For swimmers training with a club or squad
- The most under-coached stroke in a squad
- Tighten the backstroke leg of your IM
- Drills to take back to squad training
Faults we fix
- 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
Quick answers
Why is backstroke so hard to improve on my own?
Because you can't see it. Without 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.
Who can book?
Ages 9–16, club swimmers only: swimmers who train with a club or squad. You'll be asked for their age and club when you book.
Also see: Starts, Dives & Turns Clinic · Individual Medley Clinic
More ways to train
How close is your swimmer
to the qualifying times?
The free checker compares their best times with county, regional and national qualifying times, event by event, with 25m and 50m swims counted the way each championship counts them. Look a swimmer up by name or membership number and it fills itself in.
Want the next step mapped out? The Gap Plan turns the gaps into a plan for you and your swimmer: the races to target, target splits, open meets near you that still count, and race-day help.