Bend and Push
The backstroke underwater arm bends and then pushes the water down to the thigh – a stronger, safer catch than a straight-arm sweep.
- Stages
- Stage 6, Stage 7
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Skills
- Backstroke Arms, Stroke Efficiency
- Equipment
- None, Float
- Age
- 9–99 years
- Group size
- 1–14 swimmers
- Time
- About 4 minutes
- In a lesson
- Skill Development 1, Skill Development 2
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
What it develops
- Efficient backstroke with rotation and catch
- Improve stroke efficiency on all strokes
- Efficient backstroke over distance
- Keep technique and stroke count as distance increases
How to run it
- Stand side-on to the wall and show the path: hand enters, drops, elbow bends to about a right angle, then pushes to the thigh.
- Single-arm backstroke thinking 'bend and push'.
- Finish with a flick of the hand down past the thigh.
- Progress to full stroke.
Teaching cues
- Catch, bend, push.
- Push to your pocket.
- Finish with a flick.
Make it easier
- Practise standing at the wall.
- Single arm with a float on the tummy.
Make it harder
- Full stroke with rotation, counting strokes.
- Compare stroke count with and without a strong push.
Common faults
- Straight-arm sweep near the surface.
- Hand stopping at the hip without finishing.
Corrections
- 'Throw a ball down past your leg.'
- Rotation makes room for the bend – add Shoulder Peek.
Assistant / L1 role
- Count strokes per width and tell the swimmer their count after each attempt.