Gary Barclay talks about the correct hand entry in backstroke and what can happen if your hand does not enter in the correct position.
Hi my name is Gary Barclay, and today we’re going to have a look at backstroke. We’re going to have a look at one of the most common problems in backstroke, which is the position of the hand entry.
Now ideally, the hand is going to enter right in line with the shoulder and enter little finger first. However, what we find one of the most common problems in swimmers is that the hand overreaches so the hand goes back behind the head, or the hand enters a little bit too wide there.
We’re going to have a look at what happens when you do that. Now when you overreach behind your head, it makes your body snake down the pool. So if you see a swimmer doing backstroke and they’re snaking down the pool, quite often it’s because their hand entry goes in behind their head. It’s called overreaching, and sometimes it may be from over-rotating.
The best thing for a swimmer to do there is to enter a little bit wider so that their hand doesn’t enter in line with their shoulder. And on the other hand, if you have a hand entry where the hand enters too wide out to the side, the best thing for the swimmer to do there is to make sure that they are coming up right in line with their shoulder and that they enter in little finger first there. That’s what we’re looking for.
So there are a few hints for you on the hand entry in backstroke.
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