Backstroke start and counting strokes from the flags

Setup

1. Backstroke flags up 5 m from each wall. If the pool has none, put cones on the deck at 5 m as a guide.
2. Swimmers start in the water facing the wall, one per lane at a time, with the lane clear behind them.
3. Coach on deck at the start end, able to see every swimmer surface.

How it runs

1. Starting position: hands on the wall gutter or block grips, feet on the wall at or just below the surface. Toes must not curl over the lip of the gutter; check your competition's rules about backstroke ledges.
2. On 'take your marks' swimmers draw in towards the wall and hold still. On the whistle they throw the head and arms back, push and arch over the water into streamline.
3. A short dolphin or flutter kick underwater, then break out with the first arm pull, well before the 15 m mark.
4. Swim backstroke down the pool. From the moment the head passes under the far flags, count each arm stroke until the hand reaches the wall.
5. Touch the wall on the back. Note the count, swim easy back down the side and repeat. 6 to 8 starts, each with a counted finish.
6. Once each swimmer knows their number, they finish the last two repeats without turning the head to look.

Coaching points

• Still on 'take your marks': any movement before the start is a false start under the one-start rule.
• Head goes back first; the hips follow up and over the water.
• Arms finish locked in streamline before the hands enter.
• The stroke count belongs to the swimmer; it changes as they grow, so recheck it each term.
• Keep the same stroke rate between the flags and the wall, or the count won't hold.

Common mistakes

• Sitting down into the water instead of arching over it.
• Staying underwater too long; the head must break the surface by 15 m.
• Looking back for the wall and slowing on the last strokes.
• Gliding into the wall with the arm by the side instead of reaching for it.