There are few sights in the water as pleasing as that of a smoothly gliding athlete performing a perfect stroke backward. The backstroke requires a swimmer to move through the pool with his eyes to the sky. The stroke is produced by the fluid motion of an undulating body, strong flutter kick, and strong arms and shoulders guiding the way.
Wall Position
The start of your backstroke is critical to your momentum in the water. Bend your knees and position your feet together against the wall. Grasp the wall of the pool as your bring your body into a crouched position toward your knees. Your feet and legs should be held close together. Put your chin down and keep your elbows bent.
Back Dive
The back dive begins your motion into the water. Pull your crouched body up as high as you can while maintaining the position of your legs and feet on the wall, then push hard off the wall as you throw your body backward into and under the water. Your back should be curved as if you are performing a back bend. Your arms should come behind you in a long, straight, streamlined position with one hand lying atop the other. Your legs should be straight but relaxed and your feet pointed.
Streamline
Your body should be in the streamline position the entire time while underwater. You should use a dolphin kick during this time. This is legal in competition only while exiting the wall and still under the surface. The dolphin kick is performed with the legs and feet close together performing a kick with the knees bending as though you have a large fin to propel you. You must switch to the flutter kick once you have broken the surface.
Arm Strokes
Your arms should be almost completely straight as you reach back into the water on your strokes. Enter and exit the water with your hands positioned vertically with the little finger entering first as you slice through the water. Push the water with your hands when they are under the surface. Stroke with one arm in the water and the other out at all times so that a fluid "windmill" type motion is occurring. Rotate your corresponding shoulder as you reach behind you with each arm. According to Swimming Newfoundland and Labrador, you should roll your body slightly to the side of the arm entering the water on each stroke.
Flutter Kicking
The flutter kick in backstroke is the same as that in the front crawl or freestyle stroke except you are on your back. Kick with your legs slightly bent at the knees and your toes pointed out toward the pool wall as far as possible. Flutter your feet under the water so that they act as paddles to help push you. Coach Gary Barclay, writing for the Australian Swimming Clubs website, advises you to keep your kick just under the surface. These kicks should be small and fast for best propulsion. Work on ankle flexibility to improve your flutter kicking.
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