How Arms Move In Backstroke Video

Learn how to swim a competitive backstroke race in this free video clip. Get swimming lessons from an expert on health and fitness.

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Phillip Toriello was a competitive swimmer for Salinas High School, USAFE Swim Team and Cuesta College. He has also been a surfer, a lifeguard, a swim instructor and a junior lifeguard instructor. Combined with his passion for the water, Toriello has taken his years of experience and has made aquatics instruction a full time profession. With his innate talent with children and their varying personalities in and around the water, Toriello has taken the initiative to write a five part children's book series entitled "Phill The Flying Fish and Friends".

PHILLIP TORIELLO: Hello and welcome to Expert Village, I'm Phillip Toriello from the Avila Bay Athletic Club. The backstroke arm movement is a rather simple motion. And again, it's just the opposite of the freestyle. The way that I like to describe the arm motion is basically starting with the thumbs out of the water, pinky in the water, bend that elbow and push through your stroke. So again, the basics of the backstroke arm motion is starting with your thumb, thumb out of the water, twisting, pinky in the water, bending your elbow just behind you so your palm is facing backwards or facing towards the opposite wall, pushing so that your arm goes down by your hip pushing down towards the bottom of the pool. Your arms will alternate with the stroke as such. Arm out, push, arm out, push, arm out, push. So, it's really important to bring that thumb out with your arm straight up like a flagpole, keeping it right here on the inside of the body, not on the outside and following all the way through, pinky in the water, push.

How Arms Move in Backstroke Video

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