What this swimming skill is
In backstroke, each arm lifts out of the water by the leg and swings up past the ear, like the hand of a clock. Children often bend the arm or throw it out to the side at first. This skill is about a relaxed arm swing that keeps your child travelling straight.
It comes after your child can roll the shoulders gently on their back. Next they learn what happens once the hand goes back into the water: pushing the water toward the feet.
See it in action
Swimming Lesson: How to Backstroke (1/2)
One arm waits for the other before it goes over, which helps smooth out the arms in backstroke.
From the AquaMobile YouTube channel
Why it matters
Swimming straight.
An arm that swings straight over keeps your child on course instead of drifting to one side.
Less splash on the face.
A clean arm swing drops less water onto the face, which keeps backstroke calm.
A steady rhythm.
When the arms keep swinging without stopping, the stroke flows and your child keeps moving.
Who it is for
This skill is for children, teens and adults who can kick on their back with a steady shoulder roll. Children often bend the arm or swing it out wide at first, and a simple picture, like brushing the ear on the way past, helps. If you are learning as an adult, you will probably get the idea quickly but may tense up. For older adults, or anyone whose shoulders do not move freely, your instructor finds a comfortable path for the arm, even a slightly wider one.
