How to Set Realistic Goals for Your Backstroke Competitions

Smart Target-Setting for Confidence, Progress, and Peak Performance 

Backstroke may be swum on your back, but your goals should always be forward-looking. Whether you’re racing the 50m sprint or the grueling 200m, setting realistic, strategic, and motivating goals is the difference between frustration and fulfillment — between plateauing and personal bests.

But “realistic” doesn’t mean “safe.” It means grounded in data, aligned with your training, and broken into actionable steps. In this guide, we’ll show you how to set backstroke goals that challenge you without overwhelming you — so you can race with purpose, confidence, and joy.

🎯 Why Goal-Setting Matters in Backstroke

Unlike freestyle or butterfly, backstroke offers no visual reference to the wall or competitors. You race blind — making mental clarity and self-trust essential. Clear goals provide:

• Focus during long sets and tough turns

• Motivation through early mornings and hard intervals

• Confidence when doubt creeps in on the final 25

• A roadmap from “good” to “great” 

“A goal without a plan is just a wish. A realistic goal with a plan is a promise to yourself.”  

🔍 Step 1: Assess Your Current Level Honestly

Start with data — not dreams.

✅ Gather Baseline Metrics:

• Recent time trials (e.g., 100m back = 1:12.5)

• Stroke count per 25m (e.g., 18 strokes)

• Turn times (e.g., 1.2 seconds from touch to push-off)

• Underwater distance (e.g., 10m off walls)

• Training consistency (e.g., 4x/week for 8 weeks) 

📊 Example: Current 100m back: 1:12.5 Best 50m split: 34.2 Stroke count: 19/25m Turns: Slow, inconsistent  

🧩 Step 2: Set Three Types of Goals

1. Outcome Goals (The Result)

• Example: “Swim 100m back in 1:10.0 at Regionals”

• Use for: Long-term motivation

• Caution: Don’t fixate — you control effort, not the clock alone 

2. Performance Goals (Your Personal Standard)

• Example: “Negative split my 100m (35.8 / 34.2)”

• Use for: Measuring progress regardless of place or time

• Powerful because: You control it 100% 

3. Process Goals (Daily Actions)

• Example:

  • “Hold 17 strokes/25m in every main set”

  • “Streamline 12m off every wall”

  • “Breathe every 3 strokes in distance sets” 

• Use for: Daily focus and habit-building 

💡 Elite swimmers spend 80% of their mental energy on process goals.  

📏 Step 3: Apply the “1–2% Rule” for Realistic Improvement

Swimming is a technical sport — big jumps are rare. Sustainable progress is 1–2% faster per training cycle (6–8 weeks).

✅ Calculate Your Realistic Target:

• 100m back: Current 1:12.5 → 1% = ~0.7s → Goal: 1:11.8  

• 200m back: Current 2:30.0 → 2% = ~3s → Goal: 2:27.0 

⚠️ Avoid: “Drop 3 seconds in 2 weeks” — physiologically unlikely and demoralizing.  

🗓️ Step 4: Break Goals Into Phases

🔹 Pre-Season (Base Building) 

• Focus: Technique, aerobic base

• Goal Example: “Reduce stroke count to 17/25m at easy pace” 

🔹 Mid-Season (Intensity) 

• Focus: Race pace, turns, lactate tolerance

• Goal Example: “Hold 35.5/50m in 4x100m sets” 

🔹 Taper & Peak (Race Ready) 

• Focus: Sharpen speed, mental rehearsal

• Goal Example: “Execute perfect turns in time trial” 

🏊‍♀️ Stroke-Specific Backstroke Goal Ideas      

Starts	“Glide 8m before first stroke”
Turns	“Touch on back, tuck fast, push in streamline”
Underwater	“5 powerful dolphin kicks off every wall”
Body Position	“Hips at surface — no ‘banana back’”
Kick	“Kick from hips — knees stay underwater”
Pacing	“Negative split 200m by 1–2 seconds”

💬 Cue for racers: “First 50: strong but controlled. Second 50: unleash.”  

📈 Track Progress Weekly

Use a simple log:  

6/1	1:12.5	19	1.3s	Good rotation
6/15	1:11.9	18	1.2s	Faster breakout

📊 If metrics improve but time doesn’t, check pacing or race-day nerves.  

⚠️ Common Goal-Setting Mistakes

❌ Comparing to others: “I want to beat Sarah” → Focus on your lane

❌ Only setting time goals: Ignores technique, turns, and mental growth

❌ No process goals: Leaves you wondering “What do I do today?”

❌ Ignoring recovery: Overtraining kills progress — rest is part of the plan

💬 Pro Tips from Elite Backstrokers

“My goal wasn’t to win — it was to execute my race plan perfectly. The time took care of itself.”— Ryan Murphy, Olympic Gold Medalist  

“I set a process goal for every wall: ‘Tight streamline, 5 kicks, strong breakout.’ That’s how I dropped 2 seconds.”  

Final Thoughts

Realistic backstroke goals aren’t about limiting your potential — they’re about unlocking it strategically. They honor your current ability while lighting a path to your next breakthrough.

So define your outcome.Own your performance.Master your process.

And when you push off that wall, know this:You’re not just chasing a time —you’re fulfilling a promise to the swimmer you’re becoming.

Plan. Trust. Execute. 

Because in backstroke, your greatest competitor isn’t in the next lane —it’s the version of you from last season. 💙🏊‍♂️