How to Use Backward Swimming Drills to Correct Breaststroke Form

Breaststroke is one of the most technical and timing-sensitive strokes in swimming. When something feels “off” — from the glide to the kick — traditional drills sometimes don’t fully fix the root of the problem. That’s where backward swimming drills come in. Though unconventional, swimming backward is a powerful way to retrain body awareness, improve timing, and correct inefficient mechanics — especially in breaststroke.

In this guide, we’ll explore how backward swimming drills work, why they’re effective, and how to incorporate them into your training to enhance your breaststroke technique.

🧠 Why Use Backward Swimming Drills?

Backward swimming requires your brain and body to operate in unfamiliar ways. It forces swimmers to:

• Re-evaluate muscle activation

• Improve proprioception (body awareness)

• Slow down movements, exposing flaws in form

• Break automatic (but incorrect) habits

• Refine timing and coordination

✅ When applied to breaststroke, backward drills help swimmers feel errors they might not notice swimming forward.

🏊‍♂️ How Backward Swimming Applies to Breaststroke

In breaststroke, backward drills target:

• Pull timing: Reinforces a full, symmetrical pull without rushing recovery

• Kick mechanics: Encourages precision in foot placement and propulsion

• Glide control: Teaches bodyline awareness and balance during streamline

• Head position: Improves alignment during the breath phase

By reversing the stroke, swimmers isolate and better understand where tension, overextension, or poor timing may occur.

🔁 Recommended Backward Swimming Drills for Breaststroke Correction

🔹 1. Backward Pull Drill (Arms Only)

How to Do It:

• Float on your chest and use breaststroke arms in reverse: start extended, sweep in, and then push out and back.

• Avoid kicking — focus entirely on arm timing.

What It Fixes:

• Overreaching or premature arm recovery

• Asymmetrical pulls

• Poor hand positioning

🔹 2. Backward Kick Drill (Legs Only with Kickboard)

How to Do It:

• Hold a kickboard in front, float backward with breaststroke kicks (but in reverse).

• Push your feet backward after recovering them under your body.

What It Fixes:

• Weak or wide kicks

• Incorrect foot angles

• Slow recovery or scissoring motions

🔹 3. Full-Stroke Backward Breaststroke

How to Do It:

• Combine the reversed arm and leg movements smoothly.

• Glide after each “reversed” stroke to reinforce timing.

What It Fixes:

• Mistimed stroke phases

• Over-reliance on arms or legs

• Inconsistent stroke rhythm

✅ Best used slowly and deliberately — speed isn’t the goal here.

🔹 4. Back-Glide and Reset Drill

How to Do It:

• Start in streamline, push off backward, and glide.

• Perform a full backward arm and kick sequence and return to streamline.

What It Fixes:

• Poor glide timing

• Inconsistent bodyline

• Rushed transitions between stroke phases

📅 How to Add These Drills to Your Practice

• Begin each session with 10–15 minutes of backward drills

• Use fins or resistance bands to assist if necessary

• Follow with traditional forward swimming to feel the improvements

• Combine with video feedback or coach observation for best results

💡 Bonus Tips for Success

• ✅ Focus on slow, smooth movements

• ✅ Use a mirror-bottom pool if possible for visual feedback

• ✅ Pair with flexibility and mobility work, especially hip and ankle range of motion

• ✅ Be patient — these drills are neurologically challenging at first but powerful over time

🏁 Final Thoughts

Backward swimming drills may look odd, but they’re one of the most effective ways to retrain your breaststroke from the inside out. By moving against the stroke's natural flow, you gain new awareness of timing, symmetry, and streamline — elements that are often hard to correct when swimming forward at full speed.

If your breaststroke feels stuck or inefficient, take a step back — literally — and try these drills. You’ll be surprised how much clarity (and speed) you can gain.