Best of Club Swimming: Technical Progressions for Successful Backstroke

with Kevin Zacher,
Santa Clara Swim Club (SCSC) Head Coach;
Scottsdale Aquatic Club (SAC) Head Coach & CEO from 2007 to 2021;
American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) Level 5 certified coach;
3x American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) Arizona Age Group Coach of the Year (2007, 2014 and 2016 );
under Zacher's leadership, SAC was named a USA Swimming Gold Medal Club in 2013, won the 2014 Junior National title and in 2016 the Junior National overall team title;
Zacher-coached swimmers have: broken National Age Group Records, won Individual National Championships, attained National Top 10 rankings in respective age groups, earned Junior/Senior National Qualifying times, qualified for the Olympic Trials and won Olympic Medals

Most backstroke instruction focuses on drills performed at a high tempo without addressing how swimmers can make that tempo achievable and sustainable. In this video, Kevin Zacher will help you teach your swimmers the essentials required to swim their best backstroke.

This is not just a collection of drills - it is a complete backstroke program! Coach Zacher's exercises are presented in a logical order for teaching the backstroke. You'll also see how to order Zacher's drills and change their focus to build a great backstroke from the beginner to the elite level.

Kick Progression and Perfecting the Catch

Coach Zacher shows how you can develop the backstroke kick - the engine of the stroke - through a progression that ties the kick to the core for power and a drag-reducing body line at the water's surface.

Next, you'll learn how to help every swimmer find the right place to catch for a clean entry that minimizes transition time from recovery to pull. Zacher shows how to use drills to help even your most advanced swimmers hold more power through the mid-point of the pull, where many swimmers lose core connection. You will also learn pull patterns that end at the thigh near the surface of the water for a fast recovery that improves tempo.

Additionally, Coach Zacher teaches drills and includes sample practice sets to build hand and forearm strength as well as water feel. You'll discover easy-to-find or to-create tools that will help your swimmers boost their endurance, strength, water feel or body awareness.

Developing Starts and Turns

Zacher explains what to watch for as your swimmers set up their backstroke starts, with or without a backstroke start ledge. He includes how to drill your backstroke starts to drive the hips high and create an optimal entry angle. You'll learn how to get your swimmers to speed up their turns with instructions and drills specifically designed to help them turn strongly at the right time and rotate quickly.

Program Application for an Elite Swimmer

In the final segment, Coach Zacher interviews one of his athletes, NCAA Championship backstroker Amy Bilquist, as she describes how she uses these drills and practice sets to improve every aspect of her backstroke as she prepares for 2020 Olympic Trials. Coaches and swimmers who watch this segment may be surprised to learn how much top swimmers rely on basic drills done with focus and precision to create an elite backstroke.

Coach Zacher has created a backstroke teaching and training system that you can use to create a sustainable, high-tempo backstroke at any level!

54 minutes. 2020.