How can i stop drifting to the other lane when I'm doing a backstroke?

Question

Whenever I'm doing my back stroke I drift the the other lane, hit the lane lines, and have to stop doing my stroke.

I'm fine when I'm doing free-style cuz I can see under water with my goggles, but with backstroke I can only see up. So what can I do?

Answer 1

watch a line on the ceiling and make sure your head is always back. If they have the lane ropes up it also helps to stay along them, but since you drift into other lanes you probably dont.. if you look over every once in a while you can see the line on the bottom which helps.

Answer 2

Look up the ceiling and find a rafter or something that is straight and use that as a guide.

Answer 3

I suspect that there is something wrong with your stroke, because you shouldn't have to see where you are going in order to swim in a straight line.

I suggest that you do lots of single-arm backstroke. If your stroke is good, you will swim in a straight line. If your problem is what I suspect it is, you will veer off to the side. Don't feel bad -- this is common. You'll probably need some help from your coach to tell you the cause(s) of the sideways problem (e.g. over-reach on the catch, sideways extension, under-rotation, etc.)

Once you can swim in a straight line, you can concentrate on swimming relatively close to the lane line.

Good luck!

Answer 4

you have to keep your head still, where your head goes, so does your body, rotate your shoulders and keep your head still

Answer 5

You drift because of one or two reasons.  First, your underwater arm pull is greater on one side.  (You are stronger, more effective with one arm)  This causes you to not swim straight.  Equal strength and motions with the arms will balance you and allow you to go in a straight line.  The other is if one of your legs kicks harder and/or different than the other.  This causes the same problem.  Try doing one arm backstroke drills where you pull with one arm and finish your stroke while also kicking with both legs.  This should cause your body to roll and improve your kicking on the side, also.  The other thing is to focus on the ceiling.  There is usually something that you can look at that goes in a straight line that can help you "navigate".  Best though, is to correct your stroke problems.  Good luck.

Answer 6

I have the same problem. I think its because your stroke makes your arm go a little over your head, so then your body follows your arm the way your arm is pointed, which makes you drift to the side.

What I would try doing is having someone watch you do backstroke and see how straight your arms are. If not straight arms isnt the problem, it might be becuase of you head. If you head is not pointed straight toward the wall, your body will follow it. Try keeping your head still, and straight.

I mainly have this problem badly in outdoor pools when there is nothing to look up to in the sky or whatev. When you are in an indoor pool, find something straight to look up at while you swim to help you swim straight.

Hope this helps :)

Answer 7

I totally understand I have the same proublem, but what my private instructor me to do was to hug the lane line ( i dont mean literally hug) but just eneough that you arent hitting it, do it in a race and stay on the same one the whole time, it really helps you stay straight.