How do backstroke swimmers know when they're about to hit the wall?

Question

i'm watching the olympic swimmers do the backstroke right now. how do they know when they're about to hit the wall? i know that swimmers doing freestyle or the butterfly or whatnot can see the lines underwater, but what do backstrokers go by?

Answer 1

When they move their arms they look behind them...I think.

Answer 2

There is usually a flag or rope or some type of barrier that is strung across the pool at fifteen meters that the swimmers count their strokes from that point to the wall and they duck their head and spot the wall under water.  

Answer 3

on the ceiling of where they swim is usually some sort of signal, be it a flag or whatnot.

http://z.about.com/d/swimming/1/5/c/9/20...

you can go to this website and see if there's anything noticeable.  

Answer 4

The row markers change color to let you know where you are...approximately

Answer 5

they dont..they just hit lol

Answer 6

If you watch the Olympic swimming events, very closely, you'll see a set of flags going across the pool just a little away from the wall hanging across the pool from poles. They're set the same distance away from the edge of the pool all the time, so all swimmers have to do is know how many of their strokes to take until they reach the wall. My stroke count just so happens to be 5 :)

EDIT// Eek. It pains me to see some of the other answers... they do NOT duck their head under the water, it slows them down. There are no markers on the ceiling. Howvere, to whoever said there are markers on the lane lines, that is true - they change color when the wall is nearing and you use the same stroke count.

Answer 7

Sham a Lib, what! Cram a Lib, what!  Bam a Lib, what!  McCain in da house!!!

Answer 8

ok,

a set of flags is 5m to the wall in every pool

every swimmer has their own stroke count from the flags to the wall which they ritually know throughout all their practices

then according to that stroke count, they know when to touch the wall or roll over to do a flip turn

they don't see things on the ceiling (thats too far up and you can't exactly tell when you're exactly below)

they don't get signaled by anyone else

and they NEVER look back :P thats horrible! slows them down terribley, swimmings all about perfect posture and reducing drag as much as possible (hint, all the shaving they do and expensive swim suits)

so yep! they have a personal stroke count from the flags to the wall

Answer 9

when they see someone ells turn the other whey! lol

Answer 10

I know when I swim competitive backstroke we always count our strokes from the flags so we know each time on which stroke to turn on. If you see that they have a string with flags on it across the pool. I'm guessing they count their strokes too.  

Answer 11

ok the pool has flags 5m before the wall. every swimmer has their own personal count. so when they are at the the flags they start counting mine is 5 so when i done counting i flip over to my stomach and do one one more stroke then i flipurn.