September 8, 2020, 1:47 pm | Read time: 2 minutes
Few sports are as relieving for the spine as backstroke swimming. Former swimming pro Toni Embacher guides you step by step in the video to the correct technique and shows a trick to maintain orientation while on your back.
Swimming, especially backstroke swimming, is among the healthiest sports because it is easy on the joints. The prerequisite for the health benefit: the right technique. In the video above, former swimming pro Toni Embacher shows you step by step how to learn backstroke swimming.
Who should definitely learn backstroke swimming?
No other swimming technique, and hardly any other sport, provides better relief for the spine with the right technique than backstroke swimming, according to Toni Embacher. Swimming on your back is particularly suitable for the many people who sit a lot during the day and suffer from resulting pressure pain in the lumbar region. And: This swimming style is especially suitable for beginners because (non-competitive) backstroke swimming does not require learning a special breathing technique. After all, your nose and mouth are above water the entire time…
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Which muscle groups are trained?
Swimming on your back not only engages the back muscles but also intensely works the shoulder area. For this reason, professionals incorporate specific core and stability exercises into their daily training. A specific recommendation from Toni Embacher: planks!
Also interesting: Plank variations for a strong core – video tutorial
A trick to avoid losing orientation
Looking at the sky or the ceiling, you can easily lose orientation while backstroke swimming or, as a non-professional, find it difficult to judge when the end of the pool is reached. This can lead to fear of hitting your head on the pool edge or colliding with other swimmers during the arm stroke. Former swimming pro Toni Embacher presents a proven trick against this problem in the video above.
The footage for this video was shot at the Sportpark Luftschiffhafen Potsdam, specifically in the facility’s flow channel.
Are you now intrigued and want to learn more swimming techniques? FITBOOK has also created a freestyle tutorial (learn freestyle in 4 steps) and a butterfly tutorial (learn butterfly stroke in 4 steps) with former swimming pro Toni Embacher.