Backstroke Start Sets

These sets can be done during your workout and will help you improve your backstroke starts by focusing on getting off the blocks fast. They range from basic to more advanced so you can progress along the sets as you get more comfortable.

For safety, always practice starts with a qualified coach and in the deep end of the pool.

Set 1: Projection

(2–3 rounds through)

3 hip launches

2 toe-touch starts

1 backstroke start

Purpose and Focus Points

If you can’t project off the wall, doing an effective backstroke start will be difficult. The more you can get your hips up and out of the water, the more potential there is for a great start.

A lot of swimmers struggle to understand how hard they must push to do an effective start. These drills will help you learn how to push hard.

In the first drill, focus on getting your whole body as high as possible. In the second, add the component of aiming to touch your toes, requiring a stronger push through the wall.

Set 2: Diving

(2–3 rounds through)

3 back dives

2 ladder start progressions

1 backstroke start

Purpose and Focus Points

This set helps you learn how to dive into the water rather than just fall back into it. This is a key component of an effective backstroke start.

Start off with back dives to help you get comfortable diving in backward. As you get more comfortable, you can be more aggressive with your push off the wall. After the back dives, do the ladder start progression to get closer to a back dive from a starting position. After each round, test yourself by doing a backstroke start.

Set 3: Challenging the Details

(3–4 rounds through)

2 armless back dives

2 ball-kick drills

1 backstroke start

Purpose and Focus Points

This set puts extra pressure on two key skills for doing a great start. Use the armless back dives to help you learn to throw your head to dive backward into the water, and use the ball-kick drill to help you learn how to finish your dive and enter through the same hole your head entered. Practice the drills and then do a full start. If you feel like you have a good handle on the basic skills and want an extra challenge, this is a great set for you.

Set 4: Seeking Perfection

1 altered backstroke start

1 regular backstroke start

Purpose and Focus Points

Once you’ve gotten good at backstroke starts, fine-tuning your setup to look for subtle ways to make progress can be helpful. This set is about playing with different starting positions and then doing regular starts.

The goal is to practice variations to develop subtle improvements in your preferred start. By experimenting with different hand positions, hip heights, hip distances, and more, you gain valuable insight into how the added variability can help make your backstroke start more effective. Rather than practicing the same skill every time, slightly varying that skill enhances your learning.