This is also known as the lawn-mower drill, helicopter drill, or anything else that involves something spinning rapidly in a circle.
Backstroke is a tricky stroke. Technique is important, but moreso than any other stroke, the most important thing is kicking hard and moving your arms fast. I know as coaches, this is not always something we advocate, but its simply inevitable for backstroke. Many times, especially in younger swimmers, when they finally get the hang of the correct body position, there kick and arm speed have become so slow, that they’ve lost all of their speed. This is a great drill to do once your certain that your swimmers understand the correct body position and won’t be confused by you changing things up on them. This drill is also a great drill for older swimmers, especially when it gets to taper season, because it reminds them that it’s time to really kick it into high gear and start to focus on speed.
The drill: For this drill (and this drill only!) tell your swimmers to forget anything they’ve ever learned about body position. Tell them to sit up in the water, and look at their toes. Their body position should basically look like they’re in a recliner or slouching on a couch. Then, tell them to windmill their arms as quickly as possible. The arm speed they are getting should be way faster than on normal backstroke. The whole way down the pool, keep encouraging them to go faster and faster. This is also a great leg workout as well, because to keep themselves up, they’re going to have to kick really hard. Immediately after running through the drill a few times, have them switch back to regular backstroke. You will be amazed at how much faster they’re swimming.
Additional tips: Try and run the drill in 25’s, because even elite swimmers will get worn out in short distances. Sometimes, I also have my swimmers put on their fins for an extra leg workout. Have the swimmers try it a few different ways. They can try karate chopping the water, they can try it with a regular pull, or with fists. All of these will give the drill a little different feel.