Coach Marsh feels that the key for faster backstroke is simplicity. First, Marsh will help you simplify your body position by teaching you how to achieve a "tall and flat" posture in the water. Simplifying the pull pattern involves a solid bent elbow catch and a straighter linear throw to the finish of the pull that creates a quick transition into the recovery. This simplicity brings about a faster stroke tempo with less energy spent so that you can swim faster longer in backstroke races. To accomplish this system for the stroke, Marsh will take you through a combination of breakdown drills that isolate particular stroke segments and flow drills that connect the isolated components into a flowing efficient stroke. Along with the technique instruction, Marsh will give you "tips" for swimming faster backstroke detailing the stroke, race tips and how to take advantage of utilizing the flags for turns and finishes. Demonstration from World Champion Margaret Hoelzer and NCAA All-American Doug Van Wie greatly enhance this presentation.

55 minutes. 2007.

• Discover Peirsol's six key focus points for fast backstroke, and hear him describe those points in his own words.
• Learn WHY each key point is important, and HOW each one will help you go faster.
• Each focus point is illustrated from multiple angles - side, head-on, below, and behind - and from above and below the surface.
• Slow-motion and freeze-frame footage allows you to zoom in on key moves and really SEE how to do them.
• Special laminated Stroke Guide helps you remember each focal point when you go to the pool.
• Bonus section includes: starts, turns, drills, underwater dolphin and an exclusive interview with Aaron Peirsol.

2007.

Coach Busch begins this four-coach presentation with a brief discussion of the components of backstroke zeroing in on the kick and the catch as the key to developing successful backstrokers. He shares drills that focus on the kick while setting up the proper body position for the stroke. Busch proceeds with a discussion of the catch and the elbow bend for the "throw" of the pull pattern of the stroke through single arm backstroke drills. He also includes a vertical dolphin kick segment to train the all-important underwater portion of start and turn kick. Rick Demont shares his unique perspective of the stroke nuances through drills that focus on developing a feel for the kick and the catch. He transitions into drills that focus on keeping a smooth and efficient "line" for the stroke. Greg Rhodenbaugh shares hip rotation and stroke tempo drills. Augie Busch's segment focuses upon the underwater element of the stroke, flexibility tips for ankles and the chest that help develop a more effective kick and catch and tempo drills to help develop a "core body" based stroke. The coaches end their segments with a narrated demonstration of a set of 4 x 25's descending from easy to fast, giving you different expert perspectives on the core values of the Arizona philosophy for the backstroke.

67 minutes. 2006

Coach Quick believes that the first essential for any successful backstroker is to establish a sound understanding and feel for the proper body position in the water. Beginning his presentation with a review of posture, line and balance essentials, Quick "builds" the backstroke from the inside out sharing innovative drills and technique tips for proper hand placement, underwater pull and recovery. Throughout these drills, Quick repeatedly stresses the importance of swimming the backstroke on the side and driving the stroke from the hips. Emphasizing a "tight, fast, electric kick", Quick and his young swimmers demonstrate each drill and how easily you can incorporate them into your program. Quick also shares common stroke faults and provides invaluable tips to assure proper stroke mechanics.

49 minutes. 2006.

Brackin begins this video by sharing the five phases of a season she uses with her backstrokers. Throughout the training phases, Brackin relates how a shorter high school season would fit into the seasonal plan she shares. Phase 1: Aerobic Phase. Focus areas include a dryland circuit out of the water and in the water and aerobic swimming incorporating technique work. Phase 2: Aerobic Overload, focuses on increasing the aerobic intensity and bringing in an emphasis on racing tempo. In Phase 3: Quality Training, Brackin transitions her backstrokers into more quality work and adds a focus to race intensity training. Brackin also touches on gender differences in the training phases. Phase 4 brings in a lot of quality work with more race-specific focus. Also, race-specific skills are fine-tuned in this phase in preparation for Phase 5, the taper phase. Coach Brackin then shares what she calls "season long essentials" that serve as a great reminder to a coach that there are several aspects of training and skill development that need to be honed throughout the entire season. In keeping with Coach Marsh's love of training toys, Brackin next shares the training devices she incorporates into backstroke training. In the final section, Brackin details race strategies for the 50, 100, and 200 backstroke events for both short and long course.

48 minutes. 2004.