Backstroke

Lie flat on your back with your head, shoulders, thighs and feet close to one level line. A slight slope down to the hips is fine and keeps your legs under the water. Chest high and legs low is the drag to avoid.

long and flat, like lying on a bed.

Keep your head still and neutral: ears in the water, eyes looking up. Don't tuck your chin to your chest and don't throw your head back. Water can touch your chin but shouldn't reach your mouth.

your head resting on the water, not held up.

Press the back of your head and your shoulder blades lightly into the water and brace your core to bring your hips up. Think "lift your belly button" rather than pushing your hips down.

leaning on your upper back like one end of a seesaw.

Enter with a straight arm, pinkie first, palm facing out, directly above or just outside your shoulder. On a clock above your head that's about 11 and 1. If that's hard at first, aim for 10 and 2. Don't reach behind your head.

a karate-chop slice into the water, not a slap.

Let the hand sink about a foot, then bend your elbow and turn your palm to face your feet. Don't start pulling the instant your hand goes in. Keep your elbow pointing toward the pool bottom as the catch sets.

hand and forearm locking onto the water as one paddle.

Push the water toward your feet, not out to the side, and speed the hand up to finish down by your thigh. The elbow stays bent through the middle of the pull. Keep the palm facing your feet, not leading with the thumb.

pushing a stack of books toward your feet.

Roll that shoulder out of the water, then lift the arm straight up and over, thumb leaving first, elbow straight. Turn the hand over the top so the pinkie leads the next entry. One arm starts its pull as the other finishes. There's no glide and no pause at the top or the hip.

two arms turning like a windmill, always opposite.

Flutter kick from the hips with legs close together, ankles relaxed, toes turned slightly in and a slight knee bend on the downbeat. Keep your knees and shins just under the surface so the water boils above your feet. Sprinters kick more beats per arm cycle than distance swimmers.

a steady boil at the surface, knees never popping out.

Roll your shoulders and hips together around your still head, as one unit. Finish each roll before the catch starts. USMS coaches suggest about 30 to 45 degrees each side, and some top swimmers roll less. 3D studies of elite swimmers at race pace measured more. So use a simple check: roll enough that each shoulder clears the water as that arm leaves.

your body turning like a log on a spit while your face stays put.

Breathe on a steady rhythm tied to your arms. For example, breathe in as one arm passes your ear and out as the other does. Don't hold your breath or pant in short gasps.

relaxed lips and cheeks, an even breath every stroke cycle.

In a race you must stay on your back the whole way, except while doing a turn. After the start and each turn, your head has to break the surface by the 15 m mark. You must be back on your back as you leave the wall, and you have to finish on your back.

turning onto your front only as part of the turn itself.