The backstroke arm pull done right: straight arm over the water, little finger first on entry, elbow bent to 90° and pull through all the way to the thigh.
## Introduction "How do I pull correctly in backstroke — with a straight or a bent arm?" Honest answer: both, just in different places. Over the water the arm swings forward straight (the recovery), under the water you pull with a bent elbow (catch and push phase). Mix the two up and you either pull weakly flat or wear your shoulder raw.
The decisive error many beginners make: they pull underwater with a straight arm, as if drawing a circle. That is mechanically weak and loads the shoulder. The right way is a bent elbow with which you push your hand and forearm backward like a big paddle.
Why it pays off: a clean, long pull brings more distance per stroke — and stroke length is a more economical lever for your speed than simply paddling faster. It is exactly this pull mechanics — how deep and how long you catch — that separates the performance levels in the research, not raw strength alone.
## What You Need - A free lane and the clean rotation from the previous step — no roll, no deep pull. - Optional hand paddles (small!) for power and water feel — but sparingly, they load the shoulder. - A feel for "little finger first" on entry and "thumb first" on exit. - An understanding of the catch (grabbing the water) and the push phase. - The cue: straight over, bent under, all the way to the thigh.
## Step by Step ### 1. Recovery: straight arm over the water Lift the arm straight and loose vertically out of the water, thumb leading out first. Swing it relaxed over the shoulder to the front. The straight recovery arm is the shoulder-friendly standard — the rounder and more controlled, the calmer your body position.
### 2. Entry: little finger first The hand enters shoulder-width and little finger first, arm straight in line with the shoulder — never past the middle of the head. This slips the hand cleanly into the water without slapping, and keeps you on a straight line.
### 3. Catch: bend the elbow, grab the water Now the core: bend the elbow to about 90°, as if reaching over the rim of an invisible barrel. Your hand sits roughly 30 cm deep, palm facing your feet. This turns hand and forearm into a big paddle — the high, bent elbow is as valuable in backstroke as it is in front crawl.
### 4. Push phase: through to the thigh Push the water forcefully backward toward your feet with hand and forearm and pull the stroke through to the thigh. Rotation helps here: the rolling trunk brings the big back muscle into the pull. At the end the hand gives a final downward push — then it tilts to exit.
### 5. Timing: arms in opposition Your arms work in opposition: while one pushes underwater, the other swings forward over the water. There is no pause where both rest — this keeps propulsion continuous. One arm is always pulling.
## Common Mistakes - Straight arm underwater: weak and shoulder-loading. Fix: bend the elbow to about 90°, grab the water. - Hand crosses the centreline: you snake. Fix: shoulder-width, little finger first on entry. - Palm-slapping on entry: brake and splash. Fix: little finger cuts in cleanly. - Pull ends too early: half the distance given away. Fix: push through to the thigh. - No rolling: the arm cannot reach deep enough. Fix: allow rotation from the trunk.
## Safety Notes Swimmer's shoulder is the most common overuse injury in the sport — risk factors are high volume, muscular imbalance, reduced external-rotation strength and excessive use of hand paddles. So use paddles small and sparingly, build up slowly and strengthen the external rotators on land. A bent, clean pull spares the shoulder more than a straight power-through-anger pull. With sharp shoulder pain, check technique and reduce volume rather than pulling on.
## Pro Tip For the catch, think of the image "reach over a barrel": the hand rises over the imagined barrel rim, the elbow stays high and bent while hand and forearm push backward. This one image prevents the flat, straight through-pull more reliably than any technical explanation. Combined with rotation from the trunk, it instantly buys you more distance per stroke — and you row more quietly, because you grab the water instead of slapping it away.
## FAQ ### Straight or bent arm for the backstroke pull? Both — just separately: straight over the water (recovery, shoulder-friendly), bent to about 90° under the water (catch and push). The bent elbow turns hand and forearm into a big paddle and is mechanically strong. A straight through-pull underwater is weak and needlessly loads the shoulder.
### How deep should the hand go underwater? Roughly 30 cm, about one forearm length deep, with the elbow bent to around 90°. Too shallow and the pull fizzles, too deep and you push yourself up instead of forward. Imagine reaching over the rim of an invisible barrel — then depth and angle usually fall into place on their own.
### Why enter little finger first? Because the hand then slices cleanly into the water instead of slapping, and because your arm lies correctly in line with the shoulder — shoulder-width, not past the middle of the head. That keeps you on a straight line and leads the hand straight into a good catch without wrenching the shoulder.
### How far do I pull the arm through? To the thigh, with a final small downward push of the hand. A pull broken off early gives away distance, and distance per stroke is the economical lever of your speed. Then the hand tilts and the straight arm swings back forward over the water.
Backstroke Orientation: Straight Without Sight, No Wall Crash