Swimming Backwards Underwater

I have mastered the art of swimming underwater backwards and thought I would pass on tips to anyone interested:

Take time to collect your breath and slow down your breathing, taking a couple of deep breaths before you take the final breath to last you the length underwater. The final deep breath will probably be an audible gasp; don’t be afraid to make it.

Give yourself a good momentum when you push off from the wall; you don’t have oxygen time to waste on gaining speed underwater.

Tip your head right back so that the top of your head is at a 180 degree angle from the surface of the water.

Use a backwards breaststroke motion.

Position yourself close to the surface of the water as it will give you more freedom to manoeuvre your head, should you need/want to. It also means that you will avoid banging your head on the bottom of the pool (I speak from trial and error experience).

Look where you are going (that is part of the fun anyway). Have someone swim a normal breaststroke in front of you if it helps.

Let out your breath very, very slowly at regular intervals from your nose, not your mouth. (I have been advised to try a nose peg, but haven't got around to trying this way yet.)

Set yourself a goal – 10 meters, 15 metres, 20 metres, 25 metres and beyond...

Underwater Swimming

This week I discovered the magical sensation of swimming backwards underwater. So magical, that I almost forgot to share the experience with anyone!

Swimming backwards underwater (where your back faces the bottom of the pool) is not the same as swimming forwards underwater because the breathing control is different. This has to do with the fact that the nostrils are facing towards the surface and, of course, gravity is weighting the water into them. This isn't a problem when you are swimming forwards underwater (with your stomach facing towards the bottom of the pool). The balance is also different, more complicated, but the reward is not just the sensation but the visual aesthetic of the water's surface from underneath (I recommend goggles).

It is an art I have yet to master but I think it will be well worth the effort.

A fellow swimmer once told me she loved underwater because her heart rate slowed and it calmed her down. Swimming underwater actually involves a lot of concentration - when you are starting out. Then, when you learn to master your breathing, the pleasure of underwater swimming really kicks in.