Beyond "Learn to Swim in 30 Minutes"

You might have found swimming the length of a pool using the stroke described in "Learn to Swim in 30 Minutes" surprisingly easy. If you have used the Scultra (the stroke described in that article) for more than a couple days, you may be eager to progress to a stroke that is good for long distances. It is only very slightly more difficult to modify the Scultra into a popular backstroke. This is how:

LAND DRILL:
1. Stand straight with your arms down by your side with your palms facing inward.
2. Sweep your dominant arm up tracing the arc of a semi-circle.
3. BEFORE completing the arc, rotate you arm so that your palm is facing outward.
4. Continue to sweep your arm tracing the arc of a second semi-circle with your hand very slightly cupped like a SHALLOW scoop.
5. AT or IMMEDIATELY AFTER completion of the second arc, rotate your arm so that your palm is facing inward again.
6. Repeat steps 2 through 5 with your non-dominant arm.

ANKLE FLEXING TEST:
Sit on the floor with your legs in front of you.
Plantar flex your ankles.
If you CANNOT flex your ankles more than 45 degrees WITH EASE, practice what I call the "Asian Backstroke".
If you can flex 46 degrees or more without discomfort, practice the Back Crawl (this is often simply referred to as "Backstroke").

THE ASIAN BACKSTROKE:
Start by doing the Scultra. Then, change your arm movement to that described in the land drill above. Keep doing the leg movement of the Sultra. It is NOT necessary to synchronize the arm movement with your leg movement. This backstroke is very popular in Asia. It is a very fast stroke and is non-exhausting.

THE BACK CRAWL:
This is the best backstroke over all. Start by doing the Scultra. Quickly change the arm movement to that in the land drill. Immediately after, change the leg movement to the flutter kick. The flutter kick is well known and is well described on many websites and in books. After a day or two, OMIT the Scultra completely and do the back crawl right from the start. Synchronizing the arm movement with your leg movement is desirable but is not essential. The back crawl is also very fast and non-exhausting.
How to turn at the end of a pool is beyond the scope of this article. It is well described on many websites and in books.

NOTES FOR DIE-HARD NON-SWIMMERS:
For persons who are not interested in getting into a swimming pool, I suggest doing the land drill of Scultra (5 minutes) once a day for 4 days. This alone may be enough to prevent you from drowning due to accidental falls into deep water.