If your backstroke feels like a constant battle against your own hips, the problem usually isn't your kick, your pull, or your conditioning. It's your head.
Specifically, it's your chin.
Backstroke head position is one of the most misunderstood fundamentals in the sport, and it's also one of the easiest fixes once you understand the mechanics behind it. At Swim With Milo, we see swimmers of every level, from age group athletes to masters swimmers, fighting low hips and a sinking body line without realizing the fix is happening six inches from their shoulders. Let's break down exactly what your head should be doing, why it matters, and how to feel the difference today.
Here's a quick answer before we dig into the why: no, you should not tuck your chin hard in backstroke. It feels intuitive. Tucking your chin seems like it should tighten your body and streamline your line. In reality, it does the opposite.
Your back wants to stay in the same line as your neck. That's not a preference, it's just how the body works in the water. So the moment you tuck your chin down hard, your back follows your neck's new angle and falls out of alignment. Picture looking 45 degrees downward because you've buried your chin into your chest. Your entire body shifts to match that angle, and your hips drop right along with it.
Once your hips drop, you're no longer swimming backstroke. You're dragging it.
Want a coach to watch this in real time and tell you exactly what your head is doing? Book a 1-on-1 session with Swim With Milo and let's fix it on deck.
So if a hard chin tuck is the wrong move, what's the right one?
The goal is simple: keep your neck and your back in one flat, continuous line. Not a curled line, not an arched line, a flat one. When that line is true, your hips ride high and your body line stays efficient through every stroke cycle.
Here's a cue we give our swimmers that makes this click almost instantly: create a light double chin.
Tuck your chin slightly down and push your neck slightly back at the same time. Try it right now, even sitting at your desk. That subtle motion creates the appearance of a small double chin. That's the position you want in the water.
This is a completely different feeling than a hard chin tuck. It's not about jamming your chin into your chest. It's a light adjustment, almost a posture correction more than a swimming motion. Compare that to the position you'd strike for a school photo, chin up, neck long and exposed. That photo-ready posture is the opposite of what you want on your back in the pool.
Backstroke doesn't give you the luxury of seeing the water in front of you the way freestyle or butterfly do. You're swimming blind, relying entirely on body awareness and rhythm. That makes head position even more critical, because you can't visually correct for a sinking body line mid-stroke. You have to set the position and trust it.
When your neck and back are flat and aligned, your whole body becomes a straighter, more efficient line moving through the water. Less drag. Less wasted energy fighting your own position. More of your effort actually translates into forward speed instead of getting absorbed by a body that's fighting itself.
This is the same principle that shows up across every stroke we coach: your body follows your head. Triathletes battling low hips in open water are fighting the exact same mechanic from the opposite direction, lifting their head to sight a buoy and watching their hips sink in response. Backstroke swimmers just experience it in reverse. Either way, where the head goes, the spine follows.
Here's a detail most swimmers never hear about, and it's worth filing away for race day specifically: at the very end of a backstroke race, in the final five meters, holding your breath can actually help you swim faster.
It sounds small, but a lot of professional backstrokers use this exact technique in competition. Holding that breath in the closing meters helps keep your core engaged and your body line locked in when fatigue is at its worst and form tends to break down. It won't fix a chin tuck problem, but layered on top of correct head position, it's one more tool in the bag for the final push to the wall.
You don't need a coach standing over you to start correcting this. Try this the next time you're in the water:
Before you push off the wall, set your neck and back into that light double chin position. Hold the cue in your mind through the first few strokes: chin slightly down, neck slightly back, flat line. Pay attention to how your hips feel. If they feel higher and your stroke feels smoother almost immediately, that's confirmation the cue is working.
It's a small adjustment with an outsized payoff, which is exactly why it's one of the first things we address with new backstroke swimmers at Swim With Milo.
Backstroke rewards swimmers who understand the small details, not just the ones who swim the most yardage. A flat neck and back line, built off a light double chin cue instead of a hard chin tuck, is one of those details that separates swimmers who fight the water from swimmers who move through it.
If you've been feeling like your hips are working against you every length, this is very likely where it starts. And it's exactly the kind of fix that's hard to see in yourself but easy to spot and correct with the right eyes on your stroke.
Whether you're working on backstroke specifically or looking to clean up technique across the board, Swim With Milo offers 1-on-1 coaching, video analysis, and clinics built around exactly this kind of detail. We don't just tell you what to fix, we show you on film, and we build a plan around your stroke.
Ready to stop fighting your hips and start using them? Reach out to Swim With Milo today and let's get to work.
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